Parents' Guide to

Dinosaurs Before Dark: Magic Tree House, Book 1

By Matt Berman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 4+

Mild time-travel adventure.

Book Mary Pope Osborne Fantasy 1992
Dinosaurs Before Dark: Magic Tree House, Book 1 Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

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age 5+

Based on 6 parent reviews

aacamus
aacamus Parent of 2, 6 and 11-year-old
February 1, 2022
age 5+

Encourages reading

The siblings, Jack and Annie, are a great team. Short chapters keep young readers engaged. I love that Jack keeps a notebook and is constantly referring to books to anticipate what to do next. Three books into the series and my first grader wants to keep a journal to make notes about each adventure.

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
akanaras
akanaras Adult
February 25, 2019
age 7+

Dinosaurs Before Dark Book Review by a Grade 2 Class

This book is called Dinosaurs Before Dark by Mary Pope Osborne. The main characters of this book are Jack and Annie. They are brother and sister. The story takes place in Pennsylvania in a magic tree house. Jack and Annie found a magic tree house and they went back in time to when the dinosaurs were alive. Will they come back home before night? Or will they become the dinosaur's dinner? Dun dun dun!!!! We like this book because it's a very cool fantasy book. For example, in the book, Jack and Annie get to see dinosaurs in real life! This book is fantastic because it's an adventure book. For example, during one part of the book, they found nests of dinosaur eggs! Another reason is because the chapters are short so it's easy to read. For example, most chapters have less than 10 pages. People who love dinosaurs and kids from grade 2 to grade 4 should read this book!
See all 6 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Jack and Annie travel back in time via treehouse to the prehistoric Cretaceous period. In this mild adventure written in short, clipped sentence structure, the two siblings fly on the back of a Pteranodon, stumble upon nests filled with tiny dinosaurs and flee from a T-rex.

In the first of many Magic Tree House adventures, 8-year-old Jack and his 7-year-old sister Annie discover what they think must be the "highest treehouse in the world." They climb up and find it's filled with books. When Jack fingers a picture of a Pteranodon and says, "I wish I could see a Pteranodon for real," his wish comes true.

Jack and Annie are transported back 65 million years, where they meet a flying reptile they name Henry, a 12,00 pound flower-eating Triceratops, a duck-billed dinosaur with a voice like a tuba called an Anatosaurus, and a T-rex who could eat a human in a single bite. A mysterious gold medallion with the letter M is collected along the way, reassuring the two that their trip in the flying tree house was real.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (6 ):
Kids say (9 ):

In this first adventure, Mary Osborne sets the stage for her popular series, and the set-up is inventive. A book must be found and opened and a wish made for the tree house to begin spinning -- and transport Jack and Annie to another place and time.

An escape, in which Jack hops atop an ancient flying reptile and soars over a Tyrannosaurus rex, will have readers holding their breath, then cheering for the hero's return to safety. And even though Jack gets to do the flying, Annie has her part: It's her ingenuity that saves her brother.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the scientific aspects of dinosaurs.

  • How much of this story is real, how much is made up, and how much are we just not certain about?

Book Details

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