Magic Tree House Books in Order: Every Series Explained

By Anna Marie CarrollChildren

The Magic Tree House books in order are easy to follow once you know how the series is split. The main Jack and Annie chapter books are the core series, while the Merlin Missions, Fact Trackers, graphic novels, and companion books each serve a different purpose.

Start with Dinosaurs Before Dark for the main story. From there, you can keep reading in publication order, move into the longer Merlin Missions, or use the Fact Trackers and graphic novels as optional side reads.

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About the Magic Tree House Series

Magic Tree House follows Jack and Annie, two kids who travel through time and around the world from a mysterious tree house. The main books are short chapter books, which makes them a natural first step for kids moving beyond early readers.

The longer Merlin Missions come next for many readers. The Fact Trackers are non-fiction companions, while the graphic novels retell earlier books in a visual format. None of those side lines replace the main series, so it helps to keep the lists separate.

Magic Tree House Books in Publication Order

This is the main Magic Tree House reading order. It follows the current main-series numbering, which matters because older editions used different numbering before the 2017 rebrand.

The stories are mostly standalone, but Dinosaurs Before Dark is still the right starting point. It introduces Jack, Annie, and the tree house before the adventures begin.

  1. Dinosaurs Before Dark / Valley of the Dinosaurs (1992)
  2. The Knight at Dawn / Castle of Mystery (1993)
  3. Mummies in the Morning / Secret of the Pyramid (1993)
  4. Pirates Past Noon / Pirates’ Treasure! (1994)
  5. Night of the Ninjas (1995)
  6. Afternoon on the Amazon (1995)
  7. Sunset of the Sabertooth / Mammoth to the Rescue (1996)
  8. Midnight on the Moon / Moon Mission! (1996)
  9. Dolphins at Daybreak (1996)
  10. Ghost Town at Sundown / A Wild West Ride (1997)
  11. Lions at Lunchtime / Lions on the Loose (1998)
  12. Polar Bears Past Bedtime / Icy Escape! (1998)
  13. Vacation Under the Volcano / Racing with Gladiators (1998)
  14. Day of the Dragon King / Palace of the Dragon King (1998)
  15. Viking Ships at Sunrise / Voyage of the Vikings (1998)
  16. Hour of the Olympics (1998)
  17. Tonight on the Titanic (1999)
  18. Buffalo Before Breakfast (1999)
  19. Tigers at Twilight (1999)
  20. Dingoes at Dinnertime (2000)
  21. Civil War on Sunday (2000)
  22. Revolutionary War on Wednesday (2000)
  23. Twister on Tuesday (2001)
  24. Earthquake in the Early Morning (2001)
  25. Stage Fright on a Summer Night (2002)
  26. Good Morning, Gorillas (2002)
  27. Thanksgiving on Thursday (2002)
  28. High Tide in Hawaii (2003)
  29. A Big Day for Baseball (2017)
  30. Hurricane Heroes in Texas (2018)
  31. Warriors in Winter (2019)
  32. To the Future, Ben Franklin! (2019)
  33. Narwhal on a Sunny Night (2020)
  34. Late Lunch with Llamas (2020)
  35. Camp Time in California (2021)
  36. Sunlight on the Snow Leopard (2022)
  37. Rhinos at Recess (2023)
  38. Time of the Turtle King (2023)
  39. Windy Night with Wild Horses (2024)
  40. Sea Otter Sunrise (2025)

Magic Tree House Merlin Missions

The Merlin Missions are longer and more advanced than the main chapter books. Some older editions numbered them as later Magic Tree House books, but newer editions separate them into their own line starting with Christmas in Camelot.

  1. Christmas in Camelot (2001)
  2. Haunted Castle on Hallows Eve (2003)
  3. Summer of the Sea Serpent (2004)
  4. Winter of the Ice Wizard (2004)
  5. Carnival at Candlelight (2004)
  6. Seasons of the Sandstorms (2005)
  7. Night of the New Magicians (2006)
  8. Blizzard of the Blue Moon (2006)
  9. Dragon of the Red Dawn (2007)
  10. Monday with a Mad Genius (2007)
  11. Dark Day in the Deep Sea (2008)
  12. Eve of the Emperor Penguin (2008)
  13. Moonlight on the Magic Flute (2009)
  14. A Good Night for Ghosts (2009)
  15. Leprechaun in Late Winter (2010)
  16. A Ghost Tale for Christmas Time (2010)
  17. A Crazy Day with Cobras (2010)
  18. Dogs in the Dead of Night (2011)
  19. Abe Lincoln At Last! (2011)
  20. A Perfect Time for Pandas (2012)
  21. Stallion by Starlight (2013)
  22. Hurry Up, Houdini! (2013)
  23. High Time for Heroes (2014)
  24. Soccer on Sunday (2014)
  25. Shadow of the Shark (2015)
  26. Balto of the Blue Dawn (2016)
  27. Night of the Ninth Dragon (2016)

Magic Tree House Fact Tracker Books

The Fact Trackers are non-fiction companion books, originally published as Research Guides. They explain the real history, science, animals, and places behind Jack and Annie’s adventures.

  1. Dinosaurs (2000)
  2. Knights and Castles (2000)
  3. Mummies and Pyramids (2001)
  4. Pirates (2001)
  5. Rain Forests (2001)
  6. Space (2002)
  7. Titanic (2002)
  8. Twisters and Other Terrible Storms (2003)
  9. Dolphins and Sharks (2003)
  10. Ancient Greece and the Olympics (2004)
  11. American Revolution (2004)
  12. Sabertooths and the Ice Age (2005)
  13. Pilgrims (2005)
  14. Ancient Rome and Pompeii (2006)
  15. Tsunamis and Other Natural Disasters (2007)
  16. Polar Bears and the Arctic (2007)
  17. Sea Monsters (2008)
  18. Penguins and Antarctica (2008)
  19. Leonardo da Vinci (2009)
  20. Ghosts (2009)
  21. Leprechauns and Irish Folklore (2010)
  22. Rags and Riches: Kids in the Time of Charles Dickens (2010)
  23. Snakes and Other Reptiles (2011)
  24. Dog Heroes (2011)
  25. Abraham Lincoln (2011)
  26. Pandas and Other Endangered Species (2012)
  27. Horse Heroes (2013)
  28. Heroes for All Times (2013)
  29. Soccer (2014)
  30. Ninjas and Samurai (2014)
  31. China: Land of the Emperor’s Great Wall (2014)
  32. Sharks and Other Predators (2015)
  33. Vikings (2015)
  34. Dogsledding and Extreme Sports (2016)
  35. Dragons and Mythical Creatures (2016)
  36. World War II (2017)
  37. Baseball (2017)
  38. Wild West (2018)
  39. Texas (2018)
  40. Warriors (2019)
  41. Benjamin Franklin (2019)
  42. Narwhals and Other Whales (2020)
  43. Llamas and the Andes (2020)
  44. Snow Leopards and Other Wild Cats (2022)

Magic Tree House Super Edition

There is one Magic Tree House Super Edition. It’s longer than the regular chapter books and sends Jack and Annie into World War II.

  1. Danger in the Darkest Hour / World at War, 1944 (2015)

Magic Tree House Graphic Novels

The Magic Tree House graphic novels adapt the original chapter books. They’re useful for visual readers, but they don’t add a separate story order.

  1. Dinosaurs Before Dark (2021)
  2. The Knight at Dawn (2021)
  3. Mummies in the Morning (2022)
  4. Pirates Past Noon (2022)
  5. Night of the Ninjas (2023)
  6. Afternoon on the Amazon (2024)
  7. Sunset of the Sabertooth (2024)
  8. Midnight on the Moon (2025)

Magic Tree House Fact Tracker Graphic Novels

The Fact Tracker graphic novels adapt the non-fiction line into a visual format. They’re optional, but they’re a good fit for kids who like the Fact Trackers and prefer comics-style pages.

  1. Dinosaurs (2025)
  2. Space (2025)
  3. Titanic (2026)

Magic Tree House Activity and Companion Books

These aren’t part of the reading order. They’re extra activity, puzzle, journal, survival, and fact-style books for kids who want more after the stories.

  1. Games and Puzzles from the Tree House (2010)
  2. Magic Tricks from the Tree House (2013)
  3. My Magic Tree House Journal (2014)
  4. Magic Tree House Survival Guide (2014)
  5. Animal Games and Puzzles (2015)
  6. Magic Tree House Incredible Fact Book (2016)

Do You Need to Read Magic Tree House Books in Order?

You don’t have to read every Magic Tree House book in order, but Dinosaurs Before Dark is the best first book. It explains the tree house and introduces Jack and Annie.

After that, the main books are flexible. A kid can jump to dinosaurs, ninjas, dolphins, baseball, or the Titanic and still understand the story. The Merlin Missions work better in order, while the Fact Trackers and graphic novels can be read whenever they match a reader’s interest.

Magic Tree House Books FAQ

What is the difference between Magic Tree House and Merlin Missions?

The main Magic Tree House books are shorter chapter books for readers who are getting started. The Merlin Missions are longer, more advanced adventures that work better once a kid is comfortable with the original series.

Are the Magic Tree House Fact Trackers part of the story?

No. The Fact Trackers are non-fiction companion books. They explain the real history, science, animals, places, and people connected to the fiction books, but they don’t continue Jack and Annie’s main story.

Are the Magic Tree House graphic novels the same stories?

Yes. The graphic novels adapt the original Magic Tree House chapter books. They’re a different format, not a separate reading order.

Why are some Magic Tree House books numbered differently?

The numbering changed during the 2017 rebrand. Older editions treated later books as part of one long series. Newer editions split the shorter chapter books from the Merlin Missions, so old and new lists don’t always match.

What age are Magic Tree House books for?

The original Magic Tree House books are usually a good fit for early chapter-book readers, often around ages 6 to 9. The Merlin Missions and Fact Trackers can work better for slightly older or more confident readers.

Looking for more books in order?

If you want more authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Books in Order index.

2 thoughts on “Magic Tree House Books in Order: Every Series Explained”

  2. I’ve been looking for a site that gives info about the magic tree house series for months. than you

    Reply

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