Mary Pope Osborne is an American children's book writer. She is well known for her award-winning and bestselling Magic Tree House series, which has been translated into over 20 languages and sold over 53 million copies.
Mary Pope started life in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, the daughter of William Pope, a United States Army Colonel, and Barnette , a homemaker. Osborne has a twin brother, Bill, a younger brother, and an older sister, Natalie, who has collaborated with her. Until she was 15, Osborne's family relocated often for her father's career; the family lived in Oklahoma, Austria, Florida and on four different Army posts before ending up in North Carolina, where the family settled once her dad retired. Osborne credits her lifelong peripatetic tendencies and love of adventure to this nomadic childhood.
(Mary Pope Osborne photo #2)
After graduating from the High school of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Osborne traveled extensively around the world before settling in New York City. In 1976, she married Will Osborne, actor and children's playwright. He is Osborne's occasional collaborator.
(Mary Pope Osborne photo #3)
From 1993 to 1997, Osborne served as the 27th president of the Writers Guild, the oldest organization for authors in the United States.
Mary Pope Osborne
