Natalie Pope Boyce

ABOUT MAGIC TREE HOUSE® FACT TRACKERS:

Magic Tree House® Fact Trackers are the nonfiction companions to your favorite adventures! Filled with up-to-date information, photos, illustrations, and fun tidbits from Jack and Annie, the Fact Trackers are the perfect way for kids to find out more about the topics they discovered in the #1 New York Times bestselling Magic Tree House® series. With subjects including science, history, folklore, sports, animals, and more, there’s a Magic Tree House® Fact Tracker for every kid nonfiction reader. Teachers can use Fact Trackers alongside their Magic Tree House® fiction companions to meet common core text pairing needs.

NATALIE POPE BOYCE grew up in a military family, and they moved every few years. One of the most beautiful places they every lived was in Salzburg, Austria. She and Mary could see a castle from their windows and often took walks on the lovely old street where Mozart grew up. Their time in Austria later inspired Mary to write Moonlight on the Magic Flute.

In fact, Natalie says the Fact Trackers have been fun to write because many bring back memories of places where they've lived. For example, when it was time to work on Dolphins and Sharks, she remembered seeing dolphins leaping out of the water when her family's house was on the ocean in Virginia. The sight of them never failed to excite her and her brothers and sister.

After Natalie grew up, she continued to travel. While living in Ireland for a year, she learned about Irish folklore. This made writing Leprechauns and Irish Folklore such a rewarding experience. Natalie also once lived in Hawaii, which was good preparation for writing Tsunamis. She was used to hearing tsunami warning sirens on all the beaches and had always been fascinated by their power and wondered what caused them. Natalie thinks that living in different places is a great education. She also thinks that books give kids an amazing chance to have their own adventures. . . and they never have to leave home!

Teachers: Lesson plans and other resources for Magic Tree House Nonfiction Fact Trackers are available free of charge on www.MTHClassroomAdventures.org.