Teaching the 1600s – 1800s with Magic Tree House Books

This post is part of our Teaching History with Magic Tree House Books series.

This year we are using the Magic Tree House books as my 2nd grader’s reading ‘curriculum’. I have organized them to correlate with what we are learning in history and some times science.  Check out Teaching History with Magic Tree House Books to see why we love these books, how they are organized, and to find some simple extension activities for using them in your homeschool or classroom.  I also explain the difference between the Magic Tree House line of books (noted as MTH below) and the Merlin Missions line of books (noted as MM below).

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This list contains the books that cover the 1600s through the 1800s and are organized by continent. These books would align with Story of the World Volume 3 or other history studies about Early Modern Times.  These books will expose your children to a variety of important people and events during this period of time.

History of the 1600s – 1700s

Europe: Moonlight on the Magic Flute (MM 13): Jack and Annie travel to Austria in the mid-1700s to meet Mozart!

Europe: Dogs in the Dead of Night (MM 18): Annie and Jack travel to the Swiss Alps and learn about monks, avalanches and Saint Bernard dogs.
Fact Tracker: Dog Heroes: Learn a variety of ways that dogs serve people.

Americas: Pirates Past Noon (MTH 4): Jack and Annie travel back to a time of deserted islands and pirates.
Fact Tracker: Pirates: Everything your children will want to know about pirates.

North America: Thanksgiving on Thursday (MTH 27): Annie and Jack travel to Plymouth, MA in 1621 to celebrate the first Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims and Native Americans.
Fact Tracker: Pilgrims: Learn facts about the voyage on the Mayflower and how the Pilgrims survived once reaching Plymouth.

North America: To the Future: Ben Franklin! (MTH 32): Jack and Annie join Ben Franklin in one of his science explorations!
Fact Tracker: Ben Franklin: This biography covers many of Ben Franklin’s explorations and adventures.

North America: Revolutionary War on Wednesday (MTH 22): Jack and Annie join General George Washington on his crossing of the Delaware.
Fact Tracker: American Revolution: Great book for teaching about key facts in the American Revolution.

History of the 1800s

Africa: High Time for Heroes (MM 23): Jack and Annie travel to Egypt in the mid-1800s and meet Florence Nightingale.
Fact Tracker: Heroes for All Time: This book contains sections on the following heroes: Florence Nightingale, Martin Luther King, Jr., Gandhi, Harriet Tubman, Susan B. Anthony, and John Muir.

Europe: A Ghost Tale for Christmas Time (MM 16): Annie and Jack visit London during Victorian times and meet Charles Dickens.
Fact Tracker: Rags and Riches: This book details how poor and wealthy children lived during the mid-1800s in England.

Check out the Charles Dickens FREE Unit Study, which includes this book!

Europe: Leprechaun in Late Winter (MM 15): Jack and Annie travel to Ireland and learn about Irish legends.
Fact Tracker: Leprechauns and Irish Folklore: Learn even more about Irish legends.

Check out the St. Patrick’s Day FREE Unit Study based upon this book!

North America: Buffalo Before Breakfast (MTH 18): Annie and Jack travel to the Great Plains in the early 1800s and meet a Lakota Indian boy.

North America: Ghost Town at Sundown (MTH 10): Jack and Annie travel to the Wild West for this adventure.
Fact Tracker: Wild West: Contains facts about ghost towns, cowboys, Billy the Kid and more.

North America: Abe Lincoln at Last! (MM 19): Annie and Jack travel to Washington D.C. at the beginning of Lincoln’s presidency.
Fact Tracker: Abraham Lincoln: Learn about Abraham Lincoln from his boyhood through the Civil War.

North America: Civil War on Sunday (MTH 21): Jack and Annie travel back to the Civil War and meet Clara Barton.

North America: Twister on Tuesday (MTH 23): It is the 1870s and Jack and Annie travel to a one room schoolhouse on a prairie right before a tornado comes through. 
Fact Tracker: Twisters and Other Terrible Storms: While this is not the best book to go along with a study of history, it is a great book if you are studying weather as part of your science studies.

Check out our Tornadoes FREE Unit Study, which is a companion to this book.

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