Sea Otter Sunrise

Magic Tree House #40

by Mary Pope Osborne, A.G. Ford (illustrator)

The #1 bestselling Magic Tree House series for chapter book listeners is ready to whisk you away across the world with Jack and Annie—this time to save sea otters after a shark attack! Perfect for listeners ages 6-9!

It’s bright and early when the magic tree house spins Jack and Annie to Monterey Bay, California. It’s their mission to collect sea urchins in the underwater kelp forests! But they know nothing about collecting sea urchins—can a grouchy boat captain help them? Maybe. But Jack and Annie have another problem when Annie finds a badly injured sea otter. They’re not supposed to help the otter. . . but it’s the right thing to do. Can they convince the grouchy boat captain to help them?

Did you know that there's a Magic Tree House book for every kid?

Magic Tree Perfect for listeners who are just beginning chapter books Merlin More challenging adventures for the experienced reader Fact Nonfiction companions to your favorite Magic Tree House adventures If you're looking for Merlin Mission #40: Eve of the Emperor Penguin, it was renumbered as Merlin Mission #12 when the series was rebranded in 2017.

Genres: Fantasy, Chapter Books, Audiobook, Adventure, Childrens, Fiction, Animals

112 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2025

About the author

Mary Pope Osborne is an American author of children's books and audiobook narrator. She is best known as the author of the Magic Tree House series, which as of 2017 sold more than 134 million copies worldwide. Both the series and Osborne have won awards, including for Osborne's charitable efforts at promoting children's literacy. One of four children, Osborne moved around in her childhood before attending the University of North Carolina. Following college, Osborne traveled before moving to New York City. She somewhat spontaneously began to write, and her first book was published in 1982. She went on to write a variety of other children's and young adult books before starting the Magic Tree House series in 1992. Osborne's sister Natalie Pope Boyce has written several compendium books to the Magic Tree House series, sometimes with Osborne's husband Will Osborne.

Reviews

[Angela Hull · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay this book is a five star for me simply for the fact that the offers were so cute. I love the fact that Bob’s whole demeanor changed after meeting the otters

[Hope Anderson (HopelessBookAddict) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Legit might be in my top 5 for this series! SO cute!

[Opal]

This is standing in for having finished all 40 of the currently published books in the regular Magic Tree House series, which feels like a proper accomplishment worthy of being marked here. I have been reading them out loud to my little sister for the past 6 months or so. Now we start the Merlin Missions!

[Roy Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading 68 other Magic Tree House books I didn’t really expect Osborne could do another book as well, yet she did - and this one is a true masterpiece, one of the best in the whole series. My kid was open-mouthed with awe at the descriptions of the ocean ecosystem, and crying with laughter at the later scenes with Captain Bob. Join Jack and Annie again as they go to save sea otters in California and deal with a grouchy sea captain.

[Cherish Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4☆ Would recommend)
I learned about this series from my 6-year-old son. He loves these books. I liked how the books aren't super long, so emergent readers & younger kids can enjoy them. I liked how the personalities of Jack & Annie are so different. I really enjoyed how the story encompasses friendship. Would recommend.

[Shauna Morrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I miss reading these stories with my daughter, unfortunately, she is now an adult and it would be awkward reading these together now. :)
This was a fun story with Jack and Annie saving some otters and helping a sea captain lose his grouchiness.

[Clara Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful read-aloud with my 7-year-old. The story not only entertained but also introduced valuable lessons about compassion, responsibility, and marine life. It sparked curiosity, and we ended up looking up more facts about sea otters and kelp forests afterward.

[PottWab Regional Library]

SM

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Andrew Heitland · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I saw this book at the library, I instantly thought of 5 year old Andrew! And to top it off, my fav animals are sea otters! This book was super fun and awesome!

[➳ Anthony ➳]

I forgot how short these were. A good read.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute short story with sea otters teaching how caring for animals changes people for the better.

My 9 year old and I listened as we ran errands and it was a hit.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved being with Jack and Annie on another adventure!

[Tonia Eason · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is my favorite magic treehouse book so far. Otters are a favorite animal of mine. It's a cute story with lots of facts.

[Mara M · Rating 5 out of 5]

travis kelce would approve

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

im glad I decided to read all the books in this series finally

[Mary T · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this back and forth with my 7yo son. We weren't super into it but finished it. It didn't seem as good as some of the earlier ones in the series.

[AMY · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this installment, Jack and Annie land the treehouse at the marina in Monterey, CA and work for a boat owner named Bob, collecting sea urchins. They have to make a critical decision when they find a marine animal that has injuries and will die without intervention. Highly recommended for Magic Treehouse fans and Grades 3-5.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Mary Pope Osborne’s chapter book for early readers, Sea Otter Sunrise, the main characters, Jack and Annie, travel to Monterey Bay, California, in 2025 (Osborne 15). AG Ford illustrated the book. Jack and Annie traveled to Monterey Bay as sea urchin drivers (Osborne 13). Osborne’s book includes a list of “basic scuba diving rules” (Osborne 34). Annie and Jack put on waterproof driving watches that teach them the rules of scuba diving (Osborne 31). Jack and Annie work for a Boat Captain named Bob, who sells “hundreds of sea urchins and sells them directly to restaurants,” in the words of Osborne (Osborne 18). Otters also eat sea urchins. People who work in the field of urchins, such as Bob, follow otters because they lead to the urchins (Osborne 17, 28). The Monterey Bay Aquarium is featured in the book "Sea Otter Sunrise." Jack and Annie want to see sea otters. Bob is very cranky, and he reminds Jack of a modern version of Captain Bones from Pirates Past Noon. Bob does not want Jack and Annie to interact with otters. Bob does not want Jack and Annie to interact with otters because they are a protected species. As the title and cover illustration suggest, the story involves sea otters. Annie Sea Otter Sunrise is a fun Magic Tree House book.
Works Cited:
Osborne, Mary Pope. 1994. Pirates Past Noon. New York: Random House Books.