Ok this is my last shot at the magic key

[3bunnies]

and I want the full story ideally in chronological order. After 3 dc I think I need to know how it all started and so do my dd who both had random assortment of magic key stories. I am lucky in that I often help ds choose his books and I reckon I can persuade him which one 'he' wants, so which books introduce the key and roughly which colour level?

hahaha I think we had the first one home from school once but can't for the life of me remember what it was called. No help whatsoever but brilliant question

There is a book called "The Magic Key" at ORT Stage 5, which I think is the first one (my DC also read them out of order and skipped stages etc).

The first one with the key is called The Magic Key I think and is stage 4 or 5

You can find the book order here. The magic key books start at level 5, but the key is apparently found at the end of level 4. Not sure how these levels correspond to UK book bands, as this catalogue is for Singapore.

Thanks - I think it is the first line of each of the levels so it looks as if I need to memorise those ones. I don't think we had any of the level 4 ones or the first few level 5 ones, no wonder it seemed as if the authors had suddenly taken a random selection of illegal substances. considers ordering from the library, is that a step too far?

A storm causes a tree to uproot and reveal the magic key in level 4. That's when it's first found. I think level 4 is blue.

Levels 5-9 contain magic key adventures. That is green, orange, turquoise, purple and gold.

At levels 10-12 there are "time chronicles" where the kids go back in time. These are a step up from the adventures.

More importantly, is there a LAST magic key book, after which you can set Biff, Kipper and Chip (not to mention Floppy) to rest!!!!

No I do not believe so!
Or at least we never got it.
Do you want them all to be in an explosion

Yes - I think the book is called "The Storm" and the key is in a box amongst the tree roots.

'souperb': I think maybe your list is a more modern series, whereas the original ORT books (well over twenty years ago) were not phonic-based.

Somewhere there is also detailed information about how the children got their names - not sure where though, off hand.

Interesting my dd1 skipped that book too. Hopefully dd2 will get it.

Oh which is the last one prepares to bribe dd2 to search for it, she will be hoping for a sad ending

My DS's teacher was sensible, in level 4 there are a series of books that need to be read in order, and that introduce the magic key, she gave him them all to read over an Easter holiday. My DS loved them! But I do think just giving the books out randomly is confusing, teachers take note!

Yes that's right it's in a box under the tree. And the story goes on in the time chronicles series where you find out just what was going on with that weird caretaker who was in every other picture! I was delighted to discover a link there!

The info about the children's names was in the Stage 1-3 Teachers' Book. The names came about because Kipper couldn't pronounce their real names. I recall he called squirrels 'gimballs'. I think these stories introduced the characters before the Stage 1 non-word books.

The family move house in Stage 4. There is a big storm and the tree in the garden is uprooted. Buried under the tree is a box. In the box is the key. It glows as Biff? falls asleep.

I haven't read the new books beyond Stage 9 which apparently explain all - including why the janitor pops up in random adventures.

I've bought DS the time chronicles set from the Book People and we've not read them yet. Just looked at the first couple of books, and Mrs May has retired and the caretaker is a [spoiler].

DS read the Times Chronicles set a couple of years ago and DD has read a couple of them but she is not a fan of Biff etc.

There are a few books at blue level (stage 4) which build up to the magic key.

House for sale - Biff etc look at buying a new house
The new house - they buy the new house
Come in - forget what happens apart from Chip etc making friends with the locals!
The Secret Room - Biff discovers a secret room in her bedroom which has the dolls house in it.
The play - I forget this one!
The storm - the magic key is discovered and dug up by Floppy IIRC.

The magic key then starts at stage 5.

Quick update. We have read The storm now, currently have the secret room and the play to read. Ds getting excited about going on to the key stories. We have all been listening to him read and the girls are almost as excited as me he is.

I really missed the magic key guys when we left them behind.

The magic key stories were my favourite ones when listening to both DDs read - feeling a bit nostalgic now...