- Illustrated Chapter Books
- Ages 7–10
- Comedy
The 13-Storey Treehouse
Book 1 of 13 in The Treehouse SeriesView the full series
A brilliantly silly, heavily illustrated gateway into longer books, built around two boys living in an impossible treehouse. It is ideal for children who like jokes, doodles, inventions and chaotic author-narrators.
- Best for7–10
- FormatIllustrated
- Length256 pp
- Read aloud~3 hr40 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Comedic
- Onomatopoeic
Tone
- Funny
- Silly
- Absurdist
- Irreverent
- Exciting
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Andy and Terry live in the most ridiculous treehouse imaginable: thirteen storeys of bowling alleys, lemonade fountains, secret labs, shark tanks, giant catapults and rooms designed purely for fun. They are supposed to be writing a book, but finishing anything is difficult when every floor of the treehouse offers a new distraction and every sensible plan turns into nonsense. The first Treehouse book establishes the series' winning formula: a playful author-and-illustrator double act, huge cartoon energy, extremely accessible prose and a constant sense that the story is being made up right in front of the reader. Terry Denton's illustrations are not decorative extras; they drive jokes, fill pages with visual surprises and make the book feel far lighter than its page count suggests. It is especially strong for children moving from comics into illustrated chapter books.
“Hi, my name is Andy.”
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 7–10
- Read aloud · 6–10
- Independent · 7–11
Prose load
Moderate
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Reading together
- Gift-buying
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
2 / 5 · Better outside bedtime
Sensitive-child
4 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Diary of a wimpy kid fans
- Captain underpants fans
- Silly humour
- Visual readers
- Reluctant readers
Avoid if
- Prefers realistic stories
- Prefers calm books
- Needs tight plot
- Dislikes shouting
Particularly good for children who are…
- Reluctant reader
- Struggling with reading
- Neurodiversity or learning differences
In the classroom
How it works in school.
The anarchic, hugely funny Treehouse series — a legendary reluctant-reader hook and classroom-library staple.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific delight is the treehouse itself — thirteen storeys of bowling alleys, marshmallow machines, see-through swimming pools, shark tanks. A seven-year-old reading this is essentially being given a tour of the secret base they've always wanted. The story is mostly an excuse, and the excuse is enough.
- Adventure and freedom
- Having a secret base
- Secret world
- Trickery and cleverness
Why parents love it
The Treehouse for a child who'll only sit still for graphic novels but needs to move into chapter books — Terry Denton's illustrations and Andy Griffiths's text are equal partners, half the book is pictures. Famously powerful with reluctant readers. The series the storey-count escalation comes from; another twelve volumes wait.
- Shared humour
- Quick to read
- Conversation starter
In the series
The Treehouse Series.
13 books · open the series →
About the creators
About the creators.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
More like this…
Books that share themes and topics with this one.
Where you’ll find it
On these reading lists.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
- Bookshop.org ↗
- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
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