There once was a boy who worked for a magician. He cleaned and cooked for him, but what he really wanted was to learn magic. The magician always told him that he wasn't ready. His favorite job was performing the puppet show, 'St. George and the Dragon,' when the magician performed. One horrible day, the St. George puppet went missing in the middle of a very important performance. The magician then sent the boy into Storyland to find him. The boy meets The Old Woman in the Shoe, Jack of the beanstalk, and Little Red Riding Hood, but will he find St. George in time, and prove that he is, indeed, ready to learn magic?

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 3/27/2009

ISBN-10: 1416915559

ISBN-13: 9781416915553

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Digory and Polly are tricked by Digory's strange Uncle Andrew to wear magic rings that bring them into the Wood Between the Worlds. They then enter a dying world and encounter the wicked Queen Jadis. Through the magic of the rings, they accidentally bring Jadis to London, and then to a new world that will become Narnia. Will Digory be able to help his sick mother in the midst of all that is occurring? This is book 6 of the Chronicles of Narnia series.

Reviewed by: msp

Date read: 9/27/2010

ISBN-10: 0060234970

ISBN-13: 9780060234973

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Commenter: Eve, grade 6

In a race against time, Josh and Sophie Newman must find the French magician, alchemist and rock star, Comte de Saint-Germain. Centuries-old alchemist Nicholas Flamel believes that Josh and Sophie are the twins whose power can save all or destroy all, and, to bring Sophie's power to its full state, she must learn Saint-Germain's secrets. If Josh and Sophie do not succeed, the Dark Elders will once again come into power. In their quest, they come face to face with Machiavelli, well-known counselor to the Medici family of Renaissance Italy, who is now the head of the Paris police force. He will stop at nothing to keep Josh and Sophie from their goal. Before they can continue, they come up against ancient Viking spirits who have unleashed the monster, Nidhogg. Like its predecessor, The Magician is full of legendary spirits and characters, both real and unreal.

Similar authors: J.K. Rowling, Lloyd Alexander, Rick Riordan

Similar books: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Reviewed by: vfv

Date read: 3/7/2012

ISBN-13: 9781442036505

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Commenter: Ellie, grade 5

After learning that she really is a Princess, Jenna is whisked from her home, and carried toward safety by the ExtraOrdinary Wizard, her father, brother, and a young guard. Along the way, they are pursued by agents of those who killed her mother ten years earlier. Book one of The Septimus Heap series.

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 3/27/2009

ISBN-10: 0060577312

ISBN-13: 9780060577315

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As a young boy, Matty escaped from another place to live in the Village. For the last six years, he has lived peacefully there with the blind Seer. Now changes are coming to the Village, and the nearby Forest is turning hostile. Will Matty be able to make one last trip through the Forest to bring the Seer's daughter Kira to live in the Village before its boundaries close? If you enjoy dystopian fiction and Lois Lowry's other books, The Giver and Gathering Blue, be sure to read this book. These three companion books have themes and characters in common. Lowry's new book, Son, will answer many of the questions raised in the first three books.

Reviewed by: msp

Date read: 9/21/2012

ISBN-10: 0618404414

ISBN-13: 9780618404414

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