Half Magic: 12/20/14

Half Magic by Edward Eager puts me right back in Mrs. Sullivan's class. I can't tell you exactly which grade that was, as I had her for grades 4 through 6 and sat at the same table the entire time. But I can still picture the classroom bookshelf and on the shelf just over my head sat a copy of Half Magic along with some other fantasy chapter books.

Half Magic is the first of the seven part Tales of Magic. Jane, Mark, Katharine, and Martha have moved to the countryside with their mother. As they are adjusting to a new life, they find a coin that's so warn out it only has half its magic. It takes some trial and error to learn how to properly use it.

In the meantime, they end up making a cat say nothing but "sick", travel to a far off land, and some other general mayhem. Its the first book I remember reading that had a "be careful what you wish for" plot. Among the ones I've read since then, it remains one of my favorites.

So recently I decided to revisit the book, this time as an audio. The book being only 192 pages, makes for a very short audio book, one that can be listened to over a couple hours. Though it works fine as an audio, I did find myself missing N.M. Bodecker's illustrations.

Four stars

Comments (2)

Comment #1: Wednesday, December 31, 2014 at 15:43:04

Jeane

I've read this one as a kid! I remember it well — the author had several others with magical elements too, I think.

Comment #2: Wednesday, December 31, 2014 at 16:43:54

Pussreboots

Half Magic is the first of the seven part Tales of Magic series. The other titles are: Knight's Castle, Magic by the Lake (review coming), The Time Garden, Magic or Not? The Well-Wishers, and Seven-Day Magic.