Half Magic - Hardcover

Eager, Edward

3.95

37,366 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 015233078X ISBN 13: 9780152330781

Publisher: Harcourt Childrens Books (J), 1954

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Read by a full cast
3 hours, 30 minutes
2 cassettes

When Jane finds a magic charm that grants exactly half of any wish, her brother Mark and her sisters Katharine and Martha take turns making double wishes, leading to results that are twice as unpredictable (and hilarious). Set in the 1920's, yet fresh and funny now as the day it was written, Half Magic weaves its spell anew in this full-cast recording.

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Review:

Edward Eager has been delighting young readers for more than 40 years with stories that mix magic and reality. Half Magic, the most popular of his tales about four children who encounter magical coins, time-travel herb gardens, and other unlikely devices, is a warm, funny, original adventure. The "Half Magic" of the title refers to a coin that the children find. Through a comical series of coincidences, they discover that the coin is magic. Well, it's not totally magic--it's only (you guessed it) half magic. That means there's a certain logic to the wishes one must make to generate a desired outcome. Imagine the results emerging from inaccurate efforts: "half" invisible, "half" rescued, "half" everything! Half Magic is never too cute, and with just enough emotion to complement the magic, this classic is sure to hold a special place in any child's library. If you love Half Magic, its sequels Knight's Castle, The Time Garden, and Magic by the Lake have also been reissued in lovely hardcover editions, complete with N.M. Bodecker's original illustrations and covers by Quentin Blake. (Ages 8 to 12) -- Amazon.co.uk

Review:

"Half Magic "is a funny, charming, timeless book, as much a pleasure to read to a child now as it was forty years ago. Those who had it read to them then may even have an obligation to pass on the pleasure. "The New York Times Book Review" * "Ingenious make-believe. . . . Satisfying variety, surprise, and laughter. . . . A book children will want to read at one sitting." "Library Journal, " starred review"

Half Magic is a funny, charming, timeless book, as much a pleasure to read to a child now as it was forty years ago. Those who had it read to them then may even have an obligation to pass on the pleasure. The New York Times Book Review

* "Ingenious make-believe. . . . Satisfying variety, surprise, and laughter. . . . A book children will want to read at one sitting." Library Journal, starred review"

"Half Magic is a funny, charming, timeless book, as much a pleasure to read to a child now as it was forty years ago. Those who had it read to them then may even have an obligation to pass on the pleasure." --The New York Times Book Review

* "Ingenious make-believe. . . . Satisfying variety, surprise, and laughter. . . . A book children will want to read at one sitting." --Library Journal, starred review

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