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Half Magic (平装)
by Edward Eager , N. M. Bodecker (Illustrator)
| Category:
Fiction, Ages 9-12, Children's books |
| Market price: ¥ 108.00
MSL price:
¥ 88.00
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| Stock:
In Stock |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
A magic story about four children and a half magic coin which can grant wishes; it is never too cute. |
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AllReviews |
1 2   | Total 2 pages 15 items |
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Lincoln Public Library (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-05 00:00>
Half Magic is an enchanting book by Edward Eager. This book is about four children: Jane the oldest, Mark who helps Jane rule over the two younger girls: Katharine who is obsessed with poetry and Martha a difficult child to handle. The four children find a magic charm which they discover grants half of every wish. The children take turns wishing on the charm which brings them on exciting adventures throughout the book. I would recommend this book to people who like magical excitement. I had a lot of fun reading this book and think you will too. |
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-05 00:00>
I too read this book when I was 9 or 10 and then worked my way through the other 6 titles. I loved them all so very much that I read them again and again. Before I had reached my teens, they were like old and very dear friends. However, here in the UK, they've been out of print for quite some time and it looked as if my hope of owning my own set was never to be. As a librarian, I've frequently come across very old and battered copies of Half Magic in several Children's Libraries but about 10 years ago, I had the best piece of luck. I was working in a (nameless) library in Central London and came across a complete set in a store room as part of an out-of-print collection. I avidly fell upon them all and renewed old acquaintances with the children I'd thought of as my friends. When that collection was broken up for sale/pulping, I was given the 7 Edward Eager books for my own. Since then, I've read them to my own children. They are more than stories, they are part of me. Edward Eager had a huge gift; in a few words, he could paint a detailed picture with warmth, humor and clarity. His children are real and believable. The situations are zany and so funny and the magic that underpins everything is the same magic that lives in the readers' hearts and minds for ever. What a nice man he must have been. I wish I'd known him. |
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-05 00:00>
Edward Eager wrote seven books, each featuring a gang of rambunctious kids with lots of ideas, plenty of stuffy grown-ups and boring rules to dislike, and E. Nesbit books to check out from the library, and a tendency to find magic stuff. Of course there's always a twist, and here it's that wishes don't always work as well as the kids want them to. There's also a love story tied into it-their widowed mother finds an odd but likeable man-and the usual pile of time travel, jewelry, and finger pointing when things go wrong. The magic's main 'trick' may wear on a bit at the end, but all the different scenes feature fairly standard wishes that never turn out as expected and yet don't contain too much tortured explanation. Sometimes the situations have no visible magic, and there's even a humorous sort of ghost story. The best may be the passages where children look for magic or realize it's gone for the moment or close to gone for good. Some mythological figures get taken down a peg for good measure, and even if it's all a bit slapstick, it hasn't been copied too heinously yet. Except possibly by Eager. With each ensuing magic book his explanations get a bit more tortured, with the device to see historical or fictional characters becoming more complex. The characterizations become too exaggerated, and it's not as fun to believe. Maybe his own writing magic drained like the charm in the book-but like the charm near the end, it's still effective. The drop off in enjoyment is something that I didn't see in Nesbit's more overtly original literary guide, E. Nesbit. Later Eager books force you to know a good bit about some middling established children's literature-and his previous books. But it definitely didn't start that way with Half Magic and its simple new idea. The dialogue makes great jumps, blending Important Questions Kids Have with accepted conventions of fantasy, i.e. the kids getting mad at being called elfspawn. The fantasy scenes are also memorable with the villains giving great laughs, and it's a very quick read. And you'll enjoy the pictures too. |
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-05 00:00>
Half Magic is a book for everyone who likes humor, action, and magic. It all starts on a hot, sunny day in the most boring summer the 4 siblings, Jane, Mark, Katherine, and Martha had ever had. When the oldest child of the family, Jane, finds a nickel on the ground. She soon finds out that it is a magic charm. She later finds out that its not complete magic, only Half Magic. So, if you wish twice the amount you get complete magic. One day the siblings wish themselves back in time in the days of king Arthur and help Sir Lancelot after being trapped by Morgan La Fay. Then they saw a tournament and then met the sorcerer, Merlin. Merlin tells the siblings that the charm has been worn out and does not have much magic left. They wish themselves back to the twentieth century and the next day, something happened. That day Jane got annoyed with Martha so she put her under her chair at the movies. Jane dropped her handbag with the charm inside and Martha got it. Martha wished to not be there so she was half there and she made a commotion. When the charm lost its power, the siblings put it on the sidewalk and someone picked it up. Who knows what will happen next. Half Magic is truly a great book for any person. |
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Abigail Wheetley (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-05 00:00>
I have loved this book since I read it many years ago. My son is only four, but I thought he might be interested. Rather than replace our bedtime story with this new book I simply bought the audio book and put it on in the car. What is so wonderful about it is that the voices of the characters are done by different actors. My son loved it. If you have a small child who is not quite ready for the whole book, I really suggest buying the audio book, it is unabridged and delightful. I only wish that the other books in the series were produced in this format. |
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Joyce (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-05 00:00>
When I was six years old (almost 50 years ago) and in the first grade, my teacher brought a selection of books into our classroom from the library. As first graders, we weren't allowed to go to the library, so this was a real treat. One of the books had a half black and half yellow cover with, if I remember correctly, mirror images of a coin, half on one side and half on the other. I eventually checked this book out and, in first grade, read it. I was hooked on reading from then on. And I read Half Magic so many times I may have worn my school's copy out. Until I began trying to find this book, with its black and yellow cover, for my grandchildren, I was unaware that the author had written other books. What a treat I must have missed. Now if I could just find a copy of that black and yellow book that instilled in me the joy of reading... |
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-05 00:00>
This is an amazingly imaginative book I've known about and enjoyed for a long time, ever since bedtime stories. Jane, Mark, Katharine, and Martha are four ordinary kids in an ordinary place (the ever fascinating Toledo, Ohio) from an ordinary family who suddenly come across the extraordinary. At first it appears to be just another nickel lying on the sidewalk, but it turns out to be a magical token that will change these children's lives. What's even better is that it's not a completely right magic-when a wish is made only half of it comes true. (If you asked for two ice cream cones, you'd get one.) That makes the story even more lovable-besides the human, non-magical children, even the magic isn't perfect. The relationships of the brother and sisters in the story are great and the situations in which they find themselves are some that even we as readers without half-magic tokens can enjoy experiencing through the words on the pages. Deserts, knights and duels, circus bareback riding, talking cats, jewel thieves... anything is possible in Edward Eager's Half Magic. |
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-05 00:00>
Edward Eager's book Half Magic is clever, creative, funny, and wonderfully written. The interesting thing about his books is that they are all connected somehow. For example, the main characters in Knights Castle and The Time Garden are the children of the characters in Half Magic and Magic by the Lake. I also found that Eager frequently mentions the work of E. Nesbit. This led me to read one of her books. I discovered the books were very much alike. Eager must have liked her work so much he used elements from her books in his. If you read this book, read all the others by him. They are great books. |
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Harriet (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-05 00:00>
This book is one of those books that you find yourself reading every summer, every year, and always remember. Its starts out with 4 children, lets call them us. There's of course, the stubborn youngest, which is a quality everyone has at one time. And, there's the wise one, Mark, who's always reading. The one who wishes they were the oldest, and is romantic, always reading poetry. And, the always knowing Jane. Sound familiar to people you know? We all hope that magic exists, somewhere deep down. But, are too ashamed to admit it. Still, there's this longing. This applies to the 4 children. They find a coin. Ordinary enough. Lets change that, too magical. At the most random moments, the children find themselves in the oddest and most amusing places and situations, and their wishes working, well, sort of working. The thing is, that the best part for the children wasn't that all their wishes came true. It was that-Oops, I had better stop now. |
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B. E. Puleo (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-05 00:00>
When another homeschooling mom recommended this book for my nightly family read-aloud, I was hesitant because of the "magical" content. My kids just don't like that subject. But this mother insisted that it was a window to many different historical periods and it was just plain fun. It was more than accurate! The quaintness of a more gentler time in America combined with the magical powers of a charm are Eager's vehicle for fun, laughter and a lot of learning about human existence. Please read it aloud as a family. You will laugh and it will set the stage for hours of real quality time. |
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1 2 | Total 2 pages 15 items |
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