On and on the adventure goes, as the kids figure out the trick: Wish for double of whatever you want, and when it’s divided in half, you’ll end up with what you really want… which is a lot harder and takes a lot more cleverness than you might think.Įdward Eager wrote seven books in his magic series, some more directly linked than others. Wish not to be somewhere… and you may find yourself halfway invisible with people shrieking about seeing a ghost.

When someone wishes they were home, they find themselves suddenly on the side of the road, halfway there. Despite some old-fashioned word usage, the overall themes and ideas are crystal clear and utterly entertaining: Four children, having a rather boring summer, find a magical coin that grants wishes - except it only grants half wishes. I remembered it vaguely from eons ago (a.k.a, my childhood), then read it again with my daughter and then again with my son - and each time, the magic just shone through. Half Magic is an enchanting book, and one that stands the test of time pretty well too. If this book doesn’t delight you, then you, my friend, have no appreciation for magic! Imagine the results emerging from inaccurate efforts: “half” invisible, “half” rescued, “half” everything! That means there’s a certain logic to the wishes one must make to generate a desired outcome. Well, it’s not totally magic–it’s only (you guessed it) half magic. Through a comical series of coincidences, they discover that the coin is magic. The “Half Magic” of the title refers to a coin that the children find. 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. It’s a childhood favorite for this week’s Flashback Friday!Įdward Eager has been delighting young readers for more than 40 years with stories that mix magic and reality.

If you’d like to join in, just pick a book published at least five years ago, post your Flashback Friday pick on your blog, and let us all know about that special book from your reading past and why it matters to you.

Flashback Friday is a weekly tradition started here at Bookshelf Fantasies, focusing on showing some love for the older books in our lives and on our shelves.

Half magic book review