The Magician's Boy

My barely-six-year old and I loved reading this book together. He hated having to stop at the end of the chapters and wanted more and more. He described it as an "adventure." It was a great incentive to get bedtime moving ahead.

The other reviewers have already provided a synopsis of the plot, so I won't go into that. Let me just say that this book would be perfect for those readers who enjoy traditional fairytales, but who are looking for a not-too-difficult chapter book. Fans of Junie B. Jones and the Magic Treehouse stories can handle it easily. Knowing Susan Cooper's ties to Revels, it's easy to understand why she chose to use the St. George play as the framework for her story, however, it would have been helpful if she had given an explanation to the many American children who have never heard of St. George or the mummer's play referred to in the book. It isn't vital to have experienced the play in order to enjoy the book, but a little background as a preface or an afterword would have been nice--many of the children I work with enjoy knowing where the stories originate. I enjoyed the illustrations as much as the story. Altogether this is a very satisfying book.

"When a magician's apprentice loses the puppet of Saint George, his master forces him to search for it in the Land of Story. The boy's quest through well-known nursery rhymes and folk tales, leads him to face many challenges and narrowly escape with his life." (summary by Texas Library Association) Using the clue "Only a child can find the way/To bring Saint George back to the play," the Boy steps forward to save the day. Grade 2-4

I've been looking for a good "chapter book" to read to my two boys ages 5 and 7. This was perfect. It took three sessions to finish, with them always asking, "One more chapter? Please Mom?" The pace was fast, with something always leaving them on the edge, wondering what would happen next. The resolutions were believable and for the most part non-magical, with the nameless "Boy" as the hero. It was imaginative, fun and exciting and I hear them outside as I type this, playacting Saint George and the Dragon. This would be a good challenging book for a 1st grader to read by themselves, and it was a lovely book to read aloud.

This book was really exciting. It's about a boy named "Boy" and when he loses a puppet that belongs to his master (a magician), he gets sent into the World of Story to find it. He runs into all kinds of famous characters from nursery rhymes and stories, and ends up finding the puppet, and a new name for himself. A heroic name. (I don't want to spoil the surprise). There were funny parts, serious parts, lots of action and I thought it was great. I think kids my age would love it (I'm 7-1/2). I read it very quickly; I finished it the day I got it!