A Matter-of-Fact Magic Book: The Trouble with Magic - Hardcover

Chew, Ruth

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0449813797 ISBN 13: 9780449813799

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers, 2014

Synopsis

For decades, Ruth Chew's chapter books about matter-of-fact magic have enchanted early readers. Now a new generation of fantasy fans can discover the magic in these Stepping Stones books. 

How do you hide a wizard in the attic?

When Barbara and Rick Benton find a wizard named Harrison Peabody in an old bottle, they quickly discover that magic isn't as simple as it looks. But even tricky magic is better than no magic, and soon the Bentons fly around Prospect Park with a large black umbrella and befriend a sea serpent in the lake. How can they keep Harrison a secret, though, when he's living in their attic?

About this title

About the Author

Working as a fashion artist, she started writing stories about witches for the youngest of her five children. The first of these, The Wednesday Witch, was a big hit, and her new career was born. Ruth Chew went on to write 29 tales of magic and fantasy that have enchanted generations of readers.RUTH CHEW was born in Minneapolis and studied at the Corcoran College of Art and Design in Washington, D.C.

Reviews

When Barbara and her brother open an old bottle they have purchased at a Brooklyn supermarket, a wizard emerges genielike and enormous, before shrinking to become a genial man holding a black umbrella. The children hide the rather hapless wizard in their attic and protect him. After he introduces them to his friend George, a sea serpent in Prospect Park Lake, the adventures begin. While the colorful, new jacket art will draw readers, Chew’s shadowy graphite drawings work their own magic throughout the book. First published in 1976, this amiable fantasy is like many of Chew’s books in that it weaves magical adventures into everyday life. Satisfying fare for kids who enjoy gentle fantasies, the book will also suit younger children reading above grade level. Look for this edition along with several reprints of Chew’s other stand-alone titles that have been unavailable for some time, including No Such Thing as a Witch (2013), What the Witch Left (2013), and Magic in the Park (2014). Grades 3-5. --Carolyn Phelan

Edition details

• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0449813797
• ISBN 13: 9780449813799
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 144