One Jar of Magic: An Empowering Fantasy About Identity and Family Expectations for Kids (Ages 8-12)

From the critically acclaimed author of Eventown comes a hopeful and empowering tale set in an enchanting world of magic and mysterious family secrets—perfect for fans of Anne Ursu, Rebecca Stead, and Wendy Mass.

Magic is like a dream. Delightful. Terrifying. Unreal.

Rose Alice Anders is Little Luck. Lucky to be born into the Anders family. Lucky to be just as special and magical as the most revered man in town—her father. The whole town has been waiting for Rose to turn twelve, when she can join them in their annual capturing of magic on New Year’s Day and become the person she was born to be.

But when that special day finally comes, Rose barely captures one tiny jar of magic. Now Rose’s dad won’t talk to her anymore and her friendships have gotten all twisted and wrong. So when Rose hears whispers that there are people who aren’t meant for magic at all, she begins to wonder if that’s who she belongs with.

Maybe if she’s away from all the magic, away from her dad telling her who she’s meant to be, who she has to be, Rose can begin to piece together what’s truly real in a world full of magic.

* An SLJ Best Book of the Year * A CCBC Choices Pick of the Year *

What happens when the person everyone expects you to be isn’t who you are at all?

• Parental Expectations: Rose is called Little Luck, destined to be as powerful as her famous father. But when she captures only one jar of magic, he won’t even speak to her.
• Family Secrets: Whispers of people "Not Meant for Magic" lead Rose to question everything she knows about her family, her town, and a hidden history she was never meant to find.
• Finding Your Own Power: A journey about discovering that true strength isn’t about how many jars of magic you can capture, but about finding the courage to be yourself.
• Changing Friendships: As Rose’s world turns upside down, her friendships twist and change, forcing her to figure out who her real friends are and where she truly belongs.

Corey Ann Haydu is the author of The Widely Unknown Myth of Apple & Dorothy, Eventown, Rules for Stealing Stars, One Jar of Magic, The Someday Suitcase, and the Hand-Me-Down-Magic chapter book series as well as six acclaimed books for teens. Currently she is a proud faculty member of the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA in writing for children program. Corey grew up in the Boston area, earned her MFA at the New School, and now lives in Brooklyn with her husband and daughters. Find out more at coreyannhaydu.com.