Half Magic

Written by Edward Eager · Illustrated by N. M. Bodecker and N. M. Bodecker

Book #1 in the Tales of Magic series

Four siblings discover a mysterious charm that grants wishes, but with unexpected and often chaotic consequences.

4.0 Goodreads · 38,717 ratings

224 pages· 36,160 words· Est. 5 hour read· 830L

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Bookroo's summary

Jane's summer turns extraordinary when she finds a coin that grants wishes—only halfway. With her siblings, she navigates the chaos of doubled desires. Can they master the coin's tricky magic before their wishes spiral out of control?

From the publisher

Faced with a dull summer in the city, Jane, Mark, Katharine, and Martha suddenly find themselves involved in a series of extraordinary adventures after Jane discovers an ordinary-looking coin that seems to grant wishes.

At a glance

Format
Pages: 224
Words: 36,160
Reading age: 7–10
Audience: Juvenile Reader
Lexile: 830L

Themes & topics

Books about magic Books about siblings Books about wishes Books about summer Books about space and time

For the grown-ups

The parent guide

What families may want to know

Every family reads differently. These are the concepts our editors noticed in this book — worth seeking out for some readers, worth knowing about for others. The list isn't exhaustive, but it's a spoiler-light head start.

Violence

This book contains a scene where knights fight one another, chopping off limbs and body parts until they're all dead and in a heaping mess on the floor. The children see and hear pieces of this while hiding in a room nearby.

Serious Subject Matter

This book contains a scene with a man the children refer to as "the Arab" multiple times while they're in a desert. The children ask the man if he is "an Indian."

The illustrator