Sunday, March 13, 2016

The Disappearing Magician (The Magic Shop), by Kate Egan and Magician Mike Lane, illustrated by Eric Wight - ADVISABLE


Egan, Kate and Magician Mike Lane.  The Disappearing Magician (The Magic Shop), illustrated by Eric Wight.  Feiwel and Friends (Macmillan), 2015.  $15.99.  150 Pages.  Content: G. 

Fourth-grader Mike Weiss is back with new magic tricks.  The school is having a talent show and he can barely wait to sign up.  He wants his friend Nora to be his assistant, but she says she doesn’t want to be in the show.  He asks his new friend Adam who says yes.  They work hard and prepare for the show.  Mike even helps Nora find a talent that she’s willing to share.  The night of the show, everything starts going wrong, but Mike and Adam don’t give up and show that all you have to do is believe in magic and yourself.  Instructions and illustrations are provided for each magic trick throughout the book using items that are easily assessable to children.  Aspiring magicians will not only like the story but want to try the magic tricks.  The story is fast-paced and the challenges that the main character and his friends face are universal to elementary-schoolers.  There are plenty of illustrations to help tell the story and make the magic come to life.  Readers do not need to have read the other "Magic Shop" books to enjoy this story.       

EL-ADVISABLE.  Samantha Hastings, MA, MLS.   

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