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Half Magic (Edward Eager's Tales of…
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Half Magic (Edward Eager's Tales of Magic) (original 1954; edition 1999)

by Edward Eager, N. M. Bodecker (Illustrator)

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4,240872,772 (3.99)111
Classic Literature. Fantasy. Juvenile Fiction. Juvenile Literature. It all begins with a strange coin on a sun-warmed sidewalk. Jane finds the coin, and because she and her siblings are having the worst, most dreadfully boring summer ever, she idly wishes something exciting would happen. And something does: Her wish is granted. Or not quite. Only half of her wish comes true. It turns out the coin grants wishesâ??but only by half, so that you must wish for twice as much as you want. Wishing for two times some things is a cinch, but other doubled wishes only cause twice as much trouble. What is half of twice a talking cat? Or to be half-again twice not-here? And how do you double your most heartfelt wish, the one you care about so much it has to be perfe… (more)
Member:briannad84
Title:Half Magic (Edward Eager's Tales of Magic)
Authors:Edward Eager
Other authors:N. M. Bodecker (Illustrator)
Info:Harcourt Children's Books (1999), Hardcover, 208 pages
Collections:Read but unowned
Rating:
Tags:Boys, Brothers & Sisters, Children's, Fantasy, Girls, Humor, Time Travel

Work Information

Half Magic by Edward Eager (1954)

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» See also 111 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 87 (next | show all)
Childhood read
  caedocyon | Feb 23, 2024 |
This book is charming and funny and a delightful adventure. I enjoyed the ups and downs of the characters and their wacky adventures. ( )
  mslibrarynerd | Jan 13, 2024 |
I wanted to like this, but I think time has not been kind to it. The Arab character made me cringe, as did the mother quitting her job and other bits of sexism. It does pretty well with the subject of stepfathers ("Uncle Huge" was maybe the funniest thing in the book besides the half-talking cat) and I can totally see how this would be beloved by earlier generations, but I just didn't enjoy it that much. I very nearly quit 3/4 of the way through.

On the other hand, there is something to be said for little children who talk like the Queen of England. ( )
  LibrarianDest | Jan 3, 2024 |
Exactly the sort of book I loved to read as the kid, where the girls get to do adventurous things too: one of them jousts with Sir Launcelot. Since it was published in 1954, it ought to have been on my radar screen as a child, but I missed it along with the novels of E. Nesbit. There is shocking racism in the book directed at arabs, asians, and native americans. There are several casual mentions of the natural superiority of boys, but that seems to be done with tongue in cheek. ( )
  jennifergeran | Dec 23, 2023 |
Review from my daughter, age 9.
“I liked Half-Magic. I don’t think it’s a good read aloud but good to read yourself. It has an interesting plot twist. If you like magic, funniness, or unusual things that happen you’ll like Half-Magic.” ( )
  FamiliesUnitedLL | Jul 15, 2023 |
Showing 1-5 of 87 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (4 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Edward Eagerprimary authorall editionscalculated
Bodecker, N.M.Illustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Quentin BlakeCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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First words
It began one day in summer about thirty years ago, and it happened to four children.
Quotations
"It's that nickel I found, only it isn't a nickel! It's a magic charm and it does things by halves! So far we've each go half of what we wished for - all we have to do from now on is ask for twice as much as we really want! You see?"
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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Classic Literature. Fantasy. Juvenile Fiction. Juvenile Literature. It all begins with a strange coin on a sun-warmed sidewalk. Jane finds the coin, and because she and her siblings are having the worst, most dreadfully boring summer ever, she idly wishes something exciting would happen. And something does: Her wish is granted. Or not quite. Only half of her wish comes true. It turns out the coin grants wishesâ??but only by half, so that you must wish for twice as much as you want. Wishing for two times some things is a cinch, but other doubled wishes only cause twice as much trouble. What is half of twice a talking cat? Or to be half-again twice not-here? And how do you double your most heartfelt wish, the one you care about so much it has to be perfe

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Book description
Four young children living with their single mother in the 1920s discover a magic coin that grants exactly half of whatever they wish for.
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