So You Want to be a Wizard (1983)

This is one of the very very rare books that draws me in completely and makes me feel heart-achy (in the good kind of way) once I finish. It is the way I wish my own life could have been at that age - the discovery that I was really special, that there was something about me that set my apart and above. (Other books that fit the bill are some of the early Pern books by Anne McCaffrey, and Stephenie Meyers' Twilight series. Mmm.) ( )

Gorgeous, as usual. I've read this (the original edition) probably a dozen times over the years. I just got and read the New Millennium Edition - Diane Duane updated the tech and events (which I think was kind of silly - it'll only get outdated again) and reorganized the timeline over the first few books (OK, that one makes sense, if there were problems). The story itself hasn't changed - the same great concepts, interesting characters, exciting crisis, and weird choices (talk about saving the universe(s)!). I noticed very few changes - I doubt the bike computer was digital in 1983, Kit looked at the World Trade Center instead of the in-process Freedom Tower, and the comment near the end used to be "Call me" rather than "Text me" (but then he went ahead and called anyway, so Dairine knew about it). Few and minor changes, the story remains superb, and the timeline should make more sense (though I can't say I noticed any oddities before). And I was crying at several points, as usual, and laughing at some others. I do love Kit and Nita... ( )

Old Children's Book. Liked it as a kid, but haven't read it in years. ( )

Conveniently, the very first book chosen for me in my new regular posting series, Sadie Hawkins' Sunday, just happened to be a book I already had in my personal collection. This series first came onto my radar when I was looking for readalikes for Harry Potter. I did enjoy this one (thanks Alexa!) and I'm glad I got a chance to dig into my massive collection of unread books.

The first thing that you should probably know is that this book was first published in 1983, long before Harry Potter. The book definitely does have quite a few similarities, and, those looking for Potter readalikes, might love this, but Duane was not one of the authors trying to ride Rowlings' success. I wonder if Rowling had read these, since certain things, like the villain being referred to as You-Know-Who were incredibly similar.

For all of that, though, So You Want to Be a Wizard reminds me much more heavily of Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time. There is a lot of complicated vocabulary and scientific terminology within the pages of this book that would probably be targeted to a middle grade audience today. I mean, do you know what a 'temporospatial claudication' is? I sure don't. The science-y weirdness and good versus evil messages conveyed in this novel had me thinking constantly of L'Engle's classic work. In fact, I think that if you love A Wrinkle in Time, you really ought to check this series out. I loved A Wrinkle in Time when I was younger, but was not charmed by it particularly when I reread it. Science just really is not my thing, so I cannot appreciate a lot of what happens in either.

My favorite aspects of the book center around the power of the written word and love of books. There are a bunch of amazing quotes to that effect (check my favorite quote for one example). Plus, the whole concept is great. Every library has tons of those "So You Want to Be..." books, and I love how Duane built fantasy knowledge into such a seemingly simple thing.

Unfortunately, this clever device also serves as a method for info-dumping the ways of wizardry on the reader. Nita takes the library book home and devours it, attention rapt, but I did not find her reading the book nearly so enticing. This goes on for chapters. Duane tries to draw the reader in by including Nita's reactions to her reading, but these sections still dragged for me. I also feel like both Nita and Kit pick up their magical knowledge too quickly and easily. They read through their books once and can do a number of powerful spells after just a bit of practice. Plus, the spells are supposed to leave them tired, but they spend literally the last half of the book running around and doing spell after spell, even though one wiped them out the afternoon before.

As a reader, I just really struggle with books that don't place a focus on characterization. I would have loved to know more about Nita and Kit, and their daily lives. They're both clearly smart kids, and have both suffered from bullying. Rather than watching them go on a mission to retrieve Nita's stolen pen, which is really the quest of the book though it does snowball, I would have liked to see them have more personal growth, rather than just magical.

I'm really glad to have read this, because I can see how influential it has been on young adult literature, and I admire Duane for her creativity and her diverse characters. However, I do not plan to continue with the series, since I do not think I'm the ideal audience for these books. If you love A Wrinkle in Time, though, seriously, I think you will love this. ( )

It was fine, but it was due at the library, and I decided not to renew it. This is hard to review, since it was written over 20 years ago. The things that seem a little cliché weren't necessarily then. The whole thing did seem a little shiny, without enough darkness balancing it. ( )