Half Magic

I still love this book, though I think I love it a little less than I did when I read it as a kid. As a kid, I could blithely skim over the racism and mild sexism in the book and enjoy it for the wonderful fantastical journey that it was. As an adult, I find it harder to excuse the caricatures of non-white side characters, even given that the book was written in 1954. It wasn't called out in that era, but that didn't make it right, and while I would still recommend this as a fun book for kids I would also highly recommend that their parents read alongside them and discuss the problematic parts.

However. The plot is still a ton of fun, and I loved revisiting the ways that the children got themselves in trouble by getting only half of show more their wishes. The art was included in my ebook version, and I loved seeing that again, too. One interesting point I noticed: I found myself interpreting the “this took place thirty years ago” in the opener to be thirty years from when I first read it in the mid-to-late eighties, not thirty years before now, or thirty years from when it was written. I wonder when in time new readers coming to this book would mentally place this book? show less

Very happy to be re-reading this with my daughter. The humor holds up quite well -- my 6yo is laughing quite a lot at the antics of Carrie the half-talking cat, for instance. There's some cultural history to explain -- what's "Western Union", for instance ("texting before we had cell phones," I said).

There's also some racist language and some gender issues. The "shifty" Arab they encounter, for instance, and then they wish him to have what he deserves and he gets a wife and six children. Even though Eager ended up using it to discuss colonialism, basically, the language and characterization was problematic and shouldn't pass without discussion.

* Update: Now that I've finished, I have a few more comments to make along similar lines. show more There's a continued thread of what I would call minor sexism. The girls do the dishes; the boy & man start the fire. Minor enough that you can re-gender as you read aloud, or discuss it in a joint read. There's a scene with two burglars where they're using some kind of vernacular. The race of the characters isn't mentioned, but the vernacular reads to me like it's intended to be African-American rather than, say, New Jersey. This was unpleasant to read, saved only because I let myself think maybe it was just some kind of weird New Jersey (or similar regional) accent.

But his characterizations of the main characters are pretty solid. The girls are diverse and have strong opinions and distinct characters, just like the boy, which is half the battle, I think.

And the stories retain their humor and winsomeness. So, we'll pick up the next one (Magic by the Lake), which was one of my absolute favorites as a kid. show less

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.

Back when I was a kid, I read Seven-Day Magic without knowing at the time that the classic children's fantasy tale was part of a series. So, I've finally taken the chance to see where these Tales of Magic begin in the first book.

As expected, I got quite a kick out of this old-fashioned, quirky, humorous adventure. It's got lessons wrapped inside for the characters and such a poignant ending that echoes with unknown, further possibilities.

Yet, I appreciate aspects of the story and feel a little iffy about other aspects now in ways that my eight- or nine-year-old mind wouldn't have if I'd read this book back then...

It’s rare to stumble upon a book that makes you wish you were a kid again, just so you could read it for the first time while you were young. That’s exactly how I felt about Half Magic.

In the beginning the story is a simple tale of a magic charm which grants wishes in halves. By the end of the book Eager has captured a deeper essence of fear and pain that haunts not only children, but grown-ups as well. Even as adults we can baulk at life when we lose someone we love or must accept new circumstances we don’t enjoy.

The writing reminded me of Roald Dahl, which is the highest compliment I can give. The author portrays the kids so honestly. They were neither angels nor devils, they were just children. At times they were selfish or show more silly or scared, but all of those emotions rang true.

In one section (ch. 6) Eager describes the four categories that adults fall into when they are around children. It’s a brilliant description that’s both insightful and funny. Eager found that perfect balance of creating a wonderful story, while at the same time slipping in some life lessons.

Here’s a few great lines …

“All of the four children hated Charlie Chaplin, because he was the only thing grown-ups would ever take them to.”

“One of the least admirable things about people is the way they are afraid of whatever they don’t understand.” show less

I loved the Edward Eager fantasies when I was young, and particularly Half Magic and Magic by the Lake, because Half Magic was set in Toledo, Ohio, the nearest real city to the town where I grew up (Bowling Green, OH) and it opens with the children reading E. Nesbit's The Enchanted Castle, which was one of the first E. Nesbit books I was given. It was set a generation or so before my time --the children's mother works for the Toledo News-Bee, which no longer existed in my time , though its successful rival, the Blade, did and does. The stories (like Nesbit's) combine fantasy and humor -- te magic works by halves, and I still recall when they tried to make the cat say "mew" by wishing it could say half of "music" --and instead it says show more "sic, sic, sic." The story also delicately deals with the remarriage of the children's mother, a rather sophisticated concept for the time it was written. The original illustrations by N. M. Bodecker are delightful; unfortunately this pb reprint has a cover in a willfully ugly style by Quentin Blake, I bought this to fill out my Eager collection --I was given some of the books as a child, but not this. show less

It's not often that one returns to a childhood favourite only to find that it is not just as good as one remembers, but possibly is even better than one remembers. Not only did I laugh at the jokes I remembered from childhood, I also found a whole new level of humour, a gentle amusement for the adult reader.

This is set around four children (and their mother), living in Toledo early in the 19th century. It's a hot summer, and they can't afford to go to camp so are stuck in the city being looked after by the crotchety Miss Bick (an unpleasant curmudgeon if ever there was one). And then they find a magical talisman, and their adventures begin.

It's a lovely plot, the children (and their mother) are charming (even when they're grumpy), and show more it's a delightful read. And I think I was terribly influenced by all the children, I can see some of their mannerisms in my behaviour to this day! Not to mention their book/story obsession. A great book for older children, especially those already in love with the written word. show less