The Magician's Boy
by Susan Cooper
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A boy who works for a magician meets familiar fairy tale characters when he is transported to the Land of Story in search of a missing puppet.Tags
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The eponymous magician's boy finds himself in hot water one day, when the puppet needed to play St. George goes missing from the set he uses during performances of St. George and Dragon. Dispatched by the magician to the Land of Story on a quest to find the missing saint, the boy meets many nursery rhyme and fairy-tale characters, from the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe to the Pied Piper of Hamelin, Jack of Jack-in-the-Beanstalk fame to Little Red Riding Hood. Guided on his way by a signpost, he eventually discovers where St. George can be found (he himself must assume the role ), and returns to the human world, where his master is impressed, and finally agrees to teach him magic...
I enjoyed The Magician's Boy, which I largely sought out show more because of my great fondness for some of its author's other works—namely, her marvelous The Dark Is Rising Sequence, her entertaining Boggart books, and her lovely folktale retellings—although I don't know that it is really the equal of some of those other books. The story idea—a hero who must traverse the world of stories, interacting with some of its famous denizens—is one I have seen before, but is entertaining nevertheless, and I thought the resolution here, in which the boyis himself the object of his quest is intriguing. That said, I never felt too deeply involved in this one, perhaps because of its brevity, and the fact that it is aimed at beginning chapter-book readers. Despite the fact that it is not destined to become a favorite, I am glad to have read it, and do recommend it to beginning chapter-book readers who enjoy fantastic fiction. show less
I enjoyed The Magician's Boy, which I largely sought out show more because of my great fondness for some of its author's other works—namely, her marvelous The Dark Is Rising Sequence, her entertaining Boggart books, and her lovely folktale retellings—although I don't know that it is really the equal of some of those other books. The story idea—a hero who must traverse the world of stories, interacting with some of its famous denizens—is one I have seen before, but is entertaining nevertheless, and I thought the resolution here, in which the boy
I only read this for Susan Cooper (I love her Dark is Rising series as well as Seaward). I liked the overall story/concept, but the prose was overly simple. I realize it is meant for young readers (probably elementary-age), but I have come to expect better from Cooper. Also, the story was a little confusing.
This is a delightful little story about a little boy who is the "puppetmaster" for a magician. When the St. George puppet from "St. George and the Dragon" disappears, Boy must go on a quest through various fairy tales and nursery rhymes to find the missing puppet.
"A master of fantasy tells a fanciful tale for young children. Boy works for a Magician, polishing wands, feeding the rabbits, and performing a puppet show of "Saint George and the Dragon." Then, one day, the Saint George puppet is missing, so the Magician sends the Boy through the Land of Story to find it. ..This beautifully simple and joyous book is perfect both for newly independent readers to tackle on their own and for adults to share with youngsters"
NoveList (School Library Journal, vol 51, issue 3, p168)
NoveList (School Library Journal, vol 51, issue 3, p168)
FROM LIBRARY CATALOG:
When a magician’s apprentice loses the puppet of Saint George, his master forces him to search for it in the Land of Story. The boy’s quest through well-known nursery rhymes and folk tales, leads him to face many challenges and narrowly escape with his life.
When a magician’s apprentice loses the puppet of Saint George, his master forces him to search for it in the Land of Story. The boy’s quest through well-known nursery rhymes and folk tales, leads him to face many challenges and narrowly escape with his life.
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Susan Cooper was born in Buckinghamshire, England in May of 1935. She attended Slough Grammar School, and then went on to Somerville College and Oxford. She was the first woman to ever edit the University Magazine, the Cherwell. She graduated from Oxford with an MA in English and went to work for London's The Sunday Times as a reporter on the show more Atticus Column for Ian Flemming. She evenutally made it to features writer, during which time she wrote her first book, "Mandrake," a science fiction story for adults. Soon after the publication of "Mandrake," Cooper wrote the children's story "Over Sea, Under Stone" for a publishing house competition. It would later become the first of a five book series she would become famous for. She left England in 1963 to marry an American professor. Once there, she wrote two more books for adults, "Behind the Golden Gate" a study of America, and "Portrait of an Author" the biography of J. B. Priestley. In 1970, Cooper published "Dawn of Fear" an almost entirely autobiographical book about growing up as a child during the war. Even though Cooper wrote "Over Sea, Under Stone" as a entry for a publishing house competittion, she did not know at the time that it would be the first of her most famous copilation, "The Dark is Rising Series." In 1973 she wrote the second in the five book series, entitled "The Dark is Rising," published more than ten years after the first. In1974, Cooper published Greenwitch, book three, and book four, "The Grey King" a year later. "The Grey King" won the Newberry Medal in 1976. "Silver on the Tree" was the fifth and last book published, completing the series in 1977. After completing the "Dark is Rising" series, Cooper turned to writing for the theater, learning the style from Urjo Kareda at Tarragon Theatres in Toronto. She wrote for Jack Langstaff's "Revels." Her first major play was called "Foxfire," which was written in coolaboration with Hume Cronyn. The play eventually went to Broadway in 1983 and starred Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy, who won a Tony for her performance. Cooper then began working on "Seaward," but was interrupted by Jane Fonda, who wanted her to write the screenplay for Harriet Arnow's "The Dollmaker." She wrote the adaptation with Cronyn and won a Humanitas Award for it, while Jane Fonda won the Best Actress Emmy for her role. Cooper also got an Emmy nomination for her adaptation of "Foxfire" for television. "To Dance with the White Dog," a made for tv movie, was the last collaboration of Cooper, Cronyn and Tandy, Tandy having died in '94. IN the '80's and '90's, Cooper wrote the text for many children's picture books such as, "Jethro and the Jumbie" and "Danny and the Kings." 1993 marked her return to the Children's Book List with "The Boggart" and int's follow up "The Boggart and the Monster" in 1997. In 1996, Cooper published a collection of essays on children's literature entitled, "Dreams and Wishes." Over the course of her career, Cooper has written for newspapers, books for children and adults, screen[plays for television and cinema, and a Broadwat play. Today, she lectures on children's literture and continues to write. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Dedication
- For Jack and the Revels with love - S.C.
A mio figlio Francesco, che mi gurada - S. R. - First words
- There was once a Boy who worked for a Magician.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)And so they did.
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- Reviews
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- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 8
- ASINs
- 2
