Hatching Magic [Paperback]

Ann Downer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 31, 2005

When a thirteenth-century wizard confronts twenty-first century Boston while seeking his pet dragon, he is followed by a rival wizard and a very unhappy demon, but eleven-year-old Theodora Oglethorpe may hold the secret to setting everything right.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In this friendly little fantasy, three different seekers pursue a lost dragon. And this isn’t just any dragon--her name is Wycca, and she’s a wyvern, the most catlike of the species. Wycca belongs to Gideon, a busy twelfth-century wizard. When he finds that she has wandered through a bolt-hole into the future, he sighs, packs up his magic implements and his familiars--Ignus the flame and the two-headed snake he calls Ouroboros--and steps into the mysterious opening to emerge in twenty-first century Boston. There he meets Iain Merlin O’Shea, the Wizard of Harvard Square, who takes him home and explains the magic of technology while they search for the lost wyvern. Other seekers are also abroad: Kobold, Gideon’s half-brother and arch enemy, wants to capture Wycca to turn her against her master; he has brought along an assistant demon, Febrys, who in her uncomfortable disguise as a human woman finds that cloven hooves are not compatible with high heels. Caught between these two magical forces is twelve-year-old Theodora, or Dodo, who yearns for the black wyvern card to complete her set and gain her admittance to the Wyvernkeeper’s Circle that meets in the local bookstore. To complicate matters, Wycca is with egg, and when she has nested and hatched her chick, there are two wyverns on the loose in Boston in this fast-moving tale that will entertain younger fantasy readers. (Ages 10 to 14) --Patty Campbell --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7-Wycca, a small dragon called a wyvern, is looking for the perfect place to lay her egg when she stumbles into a bolt-hole that transports her from 13th-century England to 21st-century Boston. Although she is quite unbothered by this change in locale and proceeds to lay her egg, her wizard Gideon needs to find her fast, before the evil wizard Kobold and his demon can locate her and use her against him. Meanwhile, 11-year-old Theodora, an avid fan of a game called Wizards & Wyverns, finds a magical card and unwittingly summons Wycca's hatchling, which draws all the other magical folk to her, as well. The delight of this fantasy lies in the interactions of the well-drawn characters and in the fluid, skillful writing. The attempts of Gideon and his 21st-century wizard ally, the pompous but good-hearted Professor Merlin of Harvard University, to work traditional magic using modern materials are entertaining, as is Wycca's preoccupation with obtaining chocolate, her newfound addiction. Theodora's part in the plot is a bit forced, as are some of the circumstances and characters surrounding her, and there are a great many coincidences, including a plethora of modern-day wizards who are always right where they need to be. Those quibbles aside, this is a charming fantasy that will appeal to fans of Diana Wynne Jones. An extra bonus is Rayyan's artwork that heads each chapter, depicting the wyvern egg and the hatchling that emerges from it.
Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Aladdin; 1ST EDITION ALADDIN edition (May 31, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416905359
• ISBN-13: 978-1416905356
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,016,408 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hatching Magic, January 7, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Hatching Magic (Paperback)

The book Hatching Magic, by Ann Downer, is about a wizard, Gideon, from thirteenth century England who looses his wyvern, Wycca, through a bolt-hole to a different Where and When and ends up following her to twenty-first century Boston, Massachusetts. A girl, Theodora Oglethorpe, who suddenly finds his wyvern trump card on the bottom of her shoe, but if it falls into the hands of Gideon's half brother, Kobold, Kobold will gain more power and try to get his revenge on Gideon. Wycca, who's hatchling is about to come out of her shell, is also having trouble finding a nice comfortable place to hide her nest from the new world. As Gideon explores the new world he is introduced to Professor Iain Merlin O'Shea who works at Harvard University. Merlin, as he is called in the book, shows Gideon all the new technology of the twenty-first century. With the help of some magic and friends Gideon gets his card back and returns to thirteenth century England with Wycca and Theodora has an exciting summer and gets to actually touch a real, live wyvern. This book is interesting and adventurous with action. I'd recommend this to someone who likes fantasies and magic.

This book is interesting because the author makes the book seem real like it could happen. The book is also interesting because the details of different characters are so perfect and that the author doesn't say that the animal is a dragon, the author says it's a wyvern and that's what gets me thinking that it's real. It's also interesting how the author tells the reader how Gideon is seeing things in the new world. When the author is talking about him she'll explain what things he finds new to him how he sees it. The author does that with every character. The names in this book are interesting too, like Gideon, Wycca, Kobold, Febrys, and Oglethorpe. The first four names mentioned are from medieval times it seems like, and Oglethorpe is an outrageous name I've never heard of.

This book is adventurous because once Theodora finds the wyvern trump card everything gets put into place and everyone's trying to get something from the other. Febrys, the demon serving for Kobold, acts as a human woman in public who has foot problems. She also can go into someone's body and act as that person, and just like Gideon, although, they are from thirteenth century England. At the end of the story Gideon and Kobold are fighting for the wyvern trump card and they yell spells at each other trying to kill each other for the card. It's also adventurous when Theodora's trying to take care of the baby wyvern because Wycca had fallen in flight with the baby and were separated. Febrys was in Mikko, the caretaker for the Oglethorpe household, so Theodora was noticing differences like when Mikko made the omelet of eggshells and anchovy dip with dish detergent apple juice. Theodora had to try and feed the wyvern but it every time she did it threw up on her.

Also this book has some action at the end where Kobold and Gideon were fighting with spells. Kobold made Gideon sink into a hole in the floor of the Oglethorpe household. Then Gideon said a spell that created Kobold's coat into live moles that itched really badly. Then Kobold made Ouroboros, Gideon's trusted snake into an anaconda to suffocate Gideon which cracked one of his rib bones. Then Gideon yelled a spell which created bees all over Kobold's face. What topped it off though was Kobold's banned spell that produced a ghost of Gwenylyn, Gideon's love when he was sixteen.

This book is recommended to people who like fantasy and magic because it's a story of a wyvern and a wizard that go through a bolt-hole through time to a century 800 years later. People will like the interesting and adventurous parts finally because it's a story about magic, wyverns, demons, and wizards that makes anything adventurous.

T. Shepard

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful to share aloud, March 9, 2006

By 

G. Rokosz - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hatching Magic (Paperback)

My (...) daughter is a big fan of Harry Potter, and usually won't let me read anything to her because she prefers HP instead. This book has broken through that block. We're half way, and I find the book delightful.

Each character is interesting. The predicaments they get into are humorous and bizarre - I never know what to expect next. We live in a suburb of Boston and much of the book is set in places we know - it's so much fun! Imagine a small dragon- like creature in the NECCO wafer factory! Imagine that dragon "negotiating" with the peregrine falcons! It's that kind of detail that leaves me laughing with pleasure.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I told my parents, you've BOTH got to read this book!, March 12, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Hatching Magic (Paperback)

This book is full of adventure, magic, and excitement. You never know what is going to come next. An evil pair, a good pair, two dragons, and two girls. What will happen to them? Read the book and find out!

P.S. I think this surpasses Harry Potter -- and that's saying something!!

JB, age 8