Out for a walk in London one day, Gip and his father happen upon a magic shop. At Gip's urging, the two go in — and things grow more and more curious by the minute. Counters, store fixtures, and mirrors seem to move around the room, and the shopkeeper is most mysterious of all. Gip is thrilled by all he sees, and his father is at first amused, but when things become stranger and sinister father is no longer sure where reality ends and illusion begins. Fantastical illustrations underscore the macabre atmosphere of the tale, make this a perfect book read aloud together again and again.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up–Originally published in The Country of the Blind and Other Stories (Nelson, 1913), The Magic Shop evokes the mood that results from observing the unexplained and the unexpected. A boy and his father are drawn into a magic shop by the marvelous items on display in the window. However, what begins as entertainment in response to the fathers request for a few amusing tricks for his son–some sleight-of-hand performed by the shopkeeper, some seemingly magical toy soldiers–soon becomes unnerving. Rocas dark oil paintings, set in an earlier London of hansom cabs, men in high collars and bowler hats, and little boys in sailor suits, contain elements both surreal and sinister, appropriately echoing the mood of the story. Small ink drawings of yesteryears toys–clown, kewpie doll, metal plane–also appear as orange-colored prints on the endpapers. The absence of introductory material on H. G. Wells and his writings is noticeable; the audience for an illustrated edition of this particular tale would seem to be limited.–Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Gr. 4-6. Out for an innocent stroll in London, a man and his young son happen on a magic shop. Curious, they go inside, where, in short order and to the father's increasing discomfort, they discover the place is not just any magic shop, it's the Genuine Magic shop--and there's no way out. First published in 1903, this minor tale from the father of sf is starting to show its age, but despite its leisurely pace and fussy diction, it still manages to offer readers a few frissons. Happily, the text is helped significantly by Roca's creepy, vaguely menacing, full-page color illustrations. The Wells name and the sophisticated art will doubtless attract some readers older than the main audience. Michael Cart
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Brube,
By Barbara L. Rubenstein (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: THE MAGIC SHOP (Kindle Edition)
really well written and fun. Bought me back to the time I believed in magic...(as if I ever really outgrew it.)
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