The Magic Toybox [Paperback]

Denise Little (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2006

13 all-new tales about the magic of childhood.

In this exciting short story collection, toys come to life through the love and belief of the children who play with them. Thirteen authors take up the challenge of filling readers' fantastical toyboxes with intriguing playthings. A tiny Mr. Magoo yearns to escape the Old Things Roadshow and get home to the woman he'd been stolen from. A child slave in Rome dreams of owning a wooden gladiator. Could an act of magic fulfill his dream? Can a ghost who's found refuge in a what-not doll solve a case of unrequited love?

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This theme anthology plays with the notion of toys brought to life by the love and belief of the children who play with them. In Mel Odom's Sherlock Holmes pastiche, "The Affair of the Wooden Boy," a wooden puppet saves a boy from having his body stolen by a vicious sorceress. In Diane Duane's "The Fix," a wooden gladiator that a child slave in ancient Rome dreams of owning eventually gains him his freedom. In Jean Rabe's antic "Roadshow," a stolen Mr. Magoo car breaks away from The Old Things Roadshow to get back to its rightful owner.A toy castle solves the problems of an adult woman in Laura Resnick's "Lady Roxanne La Belle," while in Gail Selinger's "Jack Tar," a toy sailor protects a family's sons. The other nine entries are likewise enjoyable for their plots and individual styles. Scary, funny, tragic, triumphant; set in past, present, future, and at least one alternate world, these stories make up a nicely original collection. Frieda Murray
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: DAW (August 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0756403790
• ISBN-13: 978-0756403799
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,197,995 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars fun fantasy collection, August 20, 2006

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Magic Toybox (Paperback)

Taking the premise from the movie Batteries Not Included, THE MAGIC TOYBOX contains fourteen new tales based on toys coming to life. Each contribution is lighthearted fun as if the contributors had a good time deciding who the lead character is and what setting and or cause to bring that protagonist to life. Especially enjoyable to readers will be to decide whether they recognize the star like Mr. Magoo (though as Ms. Little implies in her introduction that might mean a few tree rings for some of us) or a take from a popular movie like a wooden Roman gladiator, or a Chucky clone taking possession of a doll, etc. The stories are well written and for the most part kept extremely light even with the touches of horror so that the worst catastrophe that could occur to a young adult is not the end of the world in a whimper or a bang, but returning to live with their parents. Fantasy readers will enjoy the fabulous adventures of these come alive playthings.

Harriet Klausner