The Magician's Boy [Paperback]

Susan Cooper (Author), Serena Riglietti (Illustrator)

Book Description

Only a child can find the way to bring Saint George back to the play.

The Boy works for the Magician, and he wants more than anything to learn magic. But the Magician always says, "Not yet, Boy. Not till the time is right." So the Boy has to be content with polishing the Magician's wand, taking care of the rabbits the Magician pulls out of hats, and doing his favorite job: operating the puppets for the play Saint George and the Dragon, which the Magician always performs as part of his act.

Until one day the Saint George puppet disappears, and the angry Magician hurls the Boy into the strange Land of Story to find Saint George. His quest is full of adventures with oddly familiar people, from the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe to the Giant at the top of Jack's beanstalk. But the Boy's last adventure is the most amazing of all -- and changes his life forever.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4–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. On his quest, he meets many nursery-rhyme and fairy-tale characters from stories such as "Jack and the Beanstalk," "Little Red Riding Hood," and the "The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe." Using the cryptic clue, "Only a child can find the way/To bring Saint George back to the play," the Boy steps forward to save the day. The black-and-white illustrations reflect the whimsy and amazement of the story perfectly. 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.–Tasha Saecker, Caestecker Public Library, Green Lake, WI --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Gr. 2-4. The Boy works for the Magician, but instead of learning magic, the unhappy lad weeds the garden of magic herbs, polishes the magic wands, and operates the marionettes for the puppet play "Saint George and the Dragon." One day the Boy is transformed into a character in the land of the puppet play, where he encounters well-known folks from nursery rhymes, nursery tales, and other children's classics. He acquits himself so well in this adventure that he earns a real name for himself as well as the promise of lessons from the magician. Fanciful and mildly amusing, the dreamlike story flows along smoothly through a strange yet vaguely familiar wonderland. Riglietti contributes a series of expressive, stylized illustrations. With large type, wide margins, and one sizable picture in each of the 12 chapters, the book is well designed for independent readers, but it can also be read aloud to younger children. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks (May 9, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416915559
• ISBN-13: 978-1416915553
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #423,892 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #9 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( C ) > Cooper, Susan

More About the Author

SUSAN COOPER is best known for her acclaimed sequence of fantasy novels known as The Dark Is Rising which includes OVER SEA, UNDER STONE; THE DARK IS RISING (1974 Newbery Honor book); GREENWITCH; THE GREY KING (1976 Newbery Award book); and SILVER ON THE TREE. Her novels for young readers also include VICTORY, GREEN BOY, KING OF SHADOWS, THE BOGGART and its sequel THE BOGGART AND THE MONSTER, SEAWARD and DAWN OF FEAR. She has written books for younger children as well, including the Celtic retellings THE SILVER COW, THE SELKIE GIRL, and TAM LIN, all illustrated by Warwick Hutton, and FROG, illustrated by Jane Browne. In collaboration with actor Hume Cronyn, she wrote the Broadway play Foxfire and--for Jane Fonda--the television film The Dollmaker, for which they received the Humanitas Prize in 1985. Born in Buckinghamshire, England, Susan Cooper moved to the United States in 1963 and now lives in Massachusetts.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A delightful trip through the Land of Story, January 12, 2006

By 

Rune reader "runewright" (AZ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Magician's Boy (Hardcover)

The other reviewers have already provided a synopsis of the plot, so I won't go into that.

Let me just say that this book would be perfect for those readers who enjoy traditional fairytales, but who are looking for a not-too-difficult chapter book. Fans of Junie B. Jones and the Magic Treehouse stories can handle it easily.

Knowing Susan Cooper's ties to Revels, it's easy to understand why she chose to use the St. George play as the framework for her story, however, it would have been helpful if she had given an explanation to the many American children who have never heard of St. George or the mummer's play referred to in the book. It isn't vital to have experienced the play in order to enjoy the book, but a little background as a preface or an afterword would have been nice--many of the children I work with enjoy knowing where the stories originate.

I enjoyed the illustrations as much as the story. Altogether this is a very satisfying book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Get this book for kids who love to read., April 17, 2005

By 

Sammy Boy "Captain Bookworm" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Magician's Boy (Hardcover)

This book was really exciting. It's about a boy named "Boy" and when he loses a puppet that belongs to his master (a magician), he gets sent into the World of Story to find it. He runs into all kinds of famous characters from nursery rhymes and stories, and ends up finding the puppet, and a new name for himself. A heroic name. (I don't want to spoil the surprise). There were funny parts, serious parts, lots of action and I thought it was great. I think kids my age would love it (I'm 7-1/2). I read it very quickly; I finished it the day I got it!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling Read Aloud Book, January 15, 2008

By 

Whitney Warner "wiggle mama" (Albuquerque, NM) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Magician's Boy (Hardcover)

My barely-six-year old and I loved reading this book together. He hated having to stop at the end of the chapters and wanted more and more. He described it as an "adventure." It was a great incentive to get bedtime moving ahead.