Customer Reviews

Mr. Mysterious & Company (Beech Tree Chapter Books)

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I once saw a talk by science fiction author Ray Bradbury, when he became exasperated with a audience member and said "The Grapes of Wrath is a great book because it's about a family!" And that's what this book is about: a family.
Mr. Mysterious & Co. a family headed west, twenty years after the civil war, performing a magic stage show in small, western towns. The three children, ages 12, 9, and 6, each have their own conflicting dreams, fears and desires.
But what really makes this book work is not just that it is well written, and the characters are supurb, it's that it is about a family, and some of the struggles that familes have. Jane, the oldest, wonders when she can have real friends and stop being a child. Paul, the middle child, wants to keep traveling and "having adventures." Anne, the youngest, looks forward to "settling down," and living in a town.
Even though this book was written forty years ago, it still holds up well. It was one of my favorite books as a kid, and remains so today. I must have read this thirty times, and have given away at least twenty copies.
If you're looking for an interesting, funny, gentle, and simply altogether charming book about the old west--this is it. ...

A charming and fun book for children -great charachters, well written, a childhood favorite of mine that I've passed along to others. Part of the fun is the behind-the-scenes look at a traveling old west magic show!

I first read this book the year it came out - 1962 - as part of a children's monthly book club selection; I absolutely loved it. It fired my imagination and made me want to have my own Abracadabra Day, but my parents didn't see the rationale for it, unfortunately. (Abracadabra Day was a day of each child's choosing, once a year per child, when they could do practically anything that wasn't harmful, and not get punished. What kid wouldn't love that??) Now, almost 50 years later, the thought of that book brings back wonderful memories of reading it 5 times in the summer of 1962, and of reading it later in 1994 to my young children as we drove through Wyoming and Colorado. It brought the same joy and excitement to them that I'd experienced years before, and rejuvenated my enthusiasm for the book. Though it's 'dated' and lacks the fast paced action that younger readers are so often exposed to, it's a heart-warming, fun tale of a family's journey in a covered wagon as they travel to California to connect with relatives and start a new life. Along the way, they make money by hosting magic shows in the different small towns they encounter, and the story details the difficulties of covered wagon travel and life, and also the fun that occurs when you try to convince an audience that you really can do 'magic'. It's a lovely story and a great read for young people.

I cannot remember a time when I wasn't a reader. From superhero comic books to 1,000-page epics to Brit Lit classics and today's political commentaries, I've never stopped reading. Why? I blame my Mom. She made me a reader at bedtime. Most every night, she would tuck me in, plop a cat down by my feet, and then sit on the edge of my bed and read to me. Over the years, we read a variety of books, some over and over again. I will discuss a number of them in the course of this year's 52 Favorites, but today's post is about a particular favorite: Mr. Mysterious and Company.

Written by Newberry Award-winner author Sid Fleischman in 1962, Mr. Mysterious and Company is about a family of traveling magicians in the Old West. The book has been called The Grapes of Wrath for children. The Hackett family is making a trip from Texas to California where they hope to finally settle down, thereby offering the three Hackett children a "normal" life. Along the way, of course, adventure ensues. The Hacketts even encounter a notorious villain known as the Badlands Kid.

What I remember most about the book, however, was not the danger and adventure the Hackett family faced, exciting as it was. I was enthralled by the idea of Abracadabra Day. Once a year, each of the Hackett children could play a prank on their family without fear of punishment. In other words, no grounding, no extra chores, no being sent to bed early, not even a lecture. All the culprit had to do was proclaim it Abracadabra Day when the prank was discovered. Tada, just like real magic, all punishment vanished.

Mr. Mysterious and Company demonstrates that great books are more than poetic prose, true-to-life characters, and the clever, witty use of literary elements. You'll find all these in Mr. Mysterious to be sure. But you'll find more. You'll find Abracadabra Day, an idea that transcends time and generations. Everyone could use a few instances of Abracadabra Day in their lives. Some more than others!

Abracadabra Day is not only a great idea because, as every parent and educator knows, kids will be kids. They will cause mischief and sometimes headaches. They will do things in seeming attempts to simply get away with doing them. The magical day allows them to succeed once a year. Moreover, Abracadabra Day connects author Fleischman to his young readers. By inventing it, he proves that he should be writing for children. He knows his audience and, more importantly, he can relate to them.

"Mr. Mysterious & Company"

by Sid Fleishmann

(Little Brown, 1962)

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A nice, lighthearted story about a family theater troupe crossing the frontier on their way to California during the 19th Century. The covered wagon days are evoked with nostalgia and humor -- the chapters are episodic, but also come together as a nicely shaped narrative. Hard to say what many 21st-Century kids would make of this book - I found it lively, though my kid was a little distracted while we read it... Certainly if your family has enjoyed the Laura Ingalls Wilder books, you might want to check this out as well... It has magic tricks and bandits, too, although overall the tone is pretty light and uplifting. (Joe Sixpack, ReadThatAgain childrens' book reviews)

My 11 year old and I both enjoyed this book. The story is set in the Old West and holds one's interest with lots of humor and suprising twists in the adventures.