Customer Reviews

Secrets of the Magic Ring

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Secrets" is a perfect followup to the author's earlier work, Celia and the Fairies. All the characters are here, though this book is told from the point of view of Paul, Celia's friend and neighbor.

In this story, Aunt Vicky gives Paul and his family a swimming pool, and Paul finds a box in the hole dug for it. Inside the box is a magic ring that can make wishes come true: but in the best fairy tales, there's always a catch. Throw in a boy, Henry, who just wants to go home, and things happen in very unexpected ways!

I don't think this particular book has as many "messages" as the original, but it's still a very charming read. It grabbed me from the very first chapter!

I'm thrilled the author gave us a sequel - hope she gives us a prequel with Henry and Celia's grandmother.

It was Paul's ninth birthday, summer vacation was just around the corner, and the anticipation of swimming in a brand new pool was overwhelming. The excitement of watching the construction made him daydream of how much fun he would soon have. As Paul enjoyed gazing at the deep hole, while his imagination exploded, so did his curiosity when he noticed a box-like structure sticking out of the dirt. Paul's Aunt Vicky paid for the new pool, but did she know about the secret treasure? What was inside the box that Paul found, and was his discovery a secret? Why was Henry's tone threatening when he demanded Paul to give him the box? Why was Henry dressed in rags, desperately searching for food, and did he live in the woods? What did Henry know about the ring that Paul didn't know, and why did Henry miss his family? I highly recommend 'Secrets of the Magic Ring' to children, ages six to eleven, who enjoy fun-filled stories from beginning to end. Karen McQuestion created a mystical-magical adventure as the characters come to life in this vibrant, mysterious tale. What did Vicky wish for, and did her wish come true? Where did Paul's mother find the ring, and how did Vicky lose it? What did Grammy know about the ring, why did Henry spy on Paul's house, and who did Clem talk to? Did Mira know about the history of the ring, and did she tell Jasmine? Will Jasmine break the rules to help Henry? Can the gold ring with a sparkling blue gem, taken from a box that looked like a pirate's chest, lead to big trouble? Who was the ring a perfect fit for? Will happiness turn into misery, after many wishes are granted?

Paul is thrilled when his Aunt offers to pay for a pool for his 9th birthday. He is fascinated by the digging and prepping for the pool........and then something magical and mysterious is found, a real buried treasure. Paul believes he has really found something beautiful and valuable, but he also reads the instructions and he soon learns the power behind one's most desired wish. Be careful what you wish for has never been more true.

I love the timelessness of this book. When reading it I realized it could have taken place almost any time in the last 20 or so years. The illustrations by Vincent Desjardins are so well done and also classic in feel. This book is fantasy and lessons to be learned rolled into one. The adventures that Paul has are so appealing to a child boy or girl, and I truly enjoyed each one.

I'm sending this book off to a friend with 2 young boys, because I know they too will love this new book.

SECRETS OF THE MAGIC RING is a delightful novel for children (ages 6-11). From the moment I picked it up, I knew that my 6-year old wee one would love it. With a magic ring, fairies, and wishes coming true, SECRETS OF THE MAGIC RING will definitely resonate with little girls and big ones alike.

In SECRETS OF THE MAGIC RING, Paul finds a mysterious box in his backyard, sticking out of the side of the hole dug for his family's new swimming pool. The unusual ring inside the box fits each wearer perfectly and gives them an odd sense of well being. But the best part is that each wearer gets their one true wish. However, wishes are not always what they seem, and magic can have its consequences. Paul and his friends must work together to undo what had been done and to solve a problem over 60 years old.

SECRETS OF THE MAGIC RING is a quick, easy read with short chapters and clean, well-written prose appropriate to the target age group. I particularly liked the short chapters when considering this novel for my 6-year old. She has the skills needed to read this level of book, but not always the stamina. The short chapters will allow her to read one or two a night and feel like she has accomplished something, which is important when encouraging precocious, early readers to read on their own.

SECRETS OF THE MAGIC RING is adorable and fun, and I can't wait to give it to my daughter. I think it will be her summer book. This charming story will keep her interest for a long time and take her one step further into the world of reading. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

I read this book and wasn't terribly impressed. It was ok. The story seemed a little unoriginal. The vocabulary was a little jarring (not inappropriate at all just uneven. There are decent values and lessons. I just didn't love it.

Then my 11 year old daughter took it. Watching her face as she read it, I could see how enthralled she was. She read the entire book start to finish in a day. She talked about it constantly. This book was absolutely magical to her. It has sparked some really good conversations between her and I. She even sadly confessed that she had loved it more than her previous favorite, the Percy Jackson series.

For that target audience, this is a 5 star book.

This is a cute story! Fairies, magic, and a lesson on doing the right thing.

A family is getting a new pool! During the digging, a young boy finds a box- and inside, a magic ring. This magic ring will grant you a wish- your most desired ability. But if your wish is selfish, beware...

Meanwhile, behind the scenes, is a world of fairies- fairies who watch over families, and guide them to do the right thing. But will the fairy for this family figure out how to make the right thing come to be?

A nice story of magic- nothing scary, really. Can be enjoyed by boys and girls alike.

This is a delightful story. Off the beaten path as far as my grandson was concerned. He had ot heard of it. I really enjoyed talking to him about it and he took it to school to show his teacher.

Secrets of the magic Ring
(2011)

Category: Light adventure/Fantasy
Age Range: 8 - 12years (before middle school)
Grade (Public school): 3rd or 4th
Preferred Gender: maybe slightly tilted to BOYS)

Paul really wants a swimming pool, but his family can't afford one. When his rich Aunt Vickie offers to pay for one his parents are uncertain on whether or not it would be appropriate to accept the gift. Paul's parents decide it would be alright to accept the gift and the construction begins. After the hole is dug Paul looks into the hole and sees something protruding out from the side. He gets a ladder and climbs down into the hole and discovers a box. Inside the box is a ring with a piece of paper with instructions. Paul puts the ring on and pretty much ignores the instructions. Paul finds that ignoring instruction can lead to bad consequences.

I recommend this book for the ages given above and for those who believe in magic and wishes coming true.

Gunner December, 2011

Article first published as Book Review:Secrets of the Magic Ring by Karen McQuestion on Blogcritics.

In a heartfelt time of year when the magic of Christmas is upon us, a dose of fun and fairies seems just the thing to add to a child's holiday list.

In Secrets of the Magic Ring by Karen McQuestion, we are drawn into the mysteries of fairies along with their abilities and reason for being-at least in this part of the woods. When Paul's rich Aunt Vicky decides to renew her relationship with her sister, she used her wealth to have a new pool built in their yard. Paul is overcome with joy. His friends Celia and Alex will be able to spend more time with him in the summer and after school. Watching the work on the site is almost exciting as the pool itself. One day after the workers have gone, Paul sees something in the hole. Knowing he shouldn't, he nonetheless decides to use a ladder and retrieve it. Getting the item out of the dirt is difficult but Paul perseveres. As he pulls it loose, he falls to the bottom of the hole.

Scurrying back up the ladder with his prize, he is surprised to find a stranger, a boy waiting at the top of the ladder. Reaching out, he demands that Paul turn the treasure over to him. Paul refuses, and while somewhat startled he feels better when his dog chases the intruder away.

Having to find a place to inspect his treasure in secret is a challenge, but when he finally opens the box, he is mesmerized. Inside he finds a ring. Trying it on, he finds it fits perfectly. Trying a different finger, he finds it fit perfectly there as well. The note in the box with the ring says he will get one wish. It must be a wise wish, not selfish. Excited, Paul does not realize the scope of the trouble coming his way, but the fairies are very well aware of this ring. Used wrongly in the past the wishes often create a great deal of trouble for those who use it. When the ring makes its way from person to person in his family, they are in for a strange and mysterious set of happenings. Only with the help of the fairies can they begin to set right the wrongs that are even now in place.

This is a charming, well-told story, sure to enchant your young reader. The characters are fun and interesting. The children are like those we all know; they have their joys and concerns, and get into trouble as often as they can. Each fairy is assigned a family they watch over. When the ring shows up again after having been lost for so many years, they try to come up with a plan that will make everything right.

Having an imagination and reaching out to capture the attention of those young at heart everywhere, McQuestion has given us a tale full of creativity and kindness.

If you are looking for that special gift for the young reader in your life, look no further. A follow up to Celia and the Fairies, this work stands on its own. This is a marvelous story to peak the imagination, and offer a few morals.

This would be a great book for your child's library, a classic fairy tale full of friendship and caring. This tale finds a way to bring families together in a way that is both charming and fun.

This book was rreceived free from the author. All opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the information.

I got a copy of this book for review form the publisher. This is a companion novel to Celia and the Fairies, this novel is told from Paul's viewpoint and takes place some time after the first book. I didn't like it quite as much as the first book, but it was still a magical and engaging story for younger readers.

Nine year old Paul discovers a strange box with a ring inside of it in a hole that is being dug for a pool behind his house. Paul finds that the ring seems to grant the deepest wish of anyone who touches it. This seems great until the granted wishes start going sour. Paul finds out that the saying "be careful what you wish for" definitely applies in this case.

This book is intended for younger readers, middle grade or younger. While I enjoyed Celia and the Fairies, I didn't enjoy this one as much mainly because I just didn't click with Paul as a character. Paul is nicknamed Spaz, and there's a reason for that. Paul is just kind of annoying. I know I was supposed to empathize with his problems fitting in with the other kids, but I had trouble doing that. I just couldn't relate to him and found him to be a shelfish, immature, and obnoxious character.

Celia is only in the story for a tiny amount of time, so you don't get to see much of her. The story mainly revolves around Paul, his dog Clem, and some of Paul's "friends". The fairy watching over Paul's family is in the story a small amount, and while she does play a major role in the story's resolution, you don't see a ton of her throughout the book.

I did enjoy the idea of fairies watching over specified families. I also enjoyed that the book teaches some good lessons about not being selfish and trying to care for others and be happy about who you are.

I had some trouble with the Magic ring itself because the way the magic worked wasn't consistent throughout the book. Initially it sounds like the ring will grant your most desperate wish at the time you pick it up; this is how it works for Paul's aunt and for Paul's dog. For some reason Paul was able to handle the ring a lot before he made a wish and then actually has to make an effort to think his wish loudly to get it to happen. Then all the wishes were supposed to go wrong, later this was modified that they were going to go wrong if you made a selfish wish. This was some circular logic because if the ring grants your dearest wish when you touch it how can you control whether or not that is a selfish wish or not? That's basically saying you can't ever think anything selfish just in case; anyway I thought about the whole thing for awhile and the way the ring worked was just inconsistent throughout the story.

The book is very short and ends well enough. It is a story I think young boys might enjoy reading. I think the original audience that was drawn to Celia and the Fairies (mainly younger girls) will find Paul a lot harder to relate to in this book. The dialogue throughout the story is pretty simple and at times a bit corny, but again it should be fine for very young readers.

Overall this was an okay story. The story teaches some good lessons around selflessness, it is easy to read, and has some fun ideas about fairies protecting families. It is a pretty simple story though, so I think older kids might be bored. I had a hard time really engaging with the main character Paul because I thought he was obnoxious. I also had some trouble with the inconsistencies in how the magic ring worked (I know, fantasy buff here, but I like my magic systems detailed and solid). This would be a great light read for young boys who are interested in the magical and fantastic, also possibly a good read for older boys who don't like getting into long stories. For middle grade and older boys I would recommend Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, or Fablehaven as excellent fantasy for middle grade reads.