The Magic Warble [Paperback]

Victoria Simcox (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2009 | Age Range: 9 and up

Dwarfs, gnomes, fairies, talking animals, and an evil queen all these and more can be found in The Magic Warble, an enchanting tale of adventure and friendship.

Twelve-year-old Kristina Kingsly feels like the most unpopular girl in her school. The kids all tease her, and she never seems to fit in. But when Kristina receives an unusual Christmas gift, she suddenly finds herself magically transported to the land of Bernovem, home of dwarfs, gnomes, fairies, talking animals and the evil Queen Sentiz.

In Bernovem, Kristina not only fits in, she's honored as ''the chosen one'', the only one who can release the land from Queen Sentiz's control. But it s not as simple as it seems. To save Bernovem, she must place the gift she was given, the famous ''Magic Warble,'' in its final resting place. And she must travel through the deep forest, climb a treacherous mountain, and risk capture by the queen s ''zelbocks'' before she reaches her destination. Guided by her new fairy friends, Clover and Looper and by Prince Werrien, a teenage boy, as well as an assortment of other characters, Kristina sets off on a perilous journey that not only tests her strength but her heart.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Victoria Simcox lives with her husband and three children in Western Washington. In addition to writing, she spends her days as an elementary school art teacher

Product Details

• Age Range: 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 276 pages
• Publisher: Two Harbors Press (January 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1935097172
• ISBN-13: 978-1935097174
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (71 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,713,390 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Victoria was born in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, to an Austrian immigrant mother, and a Dutch immigrant father. She now resides in Western Washington with her husband and 3 children. Her other family members are, a Chihuahua, named Pipsy and 2 cats, named Frodo and Fritz. For the past 12 years, she has home-schooled her children. Besides being an author, Victoria is also an elementary school art teacher. Victoria enjoys writing, reading, painting watercolors, hiking, good movies, and hanging out with her family and friends. Victoria is the author of The Magic Warble.

Website: www.themagicwarble.com
Blog: victoriasimcox.blogspot.com
Face Book: http://tinyurl.com/3wl6gjs
Twitter:http://twitter.com/#!/VictoriaSimcox

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The Magic Warble is Simply Enchanting! July 26, 2010

By The Freebie Fairy

Format:Paperback

What a great book! When my elementary aged daughter saw the cover art with the faerie on it, she was immediately interested in reading it, so I let her read it first. She loved this chapter book full of wondrous adventures, and said she would like to read it again.

When it was finally my turn to read The Magic Warble, I was impressed at how well developed the characters were, and how the story draws you in. I found myself thinking of the book when I wasn't reading it, looking forward to picking up where I had had left off!

This is exactly the type of book I was drawn to in my elementary and tween years, and even now as an adult, I find The Magic Warble's timeless theme of good verses evil quite captivating. My tween age daughter is excited that it is now her turn to read the Magic Warble!

I feel that Kristina, the main character in the book is a wonderful role model for children of all ages, proving that we all hold inner strength to accomplish difficult feats that we might not have thought we were capable of.

I recommend The Magic Warble for children at chapter book reading levels, especially those who love fantasy! Moms who love fantasy books should borrow it when their kids are done reading it... it is so refreshing to be transported to another world in the middle of a busy work-filled day!

Best,
The Freebie Fairy

The Freebie Fairy ~ Blog Author
[...]

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great new MG fantasy! June 11, 2010

By Kristen M. Harvey

Format:Paperback

Why I read this: The author asked me to review her book and I saw that my friend Kate from The Neverending Shelf had read and enjoyed it, so I gave it a try. :)

Plot: Definitely has the epic feel of great children's fantasy - like The Chronicles of Narnia. I love the familiarity of the plot and how unique it was at the same time. Definitely wishing I read more fantasy lately after reading this one.

Characters: Kristina is an unlikely hero and one that steps up to the plate ...more Why I read this: The author asked me to review her book and I saw that my friend Kate from The Neverending Shelf had read and enjoyed it, so I gave it a try. :)

Plot: Definitely has the epic feel of great children's fantasy - like The Chronicles of Narnia. I love the familiarity of the plot and how unique it was at the same time. Definitely wishing I read more fantasy lately after reading this one.

Characters: Kristina is an unlikely hero and one that steps up to the plate without much complaining. She has her faults and isn't perfect, but tries hard enough to continue on that she succeeds.

The fairies - Clover and Looper - were great sidekicks and had bright personalities - what you would expect out of fairies. They definitely added some character spice to this book and had me cracking up more than once.

Prince Werrein - well it's not fantasy without some kind of royalty - although you wouldn't know it at first. He's been in hiding until his mother is restored to the throne until the current queen is defeated. I like that he also is very human, there are traits in him that definitely are not princely, but rather remind you of his age. Definitely fun to watch Kristina and Werrein interact throughout the book.

Relatability: Every girl's dream.... It's just one of those books where a regular girl actually goes to another world and becomes strong and important. It truly is a dream come true type book. Brings me back to my days of reading Bruce Coville's Into the Land of Unicorns series.

Cover Commentary: Beautiful. Actually all of the images drawn in the book are out of this world. They look like pencil drawings and are just fantastic. Whoever did the art is a genius with that medium. Read more ›

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fantastic Children's Story! June 16, 2013

By Lynn Worton

Format:Kindle Edition

I received a copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review.

This is a fantastic children's book for middle grade age range. I loved it!

Kristina Kingsley is a fantastic character. She may not be the most popular girl in school, but I actually liked her. She reminded me of me! I was never the popular girl either. However, where we differ is that she is a lot braver than me! She is given an unusual gift, and she finds herself on an adventure of a lifetime!

This is a fantastic children's fantasy novel! There are some wonderful characters in this book. The most likable of them are Clover and Looper (a pair of sibling fairies), Prince Werrien, and Kristina's pet rat, Raymond. This book is also filled with some really nasty characters. The main ones being Queen Sentiz and her gross Zelbocks. There are also enemies that turn into friends and friends who turn into enemies.
I was completely engrossed in this tale! It is full of danger and adventure! In a way, it reminded me of Tolken's Lord Of The Rings, as there is an object (The magic Warble) and a dangerous mission to deliver it to it's rightful place. I loved the subtle humour that the author used to great effect; it lightened the mood, so that the story didn't take a too dark a turn. The story is also told from several character's points of view, which gives a well rounded feel to the book and brought the characters alive. There are also some pictures sketched on a few selected pages to reinforce the story. These pictures are well drawn and show the characters just as described, and how I imagined them without the pictures!

Victoria Simcox has written an amazing children's adventure book! Her writing style is fast paced, but not overly so as to feel rushed.... Her attention to detail with regards to the description of the characters, scenery and clothing is exceptional. I could "see" them so clearly in my minds eye! I am now looking forward to reading the sequel, The Black Shard!

I think this story is aimed at girls, but I recommend this book to everyone (adults included) who love fairies, gnomes, dwarves and talking animals in their fantasy novels. - Lynn Worton Read more ›

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Reading Adventure for Kids May 31, 2013

By JBronder

Format:Kindle Edition

Kristina doesn't fit in with the kids at her school, usually finding herself tormented. She spends much of her time alone or with her rat, Raymond. Today is the last day of school before Christmas vacation. On the way out the door, Kristina's teacher, Miss Hensley, gives her a Christmas present, an old hat box. On the way home, a cruel game of keep away ensues. Then Kristina learns that another unpleasant girl will be babysitting her.

After all the drama of the day, Kristina goes to be just to be woken by a humming sound. She is then transported to Bernovem. The silver ball in the hatbox is the Magic Warble, which is destined to restore the rightful king and queen to the throne. Since Kristina is the one that was selected, she is the one that has to put the warble back in its place. But this is not going to be an easy trip. Everyone that has touched the hat box will be transported to Bernovem and will have a role in the quest to put the Warble back in its place.

This is not going to be easy since the current queen is horrid and plans on staying in control one way or another. Her zelbocks are hunting Kristina down and she has no problem tricking the other kids into helping her to keep in control of Bernovem. But Kristina has help from prince Werrien and those that believe that the Magic Warble will be returned.

I really liked this story. There was action and adventure and you didn't know what was going to happen next. I felt for Kristina not being popular and I cheered for her every step of the adventure. I didn't like Graham, Hester, and Davina but I am curious to see if Graham will have some connection in the next book.

This is a great book that mid-grade readers and everyone else will enjoy reading. I strongly recommend getting this book.