Customer Reviews

Trouble With Violet (Sister Magic)

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

 

 

The first in this paperback series delivers what's expected: Older sister Mabel (8 years old, neat and tidy, organized and dependable) often has a hard time dealing with younger sister Violet (5 years old, messy, with her head in the clouds). Mabel is predictable, Violet is spontaneous. Mabel is helpful and Violet is lovable. While Mabel deals with frustration and jealousy over Violet's antics, another conflict surfaces. The arrival of a present from the girls' Uncle Vartan, a beautiful book of fairy tales, precedes the arrival of Uncle Vartan himself, a man neither girl has ever met. While Mabel loves spending time with her uncle, even she has to admit there is something weird about him. Her mother finally confesses: Vartan has Magic, and she's worried one of her daughters has it too. While Mabel dreams of what it would be like to have magic, readers will guess the conclusion before she does. Mabels of the world will feel for the character as she struggles to keep up with her sister, and fans of Violet types will enjoy. Good beginning to a promising series.

This is a very good book for a child 7-9. It has so much detail that I could barely take my eyes off the pages. I was always wondering what would happen next. There are so many cliffhangers. I felt like I was actually with Mabel and Violet. Reading this book is not what you have to do but what you want to do.

my kids loved this series.
comical moments that had them chuckling and looking forward to more

this and the Airy Fairy books have been favorites.

we read a few chapters of these books before bed, and they race to get ready for bed so they can be sure to have time for the books.

a really great starter to chapter books ... not so much for the older kids, but for beginners to chapter books, a good choice

I think this is a good simple book about a young girl with a younger sister. It is a good beginning chapter book series that will find a strong readership with young girls in the early grades. I teach ESOL in a middle school but I think this book is a very interesting book for my beginning readers. The girls will enjoy the simple story and be even happier that they can understand it. That is important in language learning.

Anne Mazer has written picture books, chapter books, series books, and even a nonfiction writing guide for a total of about fifty books. She's one prolific writer with diverse talents!

At first, I thought Sister Magic would just be just another fun episodic book. In some ways it is: The two sisters play in the sprinklers, shop for school shoes, and help out their parents. Except there is also a mysterious package, a visit from a strange uncle, and some unusual events such as laces that kept untying themselves. Through all these events, perfectionist Mabel gains a little more appreciation for her little sister Violet.

I also thought because Sister Magic is for younger readers, it might not appeal to me as an adult. Instead, now I wish to read the rest of the series. Yes, Mazer's style is simpler in Sister Magic than in her books for older readers, but this doesn't mean the book lacks quality.

The plot, characters, and setting are still well developed. I love this image that main character Mabel gives of her younger sister Violet: "Mabel had jam on her face. She had jam on her hands. She even had jam in her hair." As for an example of description, here is one about Mabel's special bead box: "She had organized the beads by size, color, and shape. All the colors of the rainbow, from blue-green to yellow-orange, sparkled in their drawers." In those two sentences, we're given all the info we would expect an eight-year-old to observe or need. We also see how organized Mabel is.

As for the plot, as I said, it's partly episodic and partly driven by underlying mysterious events. One of my favorite episodes in Sister Magic isn't a laugh out loud one, but did make me smile. Mabel, her best friend Simone, and Violet are making bead necklaces to wear on their first day of school. Mabel is feeling proud of how she is sharing her beads, when Violet decides that instead she wants to run under the sprinkler. To Mabel's dismay, Simone joins Violet outside and helps her turn on the sprinkler. Mabel instead keeps making her necklace, but then glances out the window and notices the hot weather. She decides that she can finish her necklace anytime, there was plenty of time, but "there might not be time to run under the sprinkler again". My other favorite episode comes through a twist near the end, but you'll have to read Sister Magic to find out what it is.

Is there a child out there who hasn't fantasized about discovering magic abilities? I can well recall doing it myself. This is a fun book and was thoroughly enjoyed by my 6 yr. old daughter. We will get more in the series!