The Wizard of Washington Square [Mass Market Paperback]

Jane Yolen (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up

One day, while playing in Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village, David and Leilah are thrilled to discover a real wizard living behind the little black door in Washington Square Arch. Alas, he is only a second-class wizard, he tells them, and sometimes he has trouble with his spells. So when the Wizard accidentally turns David's Scottish terrier, D. Dog, into a statue and the statue is stolen by Mr. Pickwell, a nasty antiques dealer, it's up to David and Leilah to get D. Dog back--before Mr. Pickwell sells him!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A palpable mixture of magic, nonsense, and a light-hearted splash of local color.... A blithe and bouncy book."--Saturday Review on The Wizard of Washington Square

About the Author

Jane Yolen is the distinguished author of more than 250 books for children, teens, and adults. She has earned many awards over the years, including the World Fantasy Award, two Nebula Awards, the Society of Children's Book Writers Golden Kite Award, three Mythopoeic Society Aslan Award, two Christopher Medals, the Boy's Club Jr. Book Award, the Garden State Teen Book Award, the California Young Reader's Medal, New York State's Charlotte Award, the Daedalus Award, a number of Parents' Choice Magazine Awards, four Honorary Doctorates, and many more awards and citations for her work. Ms. Yolen lives in with her husband in Hatfield, Massachusetts, and St. Andrews, Scotland.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Starscape (March 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765350165
• ISBN-13: 978-0765350169
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 4.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,372,691 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic urban fantasy for the elementary school crowd, April 25, 2005

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Wizard of Washington Square (Mass Market Paperback)

Preadolescent David accompanied by his canine D. Dog walks around Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village feeling lonely. His family has just relocated from Connecticut to New York and he has no friends. When his canine's ball lands in the fountain in the middle of the park he meets Leilah who goes into the water to retrieve the toy. Leilah informs him that the fountain is home to a wizard.

David scoffs at the inane girl, but soon they encounter THE WIZARD OF WASHINGTON SQUARE PARK, who explains he is a second rate failure, which is why he has been exiled to the land of non-believers. He proves his incompetence when he accidentally turns D. Dog into a statue. Before the Wizard can figure out how to rectify his blunder, antiques dealer Mr. Pickwell steals the statue to sell it. David and Leilah team up to retrieve D. Dog while the Wizard works on a reversal spell.

THE WIZARD OF WASHINGTON SQUARE PARK is a fantastic urban fantasy that the elementary school crowd and their parents will enjoy. The story line enchants the audience as David and Leilah become friends while trying to rescue his dog from a terrible fate. The Wizard will remind readers of Oz as he bungles spells. Jane Yolen entertains her young readers with a fine friendship fantasy.

Harriet Klausner

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Childhood Read, July 3, 2007

By 

Carleeleeleelee (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wizard of Washington Square (Mass Market Paperback)

I remember finding this book in the small library at my elementary school when I was in third grade. I was so excited by the yellowed pages and torn cover. As soon as I started reading it I was enthrawled and I didn't put it down once that WHOLE night. You can't imagine how thrilled I was when I was able to return it to the library the next day! It is cute and humorous and just a fun read for a little kid. It is the Pre-Harry Potter wizard novel, and a much easier, less frightening read for the youger set. I can't wait to read it again with a new set of eyes!

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Lesser Yolen and Lesser Wizards, May 29, 2005

By 

bensmomma "bensmomma" (Ann Arbor, Michigan) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Wizard of Washington Square (Mass Market Paperback)

We were quite eager to read "Wizard" because Jane Yolen's "How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight" is a great personal favorite around our house, but "The Wizard of Washington Square" doesn't match it in wit, characterization, or even entertainment value.

This book leaves the impression that Yolen succumbed to an editor's pleadings to write something for the Harry Potter crowd. The plot involves a little 3-foot tall wizard who lives in the arch in New York's Washington Square Park. Since we used to live a block away and play in the playground there, we thought this would be great! But Yolen doesn't have much of a feel for New York (the author's note says she lives in Massachusetts and Scotland); she seems to think the park is still full of beatniks and old men playing chess.

Several details give the sensation that Yolen's heart is just not in this - the kid picks up the marble dog-sized statue and carries it around; a magical table "the size of a door" goes through a subway turnstile without difficulty or comment.

The plot is mild in the extreme; it involves two kids who make friends with the wizard, who deems himself "second class" for reasons that are not explained, and who somehow changes the hero's dog into a marble statue. An evil Snidely-Whiplash-style art dealer villain snaps up the dog statue to tell in his shop; the kids and the wizard try to get it back. As a measure of the speed at which the plot moves, I'll point out that several pages of this modest 78-page novel are devoted to a petition drive. I've yet to meet a kid thrilled or entertained by a petition drive!

Readers are advised to stick to Yolen's picture books, which have charm, poetry, and wit.