Magic in the City

January 30, 2017
In this brisk and breezy adventure, siblings Jake, 11, and Simon, six, are unhappy about moving with their mother to London from Canada. While Simon is curious about living in a new city with his aunt, uncle, and 10-year-old cousin, Hannah, both boys are upset to leave behind their father, dog, and the house they can no longer afford. During a quick stop at a magician’s stall on the way to their aunt’s home, the boys are given a stopwatch, camera, and rug, all of which turn out to have magical properties. Jake concocts a plan to rob the Bank of London, in order to buy back their house in Canada, but a stopover at Buckingham Palace results in Jake and Hannah getting trapped in a painting (via the camera) and Simon meeting the Queen; both events set the boys and their family on a new course. Dyer (Ibby’s Magic Weekend) creates sympathetic characters in ever-curious Simon; Jake, whose anger over his lost home is deeply felt; and Hannah, who must work up her courage to join the adventure. Ages 7–10.

February 1, 2017
Eleven-year-old Jake and 6-year-old Simon, Canadian brothers, acquire three magic objects that enable them to help themselves and several other people.Almost immediately after their arrival in London, England, with their mother, Rachel, a sidewalk magician gives the boys a magic camera, stopwatch, and "oriental" carpet. Only Simon believes in the objects' magic, but soon after the family arrives at the home of Rachel's sister and her husband and daughter, Hannah, the boys find themselves touring London via flying carpet. Facts about the city entwine seamlessly with a cinematic text. Jake begins privately plotting illegal ways to return his family to Canada while his dad is away. When the carpet becomes waterlogged, Hannah joins the boys in exploring by bike and using the other magic objects. Although set in a time contemporary enough to have their antics posted on YouTube, this fantasy, with its cast of resourceful, Anglo-Saxon children, loving but often clueless adults, and lighthearted, chaotic adventures, is reminiscent of the novels of E. Nesbit and Edward Eager. There are brief, serious switches in tone when Jake expresses anger about the poverty gap and when readers learn that Jake's father is in prison--although not why. Most of the text is humorous, with endearing characters (including the queen of England), madcap adventures, and happy endings--plus an opening for a sequel starring Hannah. A satisfying, old-fashioned-feeling magical adventure. (Fantasy. 7-11)

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February 1, 2017

Gr 3-5-Jake and Simon are having a run of bad luck. Their dad has been arrested, they've lost their home in Canada, and they're moving to London to live with their aunt Rachel and cousin Hannah. As soon as Jake and Simon arrive in England, they encounter Philippe Fontaine, an eccentric street magician who is retiring and selling all of his magical paraphernalia. Inexplicably, he gives the boys three magical objects for free: a time stopper, a magic camera, and a magic carpet. Almost immediately, the boys discover that the items are real, and they, along with Hannah, come up with a scheme to steal the crown jewels while riding the magic carpet into the Tower of London. That plan fails, of course, ruining the carpet in the process. The children still have two objects, and they just know that they can somehow use magic to solve their family's financial problems. This leads the three kids on lots of wacky adventures, including meeting the queen and literally traveling into a painting inside Buckingham Palace. The magical objects allow Jake, Simon, and Hannah to live out fantasies that many young people wish they could experience. Readers will love living vicariously through this trio and will be thrilled with the constant element of danger. This story is high on plot and low on character development, resulting in a fast, fun read.

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2017
Grades 2-4 Moving with their mother from Canada to their relatives' home in England isn't something brothers Jake, 11, and Simon, 6, want to do, but their father is in prison, and their house has been repossessed. The boys' spirits change, however, when they encounter a magician who is retiring and gives them a stopwatch, an antique camera, and an old carpet that he claims are magical. Jake, Simon, and their 10-year-old cousin, Hannah, quickly learn that the magician was right: the carpet can take them wherever they want to go; the stopwatch stops time for all but anyone touching the person with the watch; and the camera puts them in whatever picture they've taken. The results are amazing adventures for the three kids. As in Dyer's previous books, ordinary children find themselves in extraordinary circumstances, which results in pages of fun and an enthralling exercise in imagination. Give this to young readers who crave under-the-radar escapades and magic in everyday life.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)