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    Half Magic
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    Half Magic
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    Half Magic
    Audiobook3 hours

    Half Magic

    Written by Edward Eager

    Narrated by WTW Repertory Company

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    Beloved by children (and the parents lucky enough to share it with them) since it was first published in 1954, Half Magic is the uproarious tale of four siblings who discover a charm that grants exactly half of whatever they wish for--with results that are twice as predictable (and hilarious) as you might expect.

    Jane, Mark, Katharine, and Martha manage to cope with an unexpected trip to the Sahara and nearly a disastrous trip to the time of King Arthur. But can these plucky and resourceful children deal with the changes magic is bringing to their tight-knit family?

    Set in Ohio in the late 1920s, yet fresh and funny now as the day it was written. Half Magic weaves its spell anew in this full cast recording that will entrance newcomers as well as fans who have loved this wonderful book for decades.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateFeb 5, 2008
    ISBN9780739366783
    Author

    Edward Eager

    Edward Eager (1911–1964) worked primarily as a playwright and lyricist. It wasn’t until 1951, while searching for books to read to his young son, Fritz, that he began writing children’s stories. His classic Tales of Magic series started with the best-selling Half Magic, published in 1954. In each of his books he carefully acknowledges his indebtedness to E. Nesbit, whom he considered the best children’s writer of all time—“so that any child who likes my books and doesn’t know hers may be led back to the master of us all.”

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    Reviews for Half Magic

    4/5

    763 ratings37 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Jane, Mark, Katherine, & Martha have some very unusual & exciting experiences; around their home town, in the Sahara Desert, & back w/ King Arthur's Court when Jane discovers an ancient coin embedded with magic.....

      The problem is, the coin only grants 1/2 a wish, so they have to be very very careful and wish for twice as much as they want/need.

      This is a simple read and I believe that it would be well enjoyed by younger children.
    • 4/5
      Half Magic by Edward Eager puts me right back in Mrs. Sullivan's class. I can't tell you exactly which grade that was, as I had her for grades 4 through 6 and sat at the same table the entire time. But I can still picture the classroom bookshelf and on the shelf just over my head sat a copy of Half Magic along with some other fantasy chapter books.Half Magic is the first of the seven part Tales of Magic. Jane, Mark, Katharine, and Martha have moved to the countryside with their mother. As they are adjusting to a new life, they find a coin that's so warn out it only has half its magic. It takes some trial and error to learn how to properly use it.In the meantime, they end up making a cat say nothing but "sick", travel to a far off land, and some other general mayhem. Its the first book I remember reading that had a "be careful what you wish for" plot. Among the ones I've read since then, it remains one of my favorites.So recently I decided to revisit the book, this time as an audio. The book being only 192 pages, makes for a very short audio book, one that can be listened to over a couple hours. Though it works fine as an audio, I did find myself missing N.M. Bodecker's illustrations.
    • 4/5
      Half Magic is about four siblings, three sisters and a brother, who stumble upon a magic talisman. This talisman, much like a nickel in size and shape, grants wishes...sort of. Every wish is exactly halved. "Desert isle" becomes just "desert" which is how the children end up in the Sahara rather than on a deserted island like they had originally wished. A talking cat becomes a mumbling cat, a barely understood cat. The more the children learn about the talisman's capabilities, the more trouble they get into even though they vow their wishes are to be used for good intentions. If you want to listen to the audio version it would be in your best interest to get the "Worlds Take Wing Repertory Company" version. Instead of having one actor read the story, an entire cast of characters each take a part. The children are adorable.
    • 3/5
      Summary:Jane, Katharine, Mark and Martha are the children to a single mother. After reading a magical story at the library, the children set out to a magical adventure. First, the children find a magic coin that will grant their wishes. Their mother's new friend, Mr. Smith, helps the children through all of their magical journeys.Review:Half Magic appeals to those children that enjoy magic while still addressing the lessons of family life. In the book, the children take on their magical adventures with who they refer to as their mother's friend Mr. Smith. Through the story we can infer that Mr. Smith is their mother's boyfriend, which is confirmed by the end of the book. This aspect of family life is common as many single-parent households turn into a blended family household.
    • 3/5
      Fun, but better for younger readers- 10-12
    • 3/5
      Basically this is a treacly old-fashioned children's fantasy novel with fairly obnoxious children as the protagonists. Uggh, Martha. But then I read a passage that greatly improved my attitude toward Half Magic. After the children have traveled back to olden times and are trying to rescue Sir Launcelot from some dumb trap, the evil knights who are holding him captive sing this song while enjoying a hearty meal:

      "Speak roughly to our Launcelot
      And beat him with a brier!
      And kick him in the pants a lot--
      Of this we never tire!"

      Also, soon after the song is over, some varlets appear on the scene. That's right...varlets.

      These two things are awesome. The rest of the book I could have lived without.
    • 4/5
      Four siblings embark on an E. Nesbitty adventure of wishes only partially fulfilled. Hilarity and a happy ending ensue.
    • 4/5
      Four children discover a magic talisman that grants wishes by halves, beginning with their mother's escape form a boring night out with her aunt and uncle. As she suddenly finds herself halfway home, a kind gentleman offers her a lift. The man's name is Smith and he owns a books shop, and he turns out to be a key element of the plot. The book has seven chapters, each involving a wish, and is a tribute of sorts to E. Nesbit. There is a whole chapter on King Arthur, Sir Launcelot, and Morgane leFay which is very much like the wish gone awry in Five Children and It.
    • 5/5
      I loved the Edward Eager fantasies when I was young, and particularly Half Magic and Magic by the Lake, because Half Magic was set in Toledo, Ohio, the nearest real city to the town where I grew up (Bowling Green, OH) and it opens with the children reading E. Nesbit's The Enchanted Castle, which was one of the first E. Nesbit books I was given. It was set a generation or so before my time --the children's mother works for the Toledo News-Bee, which no longer existed in my time , though its successful rival, the Blade, did and does. The stories (like Nesbit's) combine fantasy and humor -- te magic works by halves, and I still recall when they tried to make the cat say "mew" by wishing it could say half of "music" --and instead it says "sic, sic, sic." The story also delicately deals with the remarriage of the children's mother, a rather sophisticated concept for the time it was written. The original illustrations by N. M. Bodecker are delightful; unfortunately this pb reprint has a cover in a willfully ugly style by Quentin Blake, I bought this to fill out my Eager collection --I was given some of the books as a child, but not this.
    • 4/5
      I really liked it. Great premise; great characters; enjoyable adventures. My children read this in school and recommended it to me.
    • 4/5
      I listened to this on audio, and it was very well done. I think it would be a good choice to listen to if you are taking a long road trip with children. It is a good and entertaining story, and it has a good message.
    • 5/5
      I just reread this lovely little young adult book that I really remember liking growing up. I was pleasantly surprised that it was just as good! I don't think that I'd reread it as an adult until now. It is just a perfect little mix of magic and reality with loveable characters to go along.

      (The whole time I've had this book on my book shelf, I swore it was mine, given to me by my godmother for my tenth birthday. However, when I opened the front cover, it said, "Dear Rachel, From Ms. Kremer." So you can have it back if you want, Rachel.)
    • 4/5
      I listened to this on audio, and it was very well done. I think it would be a good choice to listen to if you are taking a long road trip with children. It is a good and entertaining story, and it has a good message.
    • 5/5
      Would you believe I grew up in Toledo, Ohio and never noticed while reading and re-reading this that it was set in my hometown? It's true. I don't know if I just figured ALL books were set there, and that's why the street names were so familiar or if I was just extraordinarily clueless. I figured it out finally when I was reading this to my son. It seems worth talking about in view of how worried people sometimes get about kids getting the wrong message from books- sometimes kids don't even notice the town the book is set in, not to worry about the other things!

      So, this time through, I was paying more attention. The story is delightful, the kids complex and interesting- but oh, how I love the cat! And Merlin, with his entirely lovely speech, made me cry a little.

      To wit:

      '"But what about the good deed I wished?" said Katharine. "None of the ones I tried worked out!"

      "My child," said Merlin, and his smile was very kind now, "you have done your good deed. You have brought me word that for as far into time as the twentieth century, the memory of Arthur, and of the Round Table, which I helped him to create, will be living yet. And in that far age people will still care for the ideal I began, enough to come back through time and space to try to be of service to it. You have brought me that word, and now I can finish my work in peace, and know that I have done well. And if that's not a good deed, I should like to know what is..."'
    • 4/5
      I must have received a copy of this soon after it was printed; fortunately for me I had an aunt who took seriously my constant plea for books. One aunt. Everyone else figured surely I meant to say "dolls" or "tea sets" or "pink dresses".

      I so loved this book then. However, when I read it to my children some decades later there was an edge of datedness. But a mere edge. And they knew they'd better like it.
    • 3/5
      If you've read all of E Nesbit and want more this could have been written by her.
    • 3/5
      Genre: Science FictionReview: This author tries to create a science fiction novel by having children make a wish off of a special rock and then having them realize that they need to make their wishes twice as much in order for them to come all the way true. I did not feel that this book was exactly science fiction, but claims to be. The book was all of the place, which made it hard to follow at times. Media: Pencil, pen
    • 4/5
      Half Magic is about four siblings who are not looking forward to another boring summer. However, when Jane finds what she thinks is a nickel their summer becomes quite eventful. As it turns out the nickel is a magical charm but with a twist. After a few mishaps the children soon figure out that the charm only grants half a wish. For example when Mark wishes his friends were back from camp only half of them are back or when Martha wishes the cat could speak, the cat can only partially speak. The characters in Half Magic are well developed and delightful. The children are typical siblings that get along at times and quarrel at other times. Since the book was first published in 1954 it has an old fashioned feel to it. Even still I think children today will find the characters to be believable and will be able to relate to the siblings.The story is logical and consistent within the framework Eager has established and for any child and even adults the story is believable. This is a fun book that is sure to get a few chuckles out of any child. A great family read for children of all ages. Suggested grade level: 3-6. Suggested grade level: 3-5.
    • 4/5
      Four siblings embark on an E. Nesbitty adventure of wishes only partially fulfilled. Hilarity and a happy ending ensue.
    • 4/5
      Fun book in the same vein as E. Nesbitt's, but not quite as good. Still, it's well worth reading about the four siblings who find a magic coin that gives them half of what they wish for, so they must remember to wish everything times two. Lots of unintended consequences result from their wishes, but ultimately they get their greatest wish of all: a new father for them and husband for their widowed mother.
    • 5/5
      Perhaps my second childhood has now begun as I re-read this favourite on my 44th birthday, about four children who find a magic coin that grants their wishes in an odd way. Huge chunks of dialogue and whole scenes had imprinted themselves on my memory. Still enjoyable.
    • 4/5
      Mostly, I love this book. I liked it as a kid (except for that caveat I'll get to in a minute). I like it now, as a grown-up. The story is interesting and engaging. The trouble the kids get themselves into is believable (well, for a fantasy novel...!), and I like their solutions. The problem of having to double all your wishes is interesting to me. The only thing is...The only thing is that a whole chapter is taken up with a trip to a desert, where the children run across an evil, wicked, terrible Arab man. Even the illustration is an ugly caricature. There isn't even a feasible way to avoid this part - it's interwoven in the story in such a way that you can't simply say "Look, this is a part that I feel is inappropriate, we're not reading it today" and skip to the next part.Now, I know, somebody is going to pop up and say "But you can't judge books from 60 years ago according to OUR standards today!" Fair enough. But I'm not reading this book to a child 50 years ago. I'm reading it (or not, actually - I haven't put it on my to-be-read list yet precisely because of this problem) to children NOW. Even when I was a kid, a mere 30 years after the book's publication, that part made me uncomfortable.Am I saying you're bad for liking this book? Absolutely not. I like this book! Am I saying you shouldn't read this book to your children, or allow them to read it? Not necessarily. I certainly support you if that is your choice, but that's not what I mean to say. All I'm saying is that you should read this book yourself before you read it with your children (or use it in a classroom, especially if you have Arab students!), and decide for yourself the best way to approach this issue. It may be to find a way to skip that passage, or it may be to not read the book just yet (or at all - there are plenty of good books out there, choosing one always requires NOT-choosing another!) or it may be to discuss this part with your children and explain your views on the subject, or it may be that you think it's not a big deal. (I disagree with the last, but that's your choice.)Other than that one thing, this is a very good book. It's just that that one thing is SO important. Please pre-read this book.
    • 5/5
      I loved this story growing up. The children find some magic, the trick is that it only does half of whatever you wish for, and it creates all kinds of fun problems for the kids.
    • 4/5
      Four ordinary children find a magical charm and discover that it grants wishes, but only in halves. Through their wishing and consequent adventures, the children realize the importance of helping others, love for each other, and what true happiness is about.This is a humorous book that I would recommend to others. It is written in a writing style similar to that of Eleanor Estes, which suites the book well.
    • 5/5
      From know on, when you wish, wish for twice as much as you otherwise would --it's half magic! Thoroughly enjoyable in E. Nesbit's style, need re-read.
    • 4/5
      A classic of kidlit. Summer vacation brings adventures and lessons (which are never tedious or preachy) to bored kids and love to an overworked mom. As good as you remember from your own childhood.
    • 4/5
      Fun book! We also listened to it on CD and the kids really liked it.
    • 4/5
      when some children pick up a quarter and then wish for a fire they find that a little play house is on fire almost at once. find out what happens to the Children controll have magic...
    • 2/5
      Four children find a disc that looks like a nickel, but is really an ancient amulet that grants wishes, but only by half. There are some funny parts in the book. For example, when one of the chidlren inadvertently wishes that the cat could talk. The cat does talk, but only by half, in a strange sounding, almost intelligible language. However, feminists will not like the book as it portrays women in a one down position. The children's mom works at a newspaper and has a small office because her job is unimportant (she writes a column about women visiting other women and what they ate for lunch at their gatherings). The mom is "rescued" by marrying the portly Mr. Smith who is able to provide for them so that mom can quit work and stay home with the children. The conceit of the story is clever, but I couldn't get past the stereotypes. The author credits E. Nesbit, an English writer of children's fantasy, whom he apparently emulates stylistically. I couldn't honestly recommend this to a modern day child.
    • 4/5
      A really great, funny, and interesting book!