Review - The Magician’s Boy by Susan Cooper (4.5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Children’s
Genre: Fantasy
Size: 112 pages
Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks
Release Date: May 9, 2006
ISBN: 978-1416915553
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 4.5/5 stars


This is a fun book sprinkled throughout with wonderful drawings about a Magician’s Apprentice. A great book for younger kids to read with their parents or for older kids to read by themselves. The story is cleverly done and even adult fans of fairy tales will find it entertaining.

The magician’s boy is upset because the magician won’t teach him magic. The Magician does however let the boy perform a puppet show for his clients. However when the lead puppet (Saint George) is found to be missing the Magician gets angry and throws the boy into the story book on a quest to find Saint George. The Boy tumbles through a series of fairy tales in his quest.

This book was written in a simple way with words that are easy for younger children to understand. The concept addressed in the book is slightly more advanced but well portrayed in a simple way. I read this with my 5 year old son and he was fascinated with the idea of a character being able to fall into a book.

The concept of falling into a book and having to partake of the story in a real-life way is a fun one. This is made even more clever by how the Boy stumbles upon characters from other fairy tales in his quest to find Saint George. The Boy runs into the Old Woman who lived in a shoe, Jack and his Bean Stalk, and Little Red Riding Hood to name a few.

The story has a fun twist at the end that is unexpected and interesting. In a humorous and fun way the story is about how bravery and hardwork can lead to great reward.

The illustrations throughout are in black and white and are cute and funny. They are cartoonish and made both me and my son laugh out loud.

Overall a fun fantasy story that people of all ages can enjoy. The language and writing level are simple and intended for a young audience. The concept of falling into a book and stumbling through other fairy tales to complete an adventure is a fun one. There is plenty of humor throughout and fabulous drawings as well. Recommened for fans of fairy tales and fantasy; especially younger readers.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge