If you enjoyed Harry Potter and Jon Sciezca's Time Warp Trio, you'll love Magyk by Angie Sage. A tale fule of wizardry and humor, the story grams you from the first chapter when the Ordinary Wizard Silas Heap suffers the loss of his infant seventh son, Septimus, but also adopts the recently orphaned Princess of the Castle, Jenna. Ten years later, the wicked Necromancer who killed her mother finally catches up to Jenna, who has been living as one of the Heaps. She flees, joined by her adoptive father, Silas, one of her six adoptive brothers, the ExtraOrdinary Wizard Macia Overstrand (in her purple python shoes), a conscript from the Young Army known only as Boy 412, and a large wolfhound named Maxie. The cast of characters includes other Wizards, Witches, a Hunter, a multitude of ghosts, an Apprentice or two, Bert (a cat in the form of a duck), Messenge Rats (one of them a Confidential Rat), a millipede-turned-Shield Bug, a half-a-dozen or so more Heaps, and more. Can they escape from the Necromancer? Can they restore Jenna to her throne? And, perhaps most importantly, where is Septimus Heap?
The book is fast-paced, containing a great mix of action and humor. At times I found myself holding my breath, at other times nearly laughing out loud. The characters really come alive, and it will be hard to put the book down. The chapters are so short that it always seems that you can read another one before going to bed. And another. And another. But don't worry, you find out what happens to just about everyone at the end!
Reviewed by Charlotte Doyle
Charlotte Doyle lives in the frozen tundra of New England and enjoys reading, writing, chemistry and the New England Patriots.