Sign in with Facebook
52nd out of 259 books
—
345 voters
Midnight Magic (Midnight Magic #2)
by
Avi
Mangus the Magician must free a princess from a terrifying ghost. Naturally, Mangus doesn't believe in ghosts. He doesn't even believe in magic! However, his servant boy, Fabrizio, is a secret friend of the princess and is determined to prove the ghost is real.
Paperback, 256 pages
Published
October 1st 2004
by Scholastic Paperbacks
(first published October 1st 1999)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
2,962)
I was thoroughly unimpressed with the paper-thin plot and the dull, one dimensional characters. The mystery was interesting, but nothing new or rewarding came from this book. I think my main issue stems from the author cramming Christian ideals down one's throat during the story. That became stale and downright silly.
Also, the characters scoff at the idea of reason and scientific proof. I kid you not, the main character calls one of his friends mad because he believed that the Earth was round....more
Also, the characters scoff at the idea of reason and scientific proof. I kid you not, the main character calls one of his friends mad because he believed that the Earth was round....more
The "Midnight Magic" is a book recommended by my friend,he said that it is interesting. The story begins with a foreshadowing, a twelve year's old boy name Fabrizio is a servant of a Magician, Mangus. Mangus used to be really rich and famous, but he doesn't practice any real magic, instead he knows lots of tricks and sleight of hands. The people in the town of Pergamontio believe that Mangus does know magic, and so does the king. The foreshadowing is showed with tarot cards,the cards have the ch...more
I read as well as listened to the audio version of this story during free moments over the course of a few days--both versions were enjoyable. The audio version might just be the "thing" for a struggling reader to listen to as they follow along with the text, or just to enjoy outright. The book is an accessible mystery for younger teens with relatively few words that are likely to be unfamiliar (a few Italian words and names which are easily sorted out).
Set in medieval times,this is a well-told...more
Set in medieval times,this is a well-told...more
I have heard about Avi for a long time; he has written a ton of young adult novels and after reading the synopsis for this novel I decided it was probably an Avi novel that I would enjoy. I was mostly curious about what all of the buzz about Avi was about. This book was an okay children's book; nothing spectacular but amusing and interesting.
Fabrizio is the apprentice to the former court Magician; his master stopped practicing magic when he was accused by the King of dark magic. The former Magic...more
Fabrizio is the apprentice to the former court Magician; his master stopped practicing magic when he was accused by the King of dark magic. The former Magic...more
Midnight Magic
By: Avi
ISBN: 0439242193
249 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks
2004
Midnight Magic is a book I did not enjoy reading. I did not really understand what the author was trying to say. I kept getting lost through out the book. I don’t know if it was because I didn’t like it, I just couldn’t stay awake for most of the times I tried to read it. It was just a book I wasn’t into.
The story was about a magician named Mangus. Mangus is suppose to help get rid of a ghost that was hunting a...more
By: Avi
ISBN: 0439242193
249 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks
2004
Midnight Magic is a book I did not enjoy reading. I did not really understand what the author was trying to say. I kept getting lost through out the book. I don’t know if it was because I didn’t like it, I just couldn’t stay awake for most of the times I tried to read it. It was just a book I wasn’t into.
The story was about a magician named Mangus. Mangus is suppose to help get rid of a ghost that was hunting a...more
This book was fantastically entertaining and adventuresome. I really enjoyed the timescale used here. You never really get nice, exciting mystery-type stories from the ancient past. Writing in a time on no technology as simple as the light bulb is an extravagant and hardly touched upon world. So much more is open to what we don't know from personal experience to what we do know in our everyday lives.
The fact that the author had to write this novel from doing research on the time period and from...more
The fact that the author had to write this novel from doing research on the time period and from...more
Josh Leon
A nervous king, a exasperatingly playful princess, a shifty count, an strange kitchen boy, a magician who doesn't believe in magic, and a servant who knows far too much for his own good, all in a mystical castello. When this crew goes on a medieval ghost hunt, destiny throws plenty of twists and turns their way. Fabrizio, troublemaker but loyal servant of Mangus the ex-magician, feels terribly guilty. Though forbidden to do so, he secretly continues to practice card tricks that seem lik...more
A nervous king, a exasperatingly playful princess, a shifty count, an strange kitchen boy, a magician who doesn't believe in magic, and a servant who knows far too much for his own good, all in a mystical castello. When this crew goes on a medieval ghost hunt, destiny throws plenty of twists and turns their way. Fabrizio, troublemaker but loyal servant of Mangus the ex-magician, feels terribly guilty. Though forbidden to do so, he secretly continues to practice card tricks that seem lik...more
This book is about a magician that is in house arrest cause people have told the king that he practice magic and now he is going back to the castelleo so he can help the pricess wich has been seeing a ghoust and she thinks it is her brother that was murderd but not one will beliver her cause no one els have ever seen it, but when fabrizo (the magicians servent) is wondering around looking for the kitchen he runs into the princess and her so called ghoust is this ghoust really real and can fabizo...more
Mangus, an ex-magician, and his servant Fabrizio are called to the court of the king to help discover the truth behind the haunting of the princess. Fabrizio discovers there is intrigue aplenty as he and Mangus try to avoid the traps around them and solve the mystery that has brought them there.
I was a little annoyed that Fabrizio didn't listen to Mangus right off the bat. Mangus told him no magic and one of the first things he does is perform magic! Then he does it again later. Mangus has been...more
I was a little annoyed that Fabrizio didn't listen to Mangus right off the bat. Mangus told him no magic and one of the first things he does is perform magic! Then he does it again later. Mangus has been...more
While this was not among my favorite Avi books, I found this book to be engaging and interesting. I think many 4-6 graders, boys and girls, would find it an enjoyable read. I love the time period, late 1400's. Avi can give you a good look at what life was like during the Medieval period. If you like the time period then you should consider reading his Crispin series (3 books). The first book in the series, Crispin: Cross of Lead won the Newbery Medal and was excellent. I especially loved the con...more
This is a second book to Murder at Midnight, though it is not a sequel. I decided to read this book as well since my youngest son Berend had read it and I like having conversations together about the books we read. Though better than the first book, it also has a bit of a slow pace. This book continues the bad luck of the Magician, though he now has a bit more regard for his servant. It is the boy who is still running errands and finding lost clues that will eventually set his master free. Here...more
Mangus the Magician is under house arrest for his dark arts, when he is summoned to the castle by the very man who put him on trial in the first place, the ambitious Count Scarazoni. The count wants Mangus to prove that the princess is not haunted, as she claims. But Mangus is not a real magician! Can his clever servant, Fabrizio, find a way to save his master's life and the kings? Schemes abound in this exciting little story, and Fabrizio ends up at the center of them all.
This story is more lig...more
This story is more lig...more
Jan 07, 2009
Erin
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Older children, young adults and adults who like a good murder mystery.
Recommended to Erin by:
I found this book at the library.
I choose this book to read with my 11-year-old daughter since we were studying the Renaissance. By the title alone, I wasn't sure I would like it. Magic, wizards, sorcerers... not my thing. The story opens at the home of Mangus the Magician. His sole servant, Fabrizio, waits till midnight then casts tarot cards to shape the future for his master. I about stopped there. Although the book was hard to "get into" (the first 85 pages of a 249 page book), once we got past that point it was very hard t...more
I wouldn't put this in the list of Avi's best books, but it's not terrible, either.
I wasn't impressed with the reading; the reader did voices and all, but the reading style was reminiscent of children's audiobooks of the '80's - everything is overly-enunciated, the pacing is slow and deliberate, it's almost pandering. It made the characters feel stilted and unbelievable.
The over-use of little pearls of wisdom - and I am far too lazy to research whether each of Fabrizio's cliches were translatio...more
I wasn't impressed with the reading; the reader did voices and all, but the reading style was reminiscent of children's audiobooks of the '80's - everything is overly-enunciated, the pacing is slow and deliberate, it's almost pandering. It made the characters feel stilted and unbelievable.
The over-use of little pearls of wisdom - and I am far too lazy to research whether each of Fabrizio's cliches were translatio...more
Fabrizio is a servant to the infamous ex-magician Mangus. Mangus after long ago was asked by the king to free a ghost from his daughter. When Fabrizio arrives at the palace he meets interesting people and solves a mystery about an attempted murder, a unwanting marriage, and a fake ghost. Fabrizio then realizes that
he
must be the one to stop the evil plot put on by Count Scarazoni. He gets his master to manipulate the fake ghost and convince the king to put the count behind bars.
This book was o...more
This book was o...more
On a stormy night, Fabrizio, a boy who serves a magician named Mangus finds himself flipping over his Master's cards that tell you your future. Fabrizio slowly flips over the cards and holds his breath as he flips that last little card to find some unlucky news. That news brings him on an adventure to meet a princess named Teracina who is engaged with the count Scarzoni and at the same time being haunted by a ghost. The king wants this stopped so he orders Mangus to solve this magical mystery. D...more
Set in 1491 Italy, this historical mystery involves a seemingly haunted princess who loves conspiracies, a sceptical magician, and a young assistance, with a few tricks up his sleeve. After being banned from performing magic, Mangus the magician is summoned to the castello, along with his assistant, to banish a ghost that threatens the stability of the kingdom. With many plot twists and mysteries to be uncovered, both boys and girls can thoroughly enjoy this novel. While the story begins as a gh...more
Lovers of Gail Levine's books will love this book set in a fictional country in the late 15th century. Intrigue and suspense make it a quick read. Kids won't be able to put it down, trying to figure out what's going to happen. A man falsely accused of being a magician is commanded by the king to find and get rid of a ghost that is haunting the princess. The king wants him to use his magic. The only problem is he doesn't believe in magic or ghosts. His loyal servant does, and gets caught in the m...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Midnight Magic is an anything-but-classic tale of mystery and deceit! Placed during the cruel Italian Renaissance, the Princess of Pregamontio is being haunted, by none other than- her murdered brother, the Prince himself! But is he really dead? A kitchen boy who keeps appearing. Fabrizio can not keep calm, whilst his master, Mangus the Magician, is forced to dispell the ghost! But how does a magician who doesn't believe in ghosts get rid of one?
The wonderful plot Avi weaves right before your e...more
The wonderful plot Avi weaves right before your e...more
a very classic style book. i really enjoy reading it, the plot is feel of twist near the end, such as 2 sides of good that mistaken each other as enemy and fought with each other. but in the end they were working together to fight the main evil. this book also bring a interesting idea to me. back then, simple magic tricks were consider terrible, and evil. before i read this book, i never thought of magic being dangerous, maybe it's because they dont know the nature of it, as the truth is just so...more
A medieval mystery based on magic, or more accurately perceived magic.
Fabrizio is the servant of renowned magician Magnus. Magnus is fully aware that he is not really a magician and believes true magic does not exist. He is a master of slight of hand and has gained reputation in the kingdom. After a trial he has renounced the practice of "magic" basically on pain of death. Fabrizio, on the other hand, is superstitious as are most other members of the kingdom and fully believes is magic.
The king...more
Fabrizio is the servant of renowned magician Magnus. Magnus is fully aware that he is not really a magician and believes true magic does not exist. He is a master of slight of hand and has gained reputation in the kingdom. After a trial he has renounced the practice of "magic" basically on pain of death. Fabrizio, on the other hand, is superstitious as are most other members of the kingdom and fully believes is magic.
The king...more
I enjoy Avi's writing. While I like the grittiness of YA, I do appreciate books for middle grade readers that span into an adolescent audience. Midnight Magic is a mystery set during the Middle Ages. It's full of twists and turns (literally as the characters are constantly racing through the castle's secret passage) and excitement. There's one final twist at the end, which I was able to figure out quite early on. I'm curious to see if my students who will be reading this as a lit circle choice w...more
For a book that is structured so much along the lines of superstition vs. reason (the protagonist investigates the report that the Princess has been encountering a ghost in the hallway), Midnight Magic is surprisingly full of illogical loopholes. (view spoiler) It doesn't help that Fabrizio, the 'magician's servant' and protagonist, is rather annoying in his show-off...more
1 like · like · see review
Avi's Midnight Magic is one of the most entertaining and gripping stories that I have ever read. The main characters, which include Mangus the Magician, Fabrizio, Count Scarazoni, Princess Teresina, the Queen, and King Claudio, are all very interesting and have their own personalities. For example, Fabrizio often trades sayings in order to help convey the points he is trying to make. Throughout the story, the many twists and turns occuring in the Kingdom of Pergamontio made me read every page w...more
Dec 17, 2010
Megan
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommended to Megan by:
"Meeet the Author" Library Sparks November 2010
Fabrizio is the young servant to former-magician Magnus. Magnus no longer practices magic since the king banned it. Yet one rainy night, Magnus is summoned to the court to use his "sorcery" to rid the castle of a ghost tormenting the princess. Magnus admits his magic was nothing more than sleight of hand, but Fabrizio believes there could be more, and after he sees the ghost for himself, he's determined to find answers.
This novel unfolds like a movie and readers will easily be able to visualize...more
This novel unfolds like a movie and readers will easily be able to visualize...more
Nov 19, 2009
Carrie Goodall
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
young-adult-fiction
I really enjoyed this historical mystery by Avi. It's been a while since I read anything by him and I wasn't disappointed. For such a short book, his characters were vivid and well-developed.
I loved the bits of history related to the printing press and attitudes toward modern inventions and progress. One of the characters did not want any modern inventions in Pergomontia (the Italian kingdom in which the story took place) and it reminded me that all technology and progress is met with skepticis...more
I loved the bits of history related to the printing press and attitudes toward modern inventions and progress. One of the characters did not want any modern inventions in Pergomontia (the Italian kingdom in which the story took place) and it reminded me that all technology and progress is met with skepticis...more
Samantha Kernc
Litaure Analysis
Midnight magic
By: Avi, 260 pages
Midnight magic
Midnight magic is a mysterious book filled with magic, mystics, and the power to read the future. Fabrizio is a teenager in 1491who lives in the Kingdom of Pergamontio. Fabrizio lives as a servant to the death defying, magician, Mangus. Mangus doesn’t really believe in any of the mystical magic. Mangus thinks that all magic is just a trick that illustrates an illusion that the audience just doesn’t see. I believe that...more
Litaure Analysis
Midnight magic
By: Avi, 260 pages
Midnight magic
Midnight magic is a mysterious book filled with magic, mystics, and the power to read the future. Fabrizio is a teenager in 1491who lives in the Kingdom of Pergamontio. Fabrizio lives as a servant to the death defying, magician, Mangus. Mangus doesn’t really believe in any of the mystical magic. Mangus thinks that all magic is just a trick that illustrates an illusion that the audience just doesn’t see. I believe that...more
I am a huge Avi fan, so this one went down quite well with me. I think he is masterful at writing so true to his characters. I saw one review here on Goodreads that criticized Avi for having one of the characters say that a person is mad if they believe the Earth to be round, when everyone can use their eyes and their reason to see that it is flat. But that was actually one of my favorite lines of the book, that it was so true to the time period and to the way of thinking for people, and in part...more
Book Talk: Ever since Fabrizio's master was tried for witchcraft he and his wife have been prisoners in their home. The other servants have left them, but they are like a mother and father to Fabrizio and he longs to restore his master's position. So, he turns to his master's old tarot deck and turns up: the magician, the servant, the castello, the king, the ghost, the princess, the tutor, the queen, and finally: death. His master may insist that all his magic is illusion and reason always trium...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Avi is a pen name for Edward Irving Wortis, but he says, "The fact is, Avi is the only name I use."
Born in 1937, Avi has created many fictional favorites such as The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Nothing but the Truth, and The Crispin series. His work is very much desired by readers young and old.
More about Avi...
Born in 1937, Avi has created many fictional favorites such as The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Nothing but the Truth, and The Crispin series. His work is very much desired by readers young and old.
Share This Book
1 trivia question
More quizzes & trivia...
Apr 18, 2012 12:17pm
I tried to read another book by him, but his writing style and characterization really bot...more
Apr 18, 2012 12:20pm