The Magic City
by
E. Nesbit
Day after day Philip goes on with his building, putting into it almost everything you can think of.
He makes steps of the dominoes, and a terrace of the domino-box. He gets bits of wood from the garden to stick into cotton-reels, which make lovely pots -- and the results look like ornamental trees in tubs. Brass finger-bowls serve for domes -- and the lids of brass kettles
...moreHardcover, 144 pages
Published
by Aegypan
(first published 1910)
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The first real book I ever read on my own; "real" in the sense of having a couple of hundred pages, not very many pictures, a plot, and some character development. I remember being puzzled by the switches between the everyday world and the fantasy world, and not understanding what was going on until about a third of the way through.
Then a clue came up which was too obvious to miss. He's in the magic city fighting the dragon... it's a clockwork dragon... he has a clockwork ...more
Then a clue came up which was too obvious to miss. He's in the magic city fighting the dragon... it's a clockwork dragon... he has a clockwork ...more
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This was a cool book. I liked the ideas in it, and the story was cool.
With the exception of /The Book of Dragons/, and her other short fiction, I think I prefer E. Nesbit's fantasy that has a grounding in the real world most. There's a reason for this, though. When she writes in pure fantasy mode, she tends to go faster and introduce more characters more quickly. The adult characters in her pure fantasy stories totally cater to the fantasy settings, as well, and often seem like a par...more
With the exception of /The Book of Dragons/, and her other short fiction, I think I prefer E. Nesbit's fantasy that has a grounding in the real world most. There's a reason for this, though. When she writes in pure fantasy mode, she tends to go faster and introduce more characters more quickly. The adult characters in her pure fantasy stories totally cater to the fantasy settings, as well, and often seem like a par...more
I came across this novel by chance. I was browsing among the many books on Kindle and found a bunch of free books. This one sounded interesting so I downloaded it. I started to read and found it to be a wonderful, interesting and fun book. It caught my interest right at the start. Miss Nesbit is an author with a great imagination. It is about a young 8 yr old boy and his sister. They are very close until she decides to be married. After the marriage, Philip goes to live with his sister, her husb...more
Heather
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Heather by:
Megan
Shelves:
library-books,
kids-ya
Philip Haldane's parents are both dead, so Philip, who is ten, has been raised by his older half-sister, Helen. She's the only family he's had or wanted, and has always been a kind and caring (and fun!) parent. But now she's getting married to her childhood sweetheart, whose first wife died, and Philip is none too pleased about the situation. He's so upset by the upheaval that he's nasty to his new stepsister and everyone in his new home, though Lucy, his stepsister, is excited finally to have a...more
Kressel Housman
rated it
·
review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
kids, parents, fantasy lovers
E. Nesbit's work is about a hundred years old, which may make her a pioneer in the genre of children's fantasy. There's no doubt in my mind that she influenced JKR - this book even has a hippogriff! - and Edward Eager cites her often in his own books. In fact, his Knight's Castle is a variation on this very book.
Philip and Lucy are two kids who are brought together when his older sister and guardian marries her father. Lucy is open to friendship, but Philip is not. And when they fin...more
Philip and Lucy are two kids who are brought together when his older sister and guardian marries her father. Lucy is open to friendship, but Philip is not. And when they fin...more
An unexpectedly lovely book. I’m working through Nesbit because I have only read her major books–The Treasure Seekers, etc. This one is on the fantastical side, but very beautifully written. It’s very predictable, but I felt that it was both of its time and still relevant to a modern audience.
One of Nesbit's weaker novels. I consider the Railway Children to be her best written book, followed by the Treasure Seekers series (the Treasure Seekers, the Wouldbegoods, etc...), then the Psammead series (Five Children and It, the Phoenix and the Carpet, and the Amulet).
I would probably give this 3 !/2 stars that would probably have been 4 stars had I read it rather than listening (as much as I could) with the kids while I tried to get them to do their chores. The basic idea is that the toys and books are made into a little city and then the kids get pulled into the city and have a grand adventure...a fun story if you are looking for a book to recommend to children or to read aloud together!
I loved this book!!! I picked it up and almost didn't put it down until I went to bed but sadly I had to eat and do other things but I finished it in about 3 days!!!!Its a wonderful book I love it!!! ~ Hannah 2/10/12
A really fun children's book. Great to read since it's hard to find. There are some strange lines that appear out of place in the book, but for a free book it's worth a shot if you enjoy children's fantasy books.
Very cute story with a lot of intriguing twists and turns. It's a bit dated in terms of language, but easy enough to figure out what they mean. I'm a bit disappointed that I never came across this in my childhood, I would have adored it then too! Great for all ages!
I don't really remember what it was about, except for that I read it in, like, first grade and loved it. And I love E. Nesbit, so I'm sure it was amazing.
This was excellent. An enchanting story by an excellent reader. Ruth is one of Librivox's best - and its all available for free from archive dot com.
This is really a great book. And the relationship between the boy and stepsister is fun to watch grow.
started this because bbsitter said main character reminded her of my son - i hope it was just that the kid liked to build creations
never finished it - i have too many other books to read and was just not that interested (there are very few books that i start and don't finish...)
never finished it - i have too many other books to read and was just not that interested (there are very few books that i start and don't finish...)
A charming adventure for children of all ages.
enjoyed it very much
I can't believe that I missed out on E. Nesbit growing up! This book is inventive, magical (I guess that is probably obvious!), and incredibly funny. It also contains wonderful themes about community without being preachy. So far this is the only book by Nesbit I've read but I'm looking forward to reading the rest in the very near future!
Violet's 2008-09 reading page:http://happyheartsmom.typepad.com/sweetness_and_light/violets-reading-page.html
Matthias' reading page: currently reading - http://happyheartsmom.typepad.com/sweetn...
**Matthias' rating: 3 stars
Matthias' reading page: currently reading - http://happyheartsmom.typepad.com/sweetn...
**Matthias' rating: 3 stars
OOOH!! I loved this book. It's good old-fashioned fantasy of the best kind. It's all about imagination with a little bit of the usual difficulties thrown in and, of course, a very happy ending. If you are a Nesbit fan and haven't read this yet, please do.
Delightful! :)
This isn't Nesbit's greatest book, but it's still highly entertaining, and shows clearly the kind of debt that later children's authors owe her: Lemony Snicket especially resembles her style in this book.
Read with daughter, she couldn't get into it. Finished it on my own. Rereading it in less than seven months later on might raise the rating a bit :)
I'd never heard of this title until I came across it in a used book store. It's rather a clever fantasy, written with Nesbit's usual good humor.
I remember, I started reading this as a kid, but never finished. One of the few books to wind up on that list....definitely want to read it.
This was brilliantly written and the whole idea of making a toy city and having it turn to life is wonderful. One of her best.
Yay, Nesbit! Shouldn't think this'll become a favourite, but was delighted by Nesbit's sense of humour and imagination as always.
An enjoyable read for child and adult. A little dated in its language, but a good read none-the-less. The Kidz enjoyed it too.
Another gem from one of our favorite authors. Full of adventure and fun images.
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Edith Nesbit used only her first initial for her published work. She and her husband were founding members of the Fabian Society and their home was a center for literary and socialist activities. E. Nesbit wrote and collaborated on over 60 books of fiction for children, several of which have been adapted for film and television. She was also a political activist and co-founded the Fabian Society, ...more
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