book data
1,617 ratings,
4.04
average rating, 221 reviews
(more data...)
edit
published
March 31st 1999
(first published 1954)
by Odyssey Classics
binding
Paperback, 208 pages
characters
isbn
0152020683
(isbn13: 9780152020682)
description
Edward Eager has been delighting young readers for more than 40 years with stories that mix magic and reality. Half Magic, the most popular of his ta...more
Sign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of this book.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Next Best Boo...: Lists | 3114 | 1418 | 7 hours, 15 min ago | |
| Oly Reads: Summer Reads... (make me feel fine) | 16 | 25 | 29 days ago, 11:20AM | |
| True North: What's your favourite book cover? | 23 | 42 | 02/18/2009 11:01AM | |
| College Students! : Timetravel | 13 | 32 | 02/01/2009 08:01PM |
friend reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
other reviews (showing 1-20 of 1,991)
All ratings
|
5 stars (584)
|
4 stars (598)
|
3 stars (364)
|
2 stars (55)
|
1 star (13)
|
avg 4.04
editions: all | this edition
editions: all | this edition
Read in November, 2002
recommends it for:
E. Nesbit Readers
Four siblings, Jane, Mark, Katherine, and Martha, find their dull summer vacation transformed by the magical, wish-giving coin that Jane finds one day. After a number of experiments in which the children discover that the coin only half-grants the wishes asked of it, they set out to have some adventures, asking for twice as much of everything they desire. Hilarious misadventures ensue when the children travel back to the time of King Arthur, when baby Martha half disappears, and when Jane wishes...more
Like this review?
yes
(2 people liked it)
add a comment
Read in January, 1968
recommends it for:
The Young Of All Ages
Edward Eager was my very first "favorite" author. I remember reading "Half Magic" and feeling a light turn on in my mind; my imagination was stimulated like never before. This is the first of a series of magical adventures involving two sets of children, who are intertwined biologically and magically (in Eager's later book "The Time Garden," the children of the characters in this book and "Magic By The Lake" would be saved by their own future children). Ba...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
2 comments
I read the first 2 chapters a day or two ago and was intrigued. Today I picked it up again and read the third chapter. It had me laughing out loud. So, I finished it today.
This is, apparently, a children's book. Back in the day, children were considerably more well-read. They would have had to be, otherwise they would miss the multitude of references to other works of literature. For example there is the part that goes something like this (not quoting verbatim, but it goes some...more
This is, apparently, a children's book. Back in the day, children were considerably more well-read. They would have had to be, otherwise they would miss the multitude of references to other works of literature. For example there is the part that goes something like this (not quoting verbatim, but it goes some...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in February, 2009
maggie and I really liked this book. It is the first we have read together that is this length & we are very excited to read more creative fiction like this together. Very much like Edward Eager's writing and plan on starting the next of the series.
maggie (6 yo) liked the pictures and the magic coin. that was her favorite part. in the book possession of the magic coin allows the possessor's wishes to come half-true. it was imaginative but not frightening, even in the section where knights o...more
maggie (6 yo) liked the pictures and the magic coin. that was her favorite part. in the book possession of the magic coin allows the possessor's wishes to come half-true. it was imaginative but not frightening, even in the section where knights o...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
recommends it for:
fantasy and comedy fans
Four children find a coin that grants them half a wish. Unfortunately, they don't find out about the magic until each one accidentally makes a wish including their mother. The children have wacky adventures through the desert, king arthur's court, and at the movies. They must learn to wish wisely or surely they will be stuck! Should they tell an adult? What if the coin runs out of wishes? A great fantasy book for 4th grade and up.
Food for thought: If you had one wish what would it be...more
Food for thought: If you had one wish what would it be...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment
Half Magic is a story about some kids who are having a very boring summer. That changes when they find a strange coin that gives you wishes you ask for. But soon they discover it gives them half only half what they ask for. So they have to ask for two x what they want. A great book to read any day!
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment
oh, one of my all time favorites. i LOVE when they wish the cat could talk and since it is half-magic, the cat's every other word is "meow."
i bought this (and the rest of the series) for my niece for christmas a couple of years ago, and i can't wait until my daughters are old enough to read it.
i bought this (and the rest of the series) for my niece for christmas a couple of years ago, and i can't wait until my daughters are old enough to read it.
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment
A delightful read even though I almost forgot the story. I kind of fancy this, and it looks growing onto me recently. I guess it's because of Eugene. I'm thrilled already that I would someday read Eager's to him and many other books too. How much we owe those brilliant writers, that's a thought that I am thrown in suddenly.
Well... That's what I had thought initially. But setting aside the vague memory, I reopened the book to reassure if I stand correct or not, well, I must say I am ...more
Well... That's what I had thought initially. But setting aside the vague memory, I reopened the book to reassure if I stand correct or not, well, I must say I am ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in March, 1990
The first time I heard this book (note: I said "heard") was when my 2nd grade teacher read it aloud to the class. I was immediately enthralled! I've read it several times since and it has yet to lose half its magic. (pun!)
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment
We enjoyed this books magic. It is about 4 children who find a magic coin & learn how to make wise wishes as it only grants half of their wish. This book also allowed for much open ended discussion on what we would wish for, and how we would word it to be granted our full wish. My almost 5 yo ds loved the magic treehouse & magic school bus series & this was a nice match & we are looking forward to the next books in the series.
My son can be sensitive at times but I found the humor in ...more
My son can be sensitive at times but I found the humor in ...more
Read in April, 2009
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
I wanted to like this, but I think time has not been kind to it. The Arab character made me cringe, as did the mother quitting her job and other bits of sexism. It does pretty well with the subject of stepfathers ("Uncle Huge" was maybe the funniest thing in the book besides the half-talking cat) and I can totally see how this would be beloved by earlier generations, but I just didn't enjoy it that much. I very nearly quit 3/4 of the way through.
On the other hand, there i...more
On the other hand, there i...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
05/09/09
Story Revolution
added it
<div>Since Half Magic first hit bookshelves in 1954, Edward Eager’s tales of magic have become beloved classics. Now four cherished stories by Edward Eager about vacationing cousins who stumble into magical doings and whimsical adventures are available in updated hardcover and paperback formats. The original lively illustrations by N. M. Bodecker have been retained, but eye-catching new cover art by Kate Greenaway Medalist Quentin Blake gives these classics a fresh, contemporary look for...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in April, 2009
This was another great read-out-loud adventure book. Faced with what appears to be an uneventful summer spreading endlessly before them, the four children in this story envy the great magical adventures they read of in their E. Nesbit books. They would even be happy to go to the lake or on vacation like all their friends. However, after finding a coin on the street and later realizing it is an ancient talisman, they end up with a lot more adventure than they hoped for. However, with a charm that...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in July, 1966
recommended to erik by:
Lajla Stouslandrecommends it for: kids and people who read to kids
Shortly after learning to read in first grade I eschewed children's books for adult ones. Oh, yes, I did read the stuff assigned for class and a few classics like The Wizard of Oz, but at the Dundee Library I'd check out books on such grown up topics as the technical specifications for Soviet fighter planes in WWII--indeed, I borrowed all the books in that series, obsessed with aeronautics and space flight.
That sounds impressive. Don't be. The airplane books had lots of pictures a...more
That sounds impressive. Don't be. The airplane books had lots of pictures a...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in June, 1962
recommends it for:
Reading Children and Young-at-Heart Adults
This was the first book I read on my own as a child, and it was my favorite as a boy. From time to time, I re-read it and find it still holds up well from an adult perspective. It is a wonderfully literate, and literary, book which never talks down to its readers.
Half Magic is the story of four children of a widowed mother who have a summer of wonder after one of them finds a magic charm that works by halves. For example, wish yourself on a desert island, and you may end up in a desert. Wi...more
Half Magic is the story of four children of a widowed mother who have a summer of wonder after one of them finds a magic charm that works by halves. For example, wish yourself on a desert island, and you may end up in a desert. Wi...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in October, 2008
I read this book with my son for a kid's book club and it was a fun book. I did struggle to get into the book the first couple of times starting, so we listened to a full cast do an audio book, and that was so fun. The book really came to life. What a fun book for children (as well as adults) to think about what we really would wish for and what it would get us. Sometimes getting what you think you want isn't always the best thing for us. It was a charming story about siblings and wishing.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
I really loved Edward Eager when I was in about fourth grade. A teacher neighbor turned me on to him after I had exhausted all of the Roald Dahl. Eager is more old-fashioned than Dahl, and not nearly as wicked, but I remember finding his books so imaginative and captivating, as well as a bit quaint (I remember learning what a box lunch was from one of his books). I read a few of them, but this is the one I remember best. A good pick for any kid who loves Dahl or Harry Potter.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Exactly the sort of book I loved to read as the kid, where the girls get to do adventurous things too: one of them jousts with Sir Launcelot. Since it was published in 1954, it ought to have been on my radar screen as a child, but I missed it along with the novels of E. Nesbit. There is shocking racism in the book directed at arabs, asians, and native americans. There are several casual mentions of the natural superiority of boys, but that seems to be done with tongue in cheek.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in May, 2009
I loved Eager's "magic" books as a child and have been excited to read them with the kids. We actually listened to this first one in audio format, and although I wasn't crazy about the reading (it was an all-cast type of reading), it was still highly enjoyable. The premise is simple--real kids discovering real magic in a real world--but Eager is clever in his plots and narration. Both the kids loved it, and my 5-year-old got all the jokes and nuances.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
groups with this book
