The Art of Magic

by Ann Harth

Devastated and confused by his father’s death, Andrew, almost thirteen and dubbed 'a gifted artist', abandons his painting and turns his back on those who care. He trudges through school and his job delivering newspapers, mainly expending his energy to stay one step ahead of the Thickwit Twits, the local thugs.

A gift from his dying father sits abandoned in the corner of the kitchen in the tiny flat he now shares with his mom. That is, until Andrew meets Max, an aging and eccentric artist, at the local markets in their coastal Australian town.

Max’s stall is filled with dozens of paintings, but they portray only one thing – a specific 19th century cottage. Through his friendship with Max, Andrew embarks on a quest to discover the importance of his father’s gift and whether Max’s obsession with the cottage is touched with magic – or madness.

Available from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Magic-A...

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186 pages, Paperback

First published July 17, 2012

About the author

Ann Harth writes fiction and non-fiction for children and adults. Strong, interesting female characters creep into most of her books, and many arrive with a sense of humour.

Before becoming a writer and developmental editor in Far North Queensland, Ann studied psychology, waited tables, bar-tended, picked strawberries, performed as a clown and punched keys on various tills. She spent ten years working with children with special needs and taught writing for another ten. As an owner-builder with her husband, Ann wields a mean hammer, which almost offsets her questionable saw cuts.

Ann is the Far North Queensland representative for The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. She has had a number of fiction and non-fiction children's books published in Australia and the UK and over 120 short stories sold internationally to various magazines and educational programs.

When not tapping the keys, Ann stuffs a notebook into her pack and searches for remote places to camp, hike or explore.


https://www.odysseybooks.com.au/title...
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Reviews

[Barney Noble · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing! Although written as a middle grade/young adult novel as an adult I still found it very engaging. The characters are believable and interesting and fall naturally into the action of the plot. It is not a book about magic but it has still cast a sweet spell upon me.
Strongly recommended for all readers.