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Dragon Magic
(The Magic Books #4)
by
A Hidden Treasure
Sig, Artie, Kim, and Ras live in the same neighborhood and go to the same school, but they have nothing in common...until each of them sneaks into the old abandoned house on the corner and discovers the strange puzzle box covered with pictures of four dragons. Drawn by powerful magic, the boys find themselves bound together by a mystery that will transform ...more
Sig, Artie, Kim, and Ras live in the same neighborhood and go to the same school, but they have nothing in common...until each of them sneaks into the old abandoned house on the corner and discovers the strange puzzle box covered with pictures of four dragons. Drawn by powerful magic, the boys find themselves bound together by a mystery that will transform ...more
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Paperback, 192 pages
Published
February 1st 1980
by Ace
(first published 1972)
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Start your review of Dragon Magic
Impulse grab at the library because illustrator.
I hope that the "series" is not really such, and they don't need to be read in order: do you know?
Now that I'm done it sure does not seem so.
So, this is a boy's adventure / history book. These four kids are given this experience by the author so that they'll grow up to be the kind of men that legendary heroes are. I would have had no interest as a girl child, but it's sort of five short stories in one for me now, and I got through it, and I appreci ...more
I hope that the "series" is not really such, and they don't need to be read in order: do you know?
Now that I'm done it sure does not seem so.
So, this is a boy's adventure / history book. These four kids are given this experience by the author so that they'll grow up to be the kind of men that legendary heroes are. I would have had no interest as a girl child, but it's sort of five short stories in one for me now, and I got through it, and I appreci ...more
Not enough magic and not enough dragons.
As a kid I thought it odd that the kids are magically transported by working a magically colorful puzzle, but once they arrive at their destination, with the exception of Sig's story, there's no real dragons, and no magic to speak of, either. Feel the same way as an adult. Adult me appreciates the frame story more than pre-teen me, but not to the point that it makes much difference. The writing is a tad dated but I don't think it harms the story much.
On t ...more
As a kid I thought it odd that the kids are magically transported by working a magically colorful puzzle, but once they arrive at their destination, with the exception of Sig's story, there's no real dragons, and no magic to speak of, either. Feel the same way as an adult. Adult me appreciates the frame story more than pre-teen me, but not to the point that it makes much difference. The writing is a tad dated but I don't think it harms the story much.
On t ...more
When I was younger I read a ton of books, and it is impossible for me to remember all their names. It's very frustrating to only remember pieces of a book, and to have no way of finding it again, which is a problem I frequently encounter.
This was one of those books I started reading and instantly remembered. I love puzzles, so that might be part of it, but I also could identify with the characters' feelings of loneliness and wanting to escape from their problems - then again, who hasn't? I hone ...more
This was one of those books I started reading and instantly remembered. I love puzzles, so that might be part of it, but I also could identify with the characters' feelings of loneliness and wanting to escape from their problems - then again, who hasn't? I hone ...more
Well, I remembered really liking it when I was a kid, but it's just gone over like a lead balloon with my 8yo. It has all the pieces that should guarantee success - action, adventure, mystery, dragons - but he says "it's too hard to understand and i keep forgetting what's going on." And I have to say I agree with him. So we're going to shelve this one and try something else for now. Maybe we'll open it up again later.
For more book reviews, come visit my blog, Build Enough Bookshelves. ...more
For more book reviews, come visit my blog, Build Enough Bookshelves. ...more
This book contains a collection of four stories tied together in an overarching story, but it is the smaller stories that intrigued me the most. I LOVE them. Each of the boys of the running story spend some time as a character in a dragon story--retold well-known dragon legends of different cultures. Each presents its culture uniquely and unforgettably. Andre Norton is a writer of junior/young adult (about age 9-13) novels that I intend to explore more thoroughly.
Four boys, new students attending middle school, all sharing a bus stop, but otherwise strangers, discover a magical jigsaw puzzle that transports each of them into a separate story from mythology. When they return with new insights into their own lives, they manage to form connections with each other through the shared experiences.
The modern-day characters' stories function as a framing for the four mythological stories: Norse, Biblical, Arthurian, and Chinese.
The author's does a great job of ...more
The modern-day characters' stories function as a framing for the four mythological stories: Norse, Biblical, Arthurian, and Chinese.
The author's does a great job of ...more
Sig, Artie, Kim, and Ras live in the same neighborhood and go to the same school, but they have nothing in common--each has different interests, and is of a different ethnic heritage. One day they each sneak into the old abandoned house on the corner and discover a strange puzzle box covered with pictures of four dragons. Drawn by powerful magic, the boys find themselves bound together by a mystery that will transform them all—and transport them to places inhabited by heroes and dragons from anc
...more
Another YA book by Andre Norton, "Dragon Magic" was special to me because one of the characters shares my maiden name and the main object of magic is a jigsaw puzzle. Upon rereading it as an adult, I enjoyed it for the story and admire how Norton manages to illustrate admirable traits like friendship, tolerance, persistance, and courage in the content of a well-written story. This is one of her earlier works, published in 1972, but does not suffer from lack of cell phones or computers. My only c
...more
Slow start...a tiny bit like Stranger Things
A coming of age tale that opens the eyes of not one but four young males, each of whom believes himself unique and alone in a big new school. All four boys, Sig, Ras, Artie and Kim are lonely for their old schools, and trying to fit in but unsure how to do so. They all ride the same bus to school, but mostly ignore each other except Sig and Ras, who are wondering if it would be okay to try to be friends.
As a last minute whim after school, Sig decides to explore a little in an abandoned house rig ...more
As a last minute whim after school, Sig decides to explore a little in an abandoned house rig ...more
Mar 30, 2010
Valerie
added it
I'sooth, I have two copies of this book--an older edition, and this one, which is less decrepit and better for repeated reading.
The book is a fast read, and the stories are so linked as to keep drawing you on to the next.
The stories are good examples of Norton's eclectic knowledge of the odd nooks and crevices of history. I believe that this was the first intimation I had about the Nubian pharaohs of Egypt, for example.
Praise aside, however, these stories still suffer from Norton's bete noir--a ...more
The book is a fast read, and the stories are so linked as to keep drawing you on to the next.
The stories are good examples of Norton's eclectic knowledge of the odd nooks and crevices of history. I believe that this was the first intimation I had about the Nubian pharaohs of Egypt, for example.
Praise aside, however, these stories still suffer from Norton's bete noir--a ...more
Dawno, dawno temu istniała pewna biblioteka pełna książek fantastycznych. Wówczas dziewczynka, zapewne zachęcona przez swojego tatę, zaczęła pochłaniać w ogromnych ilościach powieści Andre Norton. Nie zapamiętała szczegółów ze "Świata Czarownic", ale utkwiła jej w pamięci pewna powieść przeczytana dwukrotnie. W niepamięć odszedł autor, w niepamięć odszedł tytuł. Pozostały jedynie urywki, nitki fabuły. Jednak to wystarczyło by ta sama dziewczynka-już nie dziewczynka wyrosła na czytelniczkę fantas
...more
Nearly every night I read to (at least) one of my grandsons for 20 minutes from a book of his choice. This is the 4th book in Andre Norton's "Magic" series (juvenile level) and I have been reading the series to/with my 11-year old grandson. This book is about 4 boys from very different backgrounds who live in the same neighborhood and go to the same school. They are each suspicious of the others and each, in his own way, is having trouble adjusting to school, family, changing relationship, and/o
...more
It looked great but alas the writing was terrible. Made it 15 pages by great force of will but had to give up.
I should probably not reread "Plague Ship" which was the sole Andre Norton (in the yellow VG branding) I had access to as a child & loved.
(And to continue the snarkiness of adulthood, my goodness that's a terrible modern cover. Let's have the original 70s one, shall we? *changes editions*) ...more
I should probably not reread "Plague Ship" which was the sole Andre Norton (in the yellow VG branding) I had access to as a child & loved.
(And to continue the snarkiness of adulthood, my goodness that's a terrible modern cover. Let's have the original 70s one, shall we? *changes editions*) ...more
I originally read this been when I was a preteen and I was in love. True, I would love to have read about at least one young lady, but this was an incredible book. Now, many, many years later, it is still a magical read. I highly recommend reading it to your preteen.
For a kid's read it is really good! I was very surprised. It was the cover art that really attracted me to it, but the whole concept of it was very intriguing.
...more
Dragon Magic
Very good. book but very dated in some ways. Not to say I didn't like it, but the rhetoric was off-putting. ...more
Very good. book but very dated in some ways. Not to say I didn't like it, but the rhetoric was off-putting. ...more
Read this one long ago - high school, I think. Was always one of my favorite Norton, but then puzzles and dragons, what's not to like?
...more
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Alice Mary Norton always had an affinity to the humanities. She started writing in her teens, inspired by a charismatic high school teacher. First contacts with the publishing world led her, as many other contemporary female writers targeting a male-dominated market, to choose a literary pseudonym. In 1934 she legally changed her name to Andre Alice. She also used the names Andrew North and Allen
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The Magic Books
(7 books)
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