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Wandmaking 101: A Sunshine Mystery Magic Club Adventure
Would school in 1963 be the same with magic??? Sarah, Jonnie and Katie, known as the Sunshine Mystery Magic Club in Brookhaven Middle School, certainly can’t afford a magic wand. That doesn’t mean they can’t make one. Right?But when they run into powers beyond their control and vanish, the special forces get called in to investigate who, or what, is behind this sudden magic in their neighborhood. Now the girls must try to figure out if they can trust the wacky lady from Avalon. Can three young ladies take on monsters and forces way beyond their understanding? Will their friendship stand the test of magic?Because it’s not all sunshine, unicorns and spells on Avalon or Earth. The Sunshine Mystery Magic Club series parts coming of ageTwo parts parents running to keep upOne part military backdropTwo pinches of LovecraftOne shake of a dragonMix well with an Arthurian legendA recipe for AdventureNo one told them the worlds were the stakes
545 pages, Paperback
Published September 17, 2019
About the author
David Hochhalter
13 books109 followersBy day David Hochhalter is an optical engineer who has designed some of the longest terrestrial systems in the world. Since he was given the 2:00am middle of the night idea brain instead of the 9:00am brain, he decided to try writing instead of reading technical manuals. Besides, imaging stories is more fun than reading about amplifiers. His published books are Wandmaking 101, Wandmaking 201 and the Healer’s series starting with Healer’s Awakening. Currently he is working on another series in the same universe.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 3, 2020
This looks like a children's book. "Sunshine Mystery Magic Club" just screams that it'll be terminally cutesy. The cover art (young girls, carrying stylized, possibly-magical implements, walking through a forest) reinforces the expectation. In fact, this adult reader read it with pleasure.
Wandmaking 101 does have some of the characteristics of juvenile fiction. The protagonists are young, and the ethical challenges they face are appropriate for their ages. Less-typically for juvenile fiction, their story is firmly embedded within a larger world.
The year is 1963, and the Confederacy (it seems to have broken from England successfully in the nineteenth century) is in contact with Avalon - a world of effective magic and less-effective technology. They are on good terms, because forces from Earth helped save Avalon from an invasion (from yet another world) a few years earlier, but the connection is still tentative. When three girls at a middle-school "magic club" manage to actually create a wand, their success turns out to have world-shaking implications.
A lot of story is crammed into five-hundred-odd pages - and I didn't notice until it was pointed out in passing, but the entire story takes place over a few hours.
Wandmaking 101 does have some of the characteristics of juvenile fiction. The protagonists are young, and the ethical challenges they face are appropriate for their ages. Less-typically for juvenile fiction, their story is firmly embedded within a larger world.
The year is 1963, and the Confederacy (it seems to have broken from England successfully in the nineteenth century) is in contact with Avalon - a world of effective magic and less-effective technology. They are on good terms, because forces from Earth helped save Avalon from an invasion (from yet another world) a few years earlier, but the connection is still tentative. When three girls at a middle-school "magic club" manage to actually create a wand, their success turns out to have world-shaking implications.
A lot of story is crammed into five-hundred-odd pages - and I didn't notice until it was pointed out in passing, but the entire story takes place over a few hours.
November 14, 2022
Chaotic
It's an ok read. At points it is a bit chaotic as super powerful characters are added at random. Too many in my opinion but then I'm not a writer.
I have read 4 of the other book and found something that disturbs me. The fact that teenagers with large breasts are the measure of beauty as a theme in all the books I've read so far is not how I feel 13 and 14 year old girls should be characterized. At least let them grow up a bit before starting to mess with body image.
It's an ok read. At points it is a bit chaotic as super powerful characters are added at random. Too many in my opinion but then I'm not a writer.
I have read 4 of the other book and found something that disturbs me. The fact that teenagers with large breasts are the measure of beauty as a theme in all the books I've read so far is not how I feel 13 and 14 year old girls should be characterized. At least let them grow up a bit before starting to mess with body image.
September 23, 2019
I’m already eager for the next installment.
This book is peopled with engaging and intelligent characters. Liking each of them came very easy to me. The authors drew me in to the story almost immediately and I found myself rooting for the
characters despite myself. I also found I had a difficult time putting the book down for wanting to know what happens next.
The setting is not our earth but the society and history is close enough for any reader to feel at home in this world. I hope to visit again and again.
This book is peopled with engaging and intelligent characters. Liking each of them came very easy to me. The authors drew me in to the story almost immediately and I found myself rooting for the
characters despite myself. I also found I had a difficult time putting the book down for wanting to know what happens next.
The setting is not our earth but the society and history is close enough for any reader to feel at home in this world. I hope to visit again and again.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews