May Magic

Calendar Mysteries #5

by Ron Roy, John Steven Gurney (Illustrator)

From the author of the popular A to Z Mysteries comes a story of magical mayhem featuring the younger siblings of the A to Z Mysteries kids!

May is for Magic...

In the fifth book of the Calendar Mysteries - an early chapter book mystery series - twins Bradly and Brian are celebrating Mother's Day by treating their mom to a hypnotist's show. But when the Pinto family gets home from the show, the twins' mom starts acting strange. She splashes in the bathtub for hours, she leaves corn kernels all over - she even quacks! Bradley thinks his mom has been hypnotized into believing she's a duck! Can Bradley and Brian, with help from their friends Lucy and Nate, turn their mom back into their mom?

Parents, teachers, and librarians agree that these highly collectible chapter books are perfect for emerging readers and any kid who loves mysteries!

Genres: Mystery, Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade, Chapter Books, Audiobook, Young Adult

71 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2011

About the author

Ron Roy has been writing books for children since 1974. He is the author of dozens of books, including the popular A to Z Mysteries®, Calendar Mysteries, and Capital Mysteries. When not working on a new book, Ron likes to teach tricks to his dog Pal, play poker with friends, travel, and read thrilling mystery books.

Reviews

[Sharon Mariampillai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Read

This was an enjoyable read. This is the fifth book in the Calendar Mysteries series. In this book, the twins, Bradley and Brian, take their mother to an hypnotist show for Mother’s Day. When they come back from the show, their mother starts to act like she is a duck. It is up to the twins and their friends, Nate and Lucy to figure out how to turn their mother back to who she really is before it is too late. I find it interesting how each month has its unique word. For example, May is for Magic, hence the title of the story is May Magic. Although it is a middle-grade story, I thought it was really cute. I thought the story was short and fun. I thought the characters were sweet and funny. I thought the ending was sweet. I will definitely continue to read this series. I can’t wait to read Book 6. Overall, a great read.

[Kristel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Readers familiar with the A to Z Mysteries will recognize the main characters in this book as the younger brothers of “Detective” Josh. This transitional chapter book series featuring twins who look alike but boast very different personalities and this story is no different. Brian concocts a get-rich scheme about raising ducks and decides to have his mother hypnotized into allowing him to proceed with his harebrained plan. Bradley grudgingly comes along. The hypnotist is really powerful—maybe too powerful! When the family gets home after the show, the twin’s mom not only likes ducks, but appears to have taken on some of the finer qualities of the fowl. Brian and Bradley set out to find the hypnotist for help with surprising results. Gurney’s pencil illustrations provide a charcoal backdrop for Roy’s text; the subdued drawings are cartoonish but not distracting. Young readers can glance at the pictures to confirm what they have read and to help them build the scenario in their mind. Fans of the Milton Bradley game “Guess Who?” might recognize similar features between the game’s faces and the characters in this book. This book and its counterparts in the series can build early readers’ skills with some advanced vocabulary and medium-length sentences. Children who become interested in Brian and Bradley can continue to read about their next adventures in June Jam or the calendar books that came prior to May but this book works just as well as a standalone. Recommended for public and elementary school libraries.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the original A-Z Mystery stories when I was a little kid and greatly enjoyed them, I had only ever gotten to the Letter T, so I figured this year I would re-read and actually complete the series all this time later, and I was delighted to learn that Ron Roy has continued on the Green Lawn Mysteries and characters, and gone on with Calendar Mysteries and the A-Z Super Mysteries, which I will get to reading later on.

This series of 12 books focuses on the younger relatives of the Main Characters of the original series, and it's charming and fun to see the adventures they all get up to in this fun additional series.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brian really wants a duck but this mom won't let him have one. So, he devices a plan to get his mom hypnotized to like ducks.
On Mother's Day the Pinto family gets tickets to a hypnotist show. Mrs. Pinto gets hypnotized and is turned into a duck. After she is turned back into herself she still has some peculiar habits that a duck portrays; splashing in the tub and puddles, being thirsty all the time, leaving corn on the bathroom floor, rubber duckies in the tub, and talking to ducks. Can the Pinto family gets their mom back or will she remain a duck at heart? The ending is hilarious.

[Denise Kettering · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this installment, the kids take their mom to see a hypnotist for Mother's Day and then fear that she has been turned into a duck and that the reverse did not work out quite like they thought. Bradley is particularly worried about his mom and they have to seek out the hypnotist to try to reverse the spell.

[Dania · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite book!!!!☺☺☺☺☺☺☺📑📑📑📑📑📑

[Roxanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read this one at least twice and have been tasked with pretending its storyline on multiple occasions (including quacking).

[Amanda Vasquez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brian and Bradley's mom tricked them into thinking she was hypnotized. Funny story about magic!

[Sherry Tobin · Rating 5 out of 5]

My boys laughed at the twist at the end. We like A to Z the best but these are fun too

[Mary T · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is falling a bit flat for me. I like A-Z and Cam Jansen mysteries better.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books are so silly but I love reading them. This made me remember how wild kids’ imaginations can be, for good or for bad.

[Vidyuth Gowtham · Rating 5 out of 5]

good. You might be wondering why i read so many books and the answer to that is I forgot to put it on good reads once I finish the book

[GheenGirls · Rating 5 out of 5]

Turtle: Great. She wants to re-read before we return to the library.

[Vallyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another cute, funny, story. Definitely engaging and fun.

[Danica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another cute story in the series. Birthday month for the win! All these stories have such cute little lessons to learn. Great to read with a young child.

[Hikari · Rating 3 out of 5]

The hypo changed Bradley and Brian‘s mom in to the ducky ducky!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook. I enjoy the narrator. Fun, playful tricks in mysterious fashion.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

560L 100% 7,054

[Catha]

Summer Tutoring Read💜

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another fun mystery in the Calendar Mysteries series by Ron Roy. We tore through the A to Z Mysteries by the same author and now we are patiently waiting for each month in this series to get published. This new series is for younger children, so it's perfect for our girls right now, but they might grow out of the stories before the series is completed. No matter. We've had fun with them and the characters and setting are familiar to us by now.

This story was fun (and quite predictable.) I like that these mysteries are simple, harmless, and understandable for young children. There is no danger, menace or unsupervised children putting themselves into a harmful situation. And I love the interaction between the younger children and our old friends: Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose.

[Cami · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm giving this three stars from the kids' point of view.
My kids enjoyed listening to this and my 6 year old was really worried about the mom in the book. Way to make it real, Ron Roy!

I, however, find these a bit tedious. They are formulaic (of COURSE, they are. They are mysteries for kids). Too much so for this adult. Also, I don't know if elaborately-planned gags played on the young and impressionable are a good way to parent, but these books definitely keeps my kids interested.

[Marlee · Rating 3 out of 5]

My children (ages 10 and 7) both enjoyed this book. However, I found it a bit dull. Most of the mysteries so far have just been tricks being played on the children by other characters. Even my children are starting to want more from this series. However, the books are quick and easy to read and the characters are likeable, especially if you've read the A-Z Mysteries and know the older siblings.

[Teri · Rating 3 out of 5]

May Magic by Ron Roy is a great series for beginning chapter book readers. The Mom gets turned in to a duck and then starts acting like a duck, but why? Personally I'm not a fan of series, but I do know many kids/students really get in to them -- and anything to get kids to reading is a good thing. Mysteries require students to infer which is a required reading strategy for successful readers (and part of state standards).

[George · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was about once it was mother's day, and Bradley and Brian were supposed to clean their room and they got a mail saying a magician was coming to green lawn. also, when the magician came a person named Chad went on stage because he wanted to be hypnotized because he keeps on biting his fingernails.




happy summer reading!!!!!!!!!!!

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

the hypnotist hypnotizes josh's mother into a duck. they find the hypnotist and he brings back to normal.

[Caleb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it. It's really a big joke and Bradley's and Brian's mom is pretending to be a duck cause she's been acting like a duck lately. This person hypnotized her as a joke.

[Kaytee · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was good they were going to a magic show so they hypnotize te twins mom they said tere mom was acting weard. then they figurd out that they were tricked

[Gina]

Finished 1/2/16

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken]

Eleanor says: this book was funny because someone played a trick on someone and then that someone paid them back!

[Mattea Weidner]

"May MAgic" is funny book. The two boys wanted ducks. They decided to get their mom hypnotized so they could get the ducks. After they got home, their mom was acting really strange. She was acting like a duck. She started taking baths and would splash around and she also quacked. This would be a very funny and entertaining book to read.