SOLVED. childrens' novel: a book that writes back, a brother and sister, magic spells, another world [s]

[KT]

Everytime I try to think about this book, it starts to blend with Harry Potter: Chamber of Secrets, in my head.
It's a book for ages 9-12(I think). I just remember there was a brother and sister duo; they may have been step-siblings, or twins, or something like that(I think there was something unique about their relationship like that). The girl bought a blank diary at a fair, or market, or yard sale-type thing. Here's the part that meshes w/ Harry Potter in my mind: the book communicated with her in some way. I think she wrote in it and it wrote back to her. Anyway, it tells her how to do magic spells that were really intricate with props and such(I remember her going into a junk drawer and needing chalk and matches and other things). I think I remember the boy being very skeptical about the book. So, they get transported to some other world that was kind of middle age-ish. At some point I think the book becomes extremely personified in some way(maybe it became a person or just started doing things by itself?). The cover of the edition I read has an open book on a wall or something covered in ivy. I wish I could remember more! Thanks for any help you can give!!

[Jamila]

Ohhh...this sounds very familiar. I don't have a title for you...but did it take place in England? And amazing eh...there was fantasy/magic before harry potter!!!

[KT]

I think it might have taken place in England! That sounds right.

[Foxthyme]

I seem to have a vague recollection of this one too...hmm.

[KT]

I read this like ten years ago, but apparently my mom found the book in a box last month and read it that day then threw it away because it was too beat up-- ans she can't remember the title either! We both think it was something like "The Enchanted Book/Diary/Journal," but I looked up all three of those and none of them were it. The title is definately something like that, though. Two words synonymous with "magic journal," but I still can't think of it!

[Laura]

total reach here to "the wizard children of finn." total reach, but just in case.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer]

Could it be The Map That Breathed by Melanie Gideon? Here's the plot summary: In this fantasy for readers 10 to 14, 12-year-old Nora Sweetkale has a feeling that her life is about to change when she receives a mysterious blank book in the mail. Then she meets Billy Nolan, a small 11-year-old who discovers he can make windows that look into other worlds. Through one of these windows they glimpse the lovely island of Sanasaera, and Nora is able to travel there. She meets many colorful characters, and helps them rebuild what has been destroyed by a soul-eating monster—a monster who has since traveled to earth, where Billy must face him.

[Emily]

This might be it: "The Enchanted Book" by Ruth Chew

I just read this within the last year -- I'm buying Ruth Chew books whenever I find them to read and send to my sister, as we were both fans of her books as kids. This wasn't one I'd read before and what I remember is fuzzy, but here goes.

Two kids buy a book. It teaches them how to do spells. What jogged my memory is your description of them having to get chalk and matches and draw boundaries for the spell on the floor. The book levitates and teaches them how to fly too and possibly change sizes. It creates sneakers and roller skates for the kids. And then they get transported back to King Arthur times. And it might have had a wizard trapped in it, or something like that. (I too am getting it confused with HP as well as the stack of Ruth Chews I'd read at the same time).

http://www.cs.princeton.edu/~aahobor/...

[Amy]

'The Enchanted Book' sounds so interesting, I decided to create a Goodread entry for it so I could put it on my to read list. I hope I can find a copy someday.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46...

(I'm not entirely certain that the ISBN is correct. I found several references to it using a google isbn search with the author and title - on Alibris, Paperback Swap, and in some public library catalogs. On Amazon, the ISBN seems to be combined with another book called Mini-Bike hero - and the listed author for The Enchanted Book with this ISBN is not Ruth Chew. Amazon does have the book with Ruth Chew listed as author but no ISBN.)

[Emily]

I'm going to agree with the Enchanted Book by Ruth Chew. I read soooo many Ruth Chew books when I was little! This definitely sounds familiar

[Jackie "the Librarian"]

I loved those Ruth Chew books! I used to buy them from Scholastic and get free posters of kittens. I still have a couple of them.

Er, the books, I mean, not the posters...

[KT]

I don't know why I never posted to say yes! This is it! Thanks Emily! And thanks Amy for creating the good reads page. I need to move this to the SOLVED folder...