Bad Magic

Gr 3–7—Bosch here begins a humorous trilogy centered on Clay, a wiggly, almost-13-year-old boy whose older brother, Max Ernest, is a magician gone missing. The older boy has soured Clay's interest in sleight-of-hand and card tricks. When the soon-to-be teen is falsely accused of writing, "Magic Sucks" on a wall, Clay's psychologist parents arrange a summer stay at a volcanic island camp called Earth Ranch. Once at the cloud-shrouded island, he finds a quirky camp with odd counselors and kids, plus llamas and rules enforced by guard bees. With elements of Shakespeare's The Tempest sprinkled throughout the tale, Clay discovers a ghostly girl, an abandoned library, and an eccentric custodian. Curious questions continue to emerge until Clay finally uncovers the true, but not evil, nature of the camp. Narrator Joshua Swanson creates identifiable personalities for all the characters. The sound quality is excellent, but the commercial packaging will need reinforcing before circulation. A PDF of Gilbert Ford's illustrations can expand student engagement with this upbeat title that is likely to intrigue upper elementary and middle school readers.—Barbara Wysocki, formerly with Cora J. Belden Library, Rocky Hill, CT