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In 2007, the mysterious author known as Pseudonymous Bosch kicked off the Secret Series (see my review of .nightsandweekends.com/articles/07/NW0700529.php>The Name of This Book Is Secret), a series of kids’ books that were loaded with mystery, adventure, and clever comedy. Now he (or she) has moved on to a magical new series, starting with Bad Magic, a thriller set on a remote volcanic island.
This quirky kids’ adventure follows a skeptical twelve-year-old boy named Clay as he discovers that magic might not be so fake after all. When Clay was little, he learned all about magic tricks from his older brother, Max-Ernest. But Clay always knew that it wasn’t real—or was it?
When a drawing in Clay’s journal magically ends up on a wall in his school, Clay ends up in deep trouble. He’s sent away to Earth Ranch, a camp for troubled kids, where he’s expected to spend the summer taking care of llamas and living off the land. But, in the process, he also finds himself in the middle of a magical mystery.
With its unusual setting and its distinctive tone, Bad Magic is another amusing adventure by an entertaining author. Once Clay is shipped off to Earth Ranch, the real story begins—a strange story that features everything from trained bees and clever llamas to a ghostly bookworm who’s trapped in an abandoned library. A volcanic island in the middle of the ocean seems to be the perfect setting for such an amusingly eerie tale—and the eccentric youth camp and its diverse cast of campers only add to the fun.
Bosch will definitely keep you guessing throughout this unusual adventure. You’ll never quite know if Earth Ranch is real or if it’s all staged—and grown-up readers will be intrigued by the various connections to Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Young readers, on the other hand, will most likely be understandably baffled by the Shakespearian references. And when the story comes to its unexpected conclusion, it’ll leave you with plenty of questions—because while the secret of Earth Ranch is solved in a rather satisfying way, the book feels more like an elaborate setup for the series than a stand-alone novel.
Perhaps the best part of this adventure, though, is Bosch’s amusing style. Especially in the beginning (as well as in the frequent footnotes and quirky back matter), the writing is clever and conversational. And though the author sometimes gets so caught up in the telling of the story that he steps out of character, it’s still witty and whimsical and fun to read.
Bad Magic may not be as consistently clever as some of Bosch’s earlier adventures, but kids and parents alike will still enjoy this imaginative tale of mystery and magic. And—who knows—it might just inspire your kids to start reading Shakespeare, too.
Listen to the review on Shelf Discovery:
