“Now you’ve done it… You couldn’t be sensible, could you, and order magic by the pound, or by the day?…You had to be greedy, and order magic by the lake…” The turtle stuck its head out of its shell. In Magic by the Lake, four siblings spend the summer in a lakeside cabin with a nameplate by the door saying Magic by the Lake. The illustrations by N M Bodecker are delightful, and humour and wordplay add to the charm.

I enjoyed this problem-solving aspect of the books as a child-maybe related to the fact that I grew up to be a programmer-and as a parent, have an even better appreciation of the lessons so gently imparted here. The theme of needing to think through the consequences before you speak or act runs throughout the set of books, but is most evident in Half Magic, where the coin the children find grants only half a wish, and they endure painful mistakes before learning how to phrase their wishes to get what they want. I’m sure you’re all familiar with one of my favourite tropes: Be careful what you wish for. Some of the stories are set in the 1950’s, when Eager was writing, but Half Magic and Magic by the Lake are set in the 1920’s, when he was a teen, and abound with period detail, from Model-T Fords to the songs played by the orchestra at a dance pavilion. There are no paranormal creatures the magic comes into play from a coin found on the sidewalk, or from a book borrowed from the library. Not really a series, there are overlapping characters, and it’s best, but not necessary, to start with Half Magic.Īs fantasies, these might count as forerunners to the modern urban fantasy genre, being grounded in the real city of Toledo, Ohio. The seven books are, in order, Half Magic, Knight’s Castle, Magic by the Lake, The Time Garden, Magic or Not?, The Well-Wishers, and Seven-Day Magic. I remember being spellbound by them when I was first introduced as a young reader, and my then seven-year-old daughter enjoyed them when I read them to her. The captivating children’s books by American author Edward Eager are among the classics in children’s literature.

Edward eager series