The Vanishing Coin (Magic Shop #1)

by Kate Egan (Author) Eric Wight (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade
Series: Magic Shop

Mike reluctantly bonds with good-girl neighbor Nora while learning fun skills at The White Rabbit magic shop, the owner of which believes Mike could become a great magician.

Want to see something cool?
I can make that quarter vanish.
All it takes is a little magic...

Fourth grade was supposed to be a fresh start, but Mike's already back in the principal's office. He's not a bad kid. He just can't sit still. And now, his parents won't let him play soccer anymore; instead he has to hang out with his new neighbor Nora, who is good at everything!

Then, Mike and Nora discover the White Rabbit. It's an odd shop--with a special secret inside. Its owner, Mr. Zerlin, is a magician, and, amazingly, he believes Mike could be a magician, too. Has Mike finally found something he's good at?

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ALA/Booklist

And if the quick pace, well-developed characters, and humor-laced story aren’t enough, Lane, a magician himself, and Egan include instructions for four simple tricks. A solid new series for school and public-library collections.

School Library Journal

Deep down, fourth grader Mike Weiss is a good kid. It's not his fault that he has an aversion to sitting still; that's just the way he's wired. As the school year commences, Mike is determined to get a fresh start, but his old habits keep tripping him up. It seems like nothing can help, until he discovers The White Rabbit, a magic shop with a mysterious proprietor. Mike finds that he can actually sit still and focus when he's learning about magic—now he just needs to figure out how to apply his newfound skills to the classroom. Soon, a real bit of magic surfaces: a pocketful of coins appear out of thin air. Could it be the work of the mysterious proprietor? Readers don't find out in this book, but subsequent volumes in "The Magic Shop" series will hopefully reveal the answer. The writing is serviceable, but the book should have fairly wide appeal. Many children are interested in magic, and this title includes instructions for performing the various tricks and sleights of hand. This book will also strike a chord with kids who have trouble sitting still in school. Mike shows them that fidgety kids aren't bad and that they have the potential to succeed. Black-and-white cartoon illustrations with a vintage flair appear throughout, lending visual interest. This series-starter is sufficiently niche-filling to make it a good choice for most collections.—Amy Holland, Irondequoit Public Library, NY

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes



Kate Egan

Kate Egan is a freelance editor and the author of several books including the picture book Kate and Nate Are Running Late. She lives in Brunswick, Maine, with her husband and two children.

Magician Mike Lane
has been performing magic professionally for over 30 years. He lives with his wife, Donna, and their two children, Daniel and Lindsay, in Staten Island, New York.

Eric Wight is an author, illustrator, and animation director, whose books for children include the Frankie Pickle series. Eric lives in Chalfont, Pennsylvania, with his family.

Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781250040435
Lexile Measure
560
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Feiwel & Friends
Publication date
April 22, 2014
Series
Magic Shop
BISAC categories
JUV039060 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Friendship
JUV037000 - Juvenile Fiction | Fantasy & Magic
JUV028000 - Juvenile Fiction | Mysteries, Espionage, & Detective Stories
Library of Congress categories
-
Rhode Island Children's Book Awards
Nominee 2016 - 2016

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