The Magic Misfits Need All the Luck They Can Get

SPOILER ALERT
This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous books of The Magic Misfits or don't mind knowing spoilers for them.
SPOILER ALERT

~The Fourth Suit~
The Magic Misfits
Book 4
Written by Neil Patrick Harris
Illustrated by Lissy Marlin & Kyle Hinton
Amazon ~ Powell's

Ridley Larsen is everything you want in a friend. She's tough as nails, she's fiercely loyal, and she's smart as a whip. But she can be a harsh critic, which has put her position with the Magic Misfits on the rocks, even as the threat of the group's longtime enemy Kalagan looms large. Ever since his recent appearance in Mineral Wells, the kids know that a showdown with the vicious magician is imminent.

They must first deal with a series of odd instances and random attacks, though, all of which they use to bring themselves closer to discovering where Kalagan may be hiding, and the nature of his true identity. But can Ridley finally master her temper and put her essential magical skills to good use? She'll do anything to protect her friends, and when the time comes, she'll find that the Magic Misfits are strongest when they all work together.


Obviously after reading the first three I had to continue into the finale. Ridley was always my favorite of the Misfits, due in no small part to her prickly attitude but fierce loyalty to her friends (tough on the outside, gooey on the inside are my favorite characters), so I was always most excited to read her POV. And for it to be the finale to the series? All the better!

The Cloud of Doom Made Me Do It

~Wayside School
Beneath the Cloud of Doom~
Wayside School
Book 4
By Louis Sachar
Illustrated by Tim Heitz
Amazon ~ Powell's

Welcome back to Wayside School!

Your favorite students and teachers are all here. That includes Sharie, who loves her striped-and-spotted umbrella more than anything; Kathy, who has a bad case of oppositosis; Jason, who has to read the longest book in the world; and the rest of Mrs. Jewls’s class on the thirtieth floor, who are busily collecting toenail clippings.

Everyone is scrambling to prepare for the all-important Ultimate Test, but meanwhile, there is a mysterious Cloud of Doom looming above them…


Well, it's been over 20 years since I first experienced Wayside School, and it's been 40 years since the series first started. I think the author's note at the beginning expresses it the best:

This is the fourth book about Wayside School. I wrote the first one, Sideways Stories from Wayside School, more than forty years ago. I’m a lot older now, but in my heart I’m still Louis, the yard teacher, passing out the balls and playing with the kids at recess. To fully enjoy this book, you should read the other three first, wait forty years, and then read this one. Or you can just read it now. (p. ix)

Though, really you'd just have to wait 25 years (since the 3rd book was published in 1995) to get the true experience...

Wayside School Was Accidentally Built Sideways

~Wayside School~
Books 1-3
Written by Louis Sachar
Illustrated by Adam McCauley
Amazon ~ Powell's

There'd been a terrible mistake. Wayside School was supposed to be built with thirty classrooms all next to each other in a row. Instead, they built the classrooms one on top of the other ... thirty stories tall! (The builder said he was very sorry.)

That may be why all kinds of funny things happen at Wayside School ... especially on the thirtieth floor. You'll meet Mrs. Gorf, the meanest teacher of all, terrible Todd, who always gets sent home early, and John who can read only upside down - along with all the other kids in the crazy mixed-up school that came out sideways. Miss Mush is dishing out her famous Mushroom Surprise in the Wayside School cafeteria. Ron says it tastes like hot dogs and grape jelly. Clean your plate and you’ll turn green in time for class picture day. Wear your craziest outfit and you’ll fit right in between Maurecia in her striped bikini and Calvin, who’s wearing his birthday tattoo. In Mrs. Drazil's class, they're throwing a coffeepot, a sack of potatoes, a pencil sharpener, and a light bulb out the window to see which hits the ground first. But you'll never guess the truth about Sammy, the new kid ... or what's inside for Wayside School on Halloween!

I guess it's story time. I picked up Wayside School books back when I was in elementary school. I started with (what was unbeknownst to me) the second book, Wayside School is Falling Down, and absolutely loved it. I eventually picked up the other two books later, probably when my sibling was the appropriate age (we're 5 years apart), but otherwise have had no reason to think of them otherwise. Every so often the author would come up - you probably recognize him most for Holes - but the Wayside books never really got as much limelight.

Then a 4th book was released and I had to pick these up again.

Be Brilliant, Be Brave, Be Curious, Be Kind, Be A Misfit

SPOILER ALERT
This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous books of The Magic Misfits or don't mind knowing spoilers for them.
SPOILER ALERT

~The Minor Third~
The Magic Misfits
Book 3
Written by Neil Patrick Harris
Illustrated by Lissy Marlin & Kyle Hinton
Amazon ~ Powell's

Theo Stein-Meyer loves being part of the Magic Misfits. Armed with his trusty violin bow, he completes the team with his levitation skills, unflappable calm, and proper manners. But when a girl named Emily begins to spend time with the group, Theo is surprisingly drawn to her. She seems to understand the pull he feels between music and magic, between family and friends.

Then a famous ventriloquist arrives in town, and the Misfits are sure he (and his creepy dummy) are up to no good. With their mentor, Mr. Vernon, suddenly called away and tension simmering among the friends, can they come together to stop another member of the villainous Emerald Ring? It's time for Theo to make a choice about where--and with whom--he belongs.

Join the Magic Misfits as they discover adventure, friendship, and more than a few hidden secrets in this unique and surprising series. Whether you're a long-time expert at illusion or simply a new fan of stage magic, hold on to your top hat!

Definitely not what I was expecting. I mean, you'd think lighthearted kids books about performing magic wouldn't be so grim and foreboding, but this one takes that minor key thing seriously.

Secrets & Stories, Truth & Lies

SPOILER ALERT
This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous book, The Magic Misfits, or don't mind knowing spoilers for it. SPOILER ALERT

~The Second Story~
The Magic Misfits
Book 2
Written by Neil Patrick Harris Illustrated by Lissy Marlin & Kyle Hinton
Amazon ~ Powell's

Growing up in an orphanage, Leila was bullied for being different. But she turned her hardship into skill by becoming an escape artist—a valuable trait when belonging to a group of magical best friends. When a famous psychic comes to town, however, Leila and her pals won't be able to escape the big mystery heading their way. Whether chasing mad monkeys or banishing ghosts from haunted hotels, these six friends will do their best to keep Mineral Wells safe—but can they still protect themselves in the process?

Join the Magic Misfits as they discover adventure, friendship, and more than a few hidden secrets in this delightful new series. Whether you're a new fan of stage magic or a longtime expert at illusion, Magic Misfits is sure to delight even more than sawing your assistant in half!


I'm really getting to like this series. There are just so many clever aspects to love, starting with just the cover. First, the center character on each cover is the narrative focus of the story. Second, each upsidedown image is one of the members of the previous secret magic club, and serves as a major player in this book's story - though not always the antagonist (after all, the first book had Mr. Vernon on the cover, not Bosso).

The Case of the Fowl Twins’ First Magical Adventure

~The Fowl Twins~
Book 1
By Eoin Colfer
Amazon ~ Powell's

One week after their eleventh birthday, the Fowl twins--scientist Myles, and Beckett, the force of nature--are left in the care of house security (NANNI) for a single night. In that time they befriend a troll who has clawed his way through the earth's crust to the surface. Unfortunately for the troll, he is being chased by a nefarious nobleman and an interrogating nun, who both need the magical creature for their own gain, as well as a fairy-in-training who has been assigned to protect him. The boys and their new troll best friend escape and go on the run. Along the way they get shot at, kidnapped, buried, arrested, threatened, killed (temporarily), and discover that the strongest bond in the world is not the one forged by covalent electrons in adjacent atoms, but the one that exists between a pair of twins.

It seems I haven't yet reviewed most of Colfer's books on here yet, despite having read (nearly all of) and loved (most of) them. Seems I'll need to rectify that someday...

Picking up a few years after our last foray with the Fowl family, the more things change the more they stay the same. The Fowls are still involved with their own hobbies, operating mostly within the law but finding it best to ask forgiveness than permission. Artemis has turned his attention to space, and is actually on his way to Mars at the moment. But Myles and Beckett are about to discover that the bedtime stories he told them weren't as fictional as they assumed.

Only Absolute Misfits Would Think Up Such an Outrageous Scheme

~The Magic Misfits~
Book 1
Written by Neil Patrick Harris
Illustrated by Lissy Marlin & Kyle Hinton
Amazon ~ Powell's

When street magician Carter runs away, he never expects to find friends and magic in a sleepy New England town. But like any good trick, things change instantly as greedy B.B. Bosso and his crew of crooked carnies arrive to steal anything and everything they can get their sticky fingers on.

After a fateful encounter with the local purveyor of illusion, Dante Vernon, Carter teams up with five other like-minded illusionists. Together, using both teamwork and magic, they'll set out to save the town of Mineral Wells from Bosso's villainous clutches. These six Magic Misfits will soon discover adventure, friendship, and their own self-worth in this delightful new series.

A great read filled with awe, humor, and (most importantly) magic. If one isn't familiar with the author (where have you been? under a rock?), this will no doubt endear them to his charm and talents. As Neil is very outspoken of his love of magic, music, and his non-nuclear family, it was great seeing small (and not so small) winks and nods to various passions of his.