Tales of Magic

It all begins with a strange coin on a sun-warmed sidewalk. Jane finds the coin, and because she and her siblings are having the worst, most dreadfully boring summer ever, she idly wishes something exciting would happen. And something does: Her wish is granted. Or not quite. Only half of her wish comes true. It turns out the coin grants wishes-but only by half, so that you must wish for twice as much as you want. Wishing for two times some things is a cinch, but other doubled wishes only cause twice as much trouble. What is half of twice a talking cat? Or to be half-again twice not-here? And how do you double your most heartfelt wish, the one you care about so much it has to be perfect?

If the old toy soldier hadn't come to life, Roger would never have discovered the magic. And that would never have happened if he and his sister, Ann, hadn't been sent to stay with their bossy cousins for the summer. And that wouldn't have happened at all if their father hadn't gotten sick and gone into the hospital. But all of that did happen, and now Roger, his sister, and their cousins find themselves in a bygone world of chivalry and knighthood, of Robin Hood and Ivanhoe. In this knightly realm they can make a difference-and perhaps even save the person they most need to save-if only they are smart and brave enough, if only they are true to their hearts.

Time and again, the children from Knight's Castle have longed for another magic adventure. But you can't find magic just anywhere. It doesn't just grow like grass. It requires the right place and the right time- Or thyme, as the case may be. For at Mrs. Whiton's house, magic grows wild as the fragrant banks of thyme in her garden. Eliza insists that time doesn't grow, it flies-yet growing in the garden is olden time, future time, and common time. Or so says the Natterjack, the odd toadlike creature who presides over the garden and accompanies the kids on a series of perilous, hilarious, always unpredictable adventures. "Anything can happen," the Natterjack says with a wink, "when you have all the time in the world."

When is magic not magic? Laura is a girl who goes out of her way to find adventure. So when her family moves to a house with a well in the yard-a wishing well, according to Lydia, Laura's opinionated, horse-mad, outrageous new neighbor-Laura is all too willing to make a wish and see what happens. Plenty happens. Thanks to the well, Laura and her new friends help save Miss Isabella's house from foreclosure, rescue the almost long-lost heir to a fortune, and even solve the mystery of the antique desk. But is the well truly granting wishes? Or is something else responsible for the adventures that engulf Laura and her friends that summer?

The wishing well is all used up, its magic drained, its enchantment gone dry. Or has it? In a reckless moment, Gordy threatens the old well, telling it to get going with its magic or else! and suddenly he and his friends are plunged into just the sort of adventures they'd longed for. But is it really the well's magic that transforms troublemaker Dicky LeBaron from ne'er-do-well to hero? Or keeps Appledore's orchard in bloom? Or sends James on a daring rescue of a damsel in distress? Does it matter? Sometimes the best kind of magic is the kind that isn't so magical at all...

All books are magic, but some are more magical than others. When Susan opens a strange library book, she discovers it is about her and her friends, leading up to the moment when she opened the book. Beyond that, the pages are blank... waiting for the children to wish the book full of adventures. Fredericka asks for wizards and beasties, and a dragon carries her off. Susan journeys to the world of Half Magic, and finds that mixing magic creates trouble-far too much to deal with before the book is due back at the library. Wishing, it seems, is a tricky business. And if the children make the wrong wish, their adventure won't end, as all stories must, happily ever after.

Just in time for the holiday season, four classic Edward Eager Tales of Magic in one affordable package. Ever since Half Magic first hit bookshelves in 1954, Edward Eager's Tales of Magic have been favorites with readers of all ages. Now his four most popular stories-Half Magic, Knight's Castle, Magic by the Lake, and The Time Garden-are available in one handsome package. Perfect for gift-giving or for introducing eager new readers to a whole world of wit and magic, these four books should brighten every child's library!

Book three in the series called "truly magic in a reader's hands" by Jack Gantos, Newbery Medal winner for Dead End in Norvelt. When wishing for magic, it's hard not to wish for too much. If Jane, Mark, Katharine, and Martha had stopped to think-oh, if they had only stopped to think!-they would have ordered magic by the pound, or by the day, or even by the halves as they had in Half Magic. But no, they asked for magic by the lake-and now they have to deal with a whole lakeful of enchantment! Soon the children find themselves cavorting with mermaids, outwitting pirates, and-with the help of a cranky old turtle-granting a little magical help to the one person who needs it most. This funny and gentle classic series is an enjoyable read-aloud and also a strong choice for independent reading. For fans of such favorite series as The Penderwicks and The Vanderbeekers. Enjoy all seven of the middle grade novels in Edward Eager's beloved Tales of Magic series!