Parents' Guide to

The Amulet of Samarkand: The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 1

By Matt Berman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 11+

Witty and sharp fantasy with complex characters.

The Amulet of Samarkand: The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 1 Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

age 11+

Based on 4 parent reviews

age 14+

As Long As They Don't Try To Summon A Demon

As an adult, I think this book is spot on funny and entertaining. I've reccomended it to my 14 year old daughter as she has the common sense and moral background to know that summoning demons is not a good thing to do for your mental and spiritual health.

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
Great role models
age 11+
Rich english language, full of action, funny. Love It!

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4 ):
Kids say (15 ):

This heir to the Potter mantle is a worthy successor, combining a rich, complex story, a delightfully acerbic voice, and an original protagonist. Among many pleasures here is a very different system of magic, detailed by the snide and chatty Bartimaeus in a series of footnotes.

As with many other Rowling wannabes, the author has learned that children love reading fat books, but he still has something to learn about pacing. Tighter editing could have produced a book 100 or so pages shorter without sacrifice. But it's a witty, fun ride nonetheless, destined to be popular and have fans waiting eagerly for the next installment.

Book Details

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