The Magic Half
Common Sense says
- Annie Barrows
- Family Life
- 2009
Parents say
Kids say
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A lot or a little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that The Magic Half by Annie Barrows (Ivy + Bean) is a clever story about time travel. It's a suspenseful, often funny mystery with strong female characters in which an 11-year-old girl is transported to 1935, where she meets a girl her age in what today would be considered a verbally abusive household. There's some implication that the girl could have been murdered, though this is presented more as a fear or an abstract concept.
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User Reviews
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Good, but really creepy! Not for young children!
You Won't Want to Put it Down.
What's the story?
Eleven-year-old Miri is a smart girl who feels a bit lost as the middle child between two sets of twins. But when her family moves into a new Victorian farmhouse, she discovers something she can truly call her own: a magic lens that transports her to her room in 1935, where she meets Molly Gardner, another 11-year-old whose family life is much worse than Miri's. Can Miri find a way to help Molly without altering history for the worse?
Is it any good?
THE MAGIC HALF is a rewarding read with clever turns, well-developed characters, and neatly drawn-out suspense. Readers who enjoy history and problem-solving will enjoy the trips back to the Depression, the hunt for buried stolen treasure, Miri's attempts to piece together the logic of time travel, and the conundrum of thinking about time as both in the present and past. There are some potentially dark themes -- a child who could have been murdered and some verbal abuse that, although not extreme, isn't easy to take -- but there's enough goodwill to render that all palatable for the intended readership. It's a suspenseful, often funny mystery with strong girl characters that takes readers back and forth with a few surprising twists. An added bonus is the potential for some good conversations about what it once meant or now means to be a good kid or a good parent.
Talk to your kids about ...
Families can talk about Molly's household. How was Molly treated? Would it be OK to treat someone that way today? Why, or why not?
Do you know any sets of twins? How about two sets of twins in one family? If you're not a twin, what do you think it would be like to be one?
If you could travel in time, when would you visit, and why?
Book details
- Author: Annie Barrows
- Genre: Family Life
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Adventures, Friendship, Great Girl Role Models
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
- Publication date: April 28, 2009
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 8 - 12
- Number of pages: 224
- Available on: Paperback, Nook, Audiobook (abridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: June 19, 2019
Our editors recommend
For kids who love time-travel and fantasy
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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.