The Magician’s Elephant by Kate DiCamillo February 15, 2010
Posted by jcarlson in : Adventure, Magic Fiction , 2comments
In this book, ten year old Peter visits a fortuneteller to find out if his sister is still alive. The fortuneteller advises the boy that an elephant will lead him to her. Amazingly, a magician decides to perform his most marvelous trick, resulting in an elephant crashing through the ceiling of the opera house. An interesting series of events involving some odd characters occur after the elephant appears. Will the elephant really lead Peter to his sister?
I liked this book, but I found it to be unusual. Even though it is a sweet story at times, it is also a dark story at times. Some of the characters I did not like, and some I thought were very strange. I wasn’t sure how all the events and characters fit together, but it all made sense by the end.
If you’d like to know more about this book and hear a webcast by Kate DiCamillo, visit The Magician’s Elephant web site at http://www.themagicianselephant.com.
~Mrs. Carlson~
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling January 15, 2010
Posted by jcarlson in : Fantasy, Magic Fiction , 3comments
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is an exciting sequel to the magical five books before and a prequel to the one exploding book after. This book reveals all the secrets of You-Know-Who. (Maybe.) One gigantic secret is ….. come here, I’ll tell you. Shhhhhpppp! Can you believe it?! After all this time that was how he lived after the night when he killed Lily and James Potter. Not only did they get something important, but they also lost someone important. I hope you decide to read this wonderful, adventurous story.
~Jenna, Fifth Grader~
The Wish Giver by Bill Brittain October 14, 2009
Posted by jcarlson in : Fantasy, Magic Fiction , add a commentWhen I read the first page or two, I did not think I was going to like this 
book because it seemed sort of creepy. However, it turned out that I really liked this fantasy book. It’s about four people who live in Coven Tree. They each buy a magic card for fifty cents from a funny little man named Thaddeus Blinn. Each one can use his or her card to make one wish. Just one wish! Three of them make a wish, and strange events follow. Thankfully, the man with the fourth card comes to their rescue. They learned to “be careful what you wish for.” If you like magic combined with humor, try this book.
~Mrs. Carlson~
Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne November 6, 2008
Posted by jcarlson in : Beginning Chapter Books, Magic Fiction , 31comments
One of my favorite series is Magic Tree House. The main characters are Jack and Annie. The setting takes place in many places like a forest, a blizzard, and a town. My favorite part is when they say, “I wish we could go there.” Some of their problems are when they have to try to find the solution to the mission. Also they have to do every step to beat the mission. I like this series because they go on adventures. I think these are really good books. You should read them too.
~Sammy, Fourth Grader~