Magyk is a challenging book that is worth the read. It is full of wizards, witches, boggarts, marsh snakes and evil challengers. It is a gripping book full of adventure, suspense and great characters. I loved this book and highly recommend it. There are however some points to be made.....this is an extremely long book for Gr. 4/5 (564 pages). I wholeheartedly agree with the students who came to talk to me about it that at times Magyk can be confusing as there are so many characters and so many plot twists. I read it over spring break and had to read the first chapter twice because I couldn't keep the characters straight.
Because the characters are at times hard to follow, I have included a link that takes you to
Wikipedia for a list and description of the charactes. Don't read too much of the snyopsis as many of the plot twists are revealed.
I realize that this book might not have been the best choice for Grade 4/5 book club because of its length and twisting plot lines. My choice was based on popular vote which Magyk won handily. I hadn't read this book prior to choosing it as the book club selection which was not the best move as I have always read the book club choices in advance. I had read reviews, got teacher and student feedback and looked at novellist prior to making the choice.
I strongly recommend Magyk and look forward to reading more in the series but I also really appreciate those that have come to chat with me with concerns and/or questions about it. That is what book clubs and book discussions are all about. I love chatting with you about books and how you feel about them whether it be happy, sad, frustrated or somewhere in between.
I recommend you get through to the point where the characters are at Aunt Zelda's before making a decision to stop reading it. We still have a month before book club April 26th so if you read 20-30 pages at a time you will be finished in plenty of time before our chat. Keep coming and seeing me. Today I had a wonderful lunch chat with some of you ~ Thanks :)
I will promise we will have another Gr. 4/5 book club before the end of the year. Never worry if a book is not to your liking. You don't have to like every book you read. My job is to help you find that perfect book at the right time. Come chat!
For those of you loving Magyk ....we will see you on April 26th.
Happy reading.....whatever that reading is.
