{"id":24295,"date":"2014-06-24T22:28:16","date_gmt":"2014-06-25T02:28:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=24295"},"modified":"2014-06-24T22:28:16","modified_gmt":"2014-06-25T02:28:16","slug":"review-of-black-and-blue-magic-by-zilpha-keatley-snyder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=24295","title":{"rendered":"Review of Black and Blue Magic, by Zilpha Keatley Snyder"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"black_and_blue_magic_large\"<\/a>Black and Blue Magic<\/em><\/p>\n

by Zilpha Keatley Snyder<\/p>\n

Atheneum, New York, 1975. 186 pages.
\nStarred Review<\/p>\n

Well, my co-worker opened up the floodgates when he decided to order Three Investigators books via Interlibrary Loan. That got me thinking about the other books I loved in childhood but that are no longer in print.<\/p>\n

Many other books by Zilpha Keatley Snyder are still in print, so I don\u2019t know why Black and Blue Magic<\/em> is not among them. It\u2019s the one I checked out from the library over and over again and dearly loved.<\/p>\n

And it was just as good as I remembered it! (A lot shorter than I remembered it, but just as good!) Harry Houdini Marco is clumsy as can be, always tripping or running into things. His mother says he\u2019s just still growing, but all he knows is that he\u2019s clumsy. And Harry believes that if his father were still alive, Harry would be a disappointment to him. Harry\u2019s father was a skilled magician, and wanted Harry to be the same, which explains the name he was given. He even brought him to the Great Swami and got a prophecy that Harry\u2019s \u201cmagic will be of a very special kind.\u201d But Harry has tried doing magic tricks, and he\u2019s just not coordinated enough.<\/p>\n

But then one day Harry sees a little man who\u2019s clumsy lose his big suitcase on the bus. Harry gets off the bus and takes it to him. The man\u2019s a salesman, so Harry recommends his mother\u2019s boarding house. Before the man leaves, he gives Harry a magical reward. It\u2019s an ointment, and when Harry puts a drop on each shoulder, he sprouts wings!<\/p>\n

Harry has to learn how to use the wings safely and unobtrusively. He\u2019s accidentally seen by a few people, and it\u2019s quite amusing the conclusions those people draw.<\/p>\n

This book is wonderful because there\u2019s magic and adventure combined with character growth and personal problems that Harry is able to solve.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a delightful book about a good-hearted kid who finds out that special magic might make him a little black and blue. And it definitely stands the test of time.<\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Childrens_Fiction\/black_and_blue_magic.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

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