The Magician Next Door by Rachel Chivers Khoo, illustrated by Alice McKinley

The Magician Next Door by Rachel Chivers Khoo, illustrated by Alice McKinley

Publisher:  Candlewick Press
Format:  E-ARC
Number of pages:   208 pages
Publishing:   April 15th, 2025 (first published by Walker Books UK 3/7/24)
Source:  Edelweiss+

Opening Lines:  "Winnifred Potts sat at her kitchen table and eyed the precious jar in front of her."

Five weeks ago, Callie and her father moved from their comfortable flat in London, to the countryside of Northern Ireland due to his new job.  Since then, Callie has had difficulty adjusting, she's been most unkind to her father, and "wallowing" in her sadness over her mother's passing three years ago.  She's heartbroken that she had to leave her best friend, Mia behind.  Her father is even refusing to take her to Mia's birthday party, despite the two girls sharing such a close friendship.

One night, a house suddenly crash-lands upside down in the garden outside Callie's window.  Callie catches a glimpse of a woman who, when spotted disappears along with the house. As Callie delves deeper into their mysterious disappearance, she encounters Sam, a neighboring boy on his own quest. The next day, Callie receives a letter from Winnifred, the owner of the house who asks for Callie's help in finding her lost Wanderdust, the magic that powers her magical artifacts.  Without it, Winnifred is doomed.

Sam is comfortable being outside in nature, he's an adventurer and knowledgeable about the history of his town.  Whereas this is a totally new experience for Callie.   Callie expresses a lot of sadness and homesickness for London, and she's lost all of her adventurous spirit, before she would've loved searching for the Wanderdust.  But now, she feels like she left behind her extended family of friends, neighbors, and her support system.  Now, neighbors are invited over but before they just came by to visit.  Her sadness and upheaval of emotions are the source of Winnifred's troubles and it's imperative that Callie must learn that it's possible to miss something that you've lost while also leaving room for something new.  That home isn't a place, it's the people who you carry with you in your heart.    

Winnifred and Sam made a wonderful pair.  He's exactly what she needs in a new friend, and I really enjoyed his map of the Seven Wonders of the Mourne Mountains, with its whimsical locations like The Leprechaun Tunnel and Smuggler's Cove.  Winnifred is also quite amusing with her magicked items, like My Never-Ending-Ever Thinning-Multi-Adjustable-Poking-Device.  What a mouth full!  Plus, having Winnifred's house and the Wonderdust acting as a sort of character of their own makes for some amusing moments, but you'll have to read the book to discover how.  At the back of the book are the definitions of the various magical items, and even a recipe for Drizzleberry pie.  I'd say this is on the younger side of middle grade and will appeal to kids looking for a quick read, who enjoy quirky characters, fantasy, a little adventure and can relate to Callie's homesickness.  The black and white illustrations by Alice McKinley are lovely and there are even hints at a possible sequel. 

I hope you'll check out all the other Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts at Greg Pattridge's blog HERE