Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Monmouth Public Library | J Fic Chapman, L. 2009 | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... McMinnville Public Library | Chapman, L. | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
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Summary
Summary
Be careful what you wish for. . . .
When new stepsiblings Milly, Michael, Jason, and Jess move to a town in the middle of nowhere, the last thing they expect is to find a magic book. But then they stumble upon The Genie Handbook, and their lives are changed forever. Each chapter in The Genie Handbook contains one of six stages of training to be mastered, and the kids are thrilled to begin their schooling--especially since once they become genies, they can wish themselves back to London and their old lives.
But then some of the wishes go wrong, and the magic starts to seem scarier. And when the kids discover a mysterious couple watching them covertly, they realize there's more to the handbook than they ever could have guessed.
If the children's greatest wish of all is finally granted, will their world change for better or for worse? Maybe sometimes it takes something even more powerful than a genie to reveal your true heart's desire.
Author Notes
Linda Chapman has written over 50 children's fiction books, including the following series: My Secret Unicorn, Stardust, Not Quite a Mermaid, and Unicorn School. She lives in Leicestershire with her husband and daughters.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-7-This modern-day homage to E. Nesbit's Five Children and It brings humor and gender equality to the original story line. The offspring of a newly blended family, Milly, Jason, Michael, and Jess are adjusting to life in small-town Moreways Meet with ill grace. All of them want to return to London, so when Milly discovers The Genie Handbook and its occupant, Skribble the bookworm, the children are eager to pass quickly through the six challenges involved in becoming a genie. As readers might expect, the wish-granting quickly spills over into chaos, and the children as well as Skribble learn about the true desires of the heart as they settle into their new home. For those who enjoyed Nesbit's charmer, this novel will be a nostalgic walk down familiar paths, and it will direct new readers toward the works of Nesbit and Edward Eager. While the idea of the children training to be genies gives the story a slightly different structure, the outlandish wishes gone wrong share the same flavor of daring adventure. Milly, especially, with her sweet concern for Skribble's feelings and for the genie ethic, is reminiscent of Nesbit's characterizations. Some elements, especially the conclusion, are predictably saccharine, but even the thinly veiled moral lessons can't detract from the sheer joy of imagining oneself in possession of a magic lamp. Most imaginative readers will want to check out this family-driven fantasy adventure.-Caitlin Augusta, Stratford Library Association, CT (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
In this collaboration by two well-known British children's authors, dedicated to E. Nesbit and consciously hearkening back to Five Children and It, two teens and two tweens united in a newly blended family find a magic book that can teach them to become genies in a lamp. When their parents marry and move into a new home in a boring country town, the siblings yearn for one thing: to go back to London. They jump at their chance to acquire magical abilities. Guided by a cantankerous magical bookworm they name "Skribble," the quartet tries to advance in geniedom, but, as they're teens and tweens, they can't avoid squabbles and silly choices. Life lessons ensue. Danger looms when two real genies stalk them. Chapman (My Secret Unicorn) and Cole (Astrosaurs) pitch the narrative into the strike zone of their target audience, with as much emphasis on kiddie play and silliness as on magic and suspense. While it's mostly light, silly fun that goes down easily, literarily it doesn't hold a candle to either its inspiration or Edward Eager's midcentury hommages thereof. (Fantasy. 8-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Dragged from their lives in London and stuck in dreary suburban Moreways Meet, stepsiblings Michael, Milly, Jess, and Jason find excitement when they discover an ancient book that can teach them how to become genies. Their tutor is the book's resident curmudgeonly worm, Skribble, and before you can say Ali Baba, the kids are popping in and out of lamps, dressed in silky turbans and pointy shoes. Overall, their wishes are pretty typical (money, iPhones, X-ray vision), their training tasks fairly standard (learn to transform, identify worthy wish-getters), and their adversaries easily overcome (video-game monsters, spooky adults). Initially, their number-one desire was to return to London, but by the time they've reached their final step, they realize that happiness is better found in simple togetherness, right where they are. Newbies to the world of genies will find a fun introduction here, and while the story may lack wild originality, it offers an accessible and entertaining adventure.--Medlar, Andrew Copyright 2009 Booklist