The Greatest Magician in the World, Matt Edmondson (author), Garry Parsons (illus.), Pan Macmillan, 2017
Synopsis:
A showstopping quirky gift book for budding magicians, filled with mind-blowing removable magic tricks. Prepare to be amazed!
Elliot is mad about magic. Completely and utterly mad. It’s all he talks about, all he thinks about, and even all he dreams about! And it’s not surprising, because magic is in Elliot’s blood. His great grandfather had once been known as The Greatest Magician in the World and Elliot is desperate to follow in his footsteps. But it’s tricky when the only magic book in the library is missing half its pages, and there’s no one around to teach you.
But all that’s about to change when Elliot discovers a long lost letter from his great grandfather and embarks on a magical adventure that could change his life forever!
If you know a young person obsessed with magic, this is the perfect interactive book for them. The large format, hardback, novelty gift book combines a fun, exciting, and sweet quest story (that also has plenty of humour), with a variety of magic tricks (seven in total) which are tucked into envelopes for safekeeping and building excitement.
All the magic concepts are ones which young kids will be thrilled to learn, although note that due to some need for dexterity, and the level of the text, this book is aimed at readers aged around seven years and upwards. The tricks, and the story, cover a variety of magical concepts, which is a bonus. There are tricks based around things like mind-reading, escapology, vanishing acts, and card tricks.
Fittingly, The Greatest Magician in the World was written by Matt Edmondson, a former professional magician who now works in TV and radio. Edmondson shows a great flair for the dramatic, and the quest idea in the story will keep kids, even those who aren’t mad about magic, interested the whole way through. Plus, a nice addition is the positive themes, in the book, of believing in yourself, perseverance, being kind, friendship, and more.
The story is beautifully illustrated by a bestselling illustrator, Garry Parsons, who did the artwork for The Dinosaur That Pooped series. The artwork throughout is bright and colourful, and full of details. Children will have plenty to absorb throughout on the first reading, and on subsequent ones. The illustrations add more humour to the text, and have a quirky, slightly cartoony feel that works well with the story and its quest structure.
I can see kids being preoccupied for hours reading the story, and then diligently practicing all the tricks within it. I’m sure they’ll be keen to put on a magic show for their family and friends once they’ve mastered each one! The book has been carefully constructed and has a quality feel to it. It also comes shrink wrapped. This all makes it a really great gift for Christmas, birthdays, or other celebrations.
Please note: a complimentary copy of this book was provided from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
3 thoughts to “Book Review: The Greatest Magician in the World”
This sounds like a fabulous book for a budding magician. For what age group is it designed?
Hi Norah. I’d say around 7 or 8 years and up for this one. It obviously depends on the child, but I see the prime age range as being between 7-10 years.
Thank you, Kellie. That’s what I was thinking, but wanted to be sure. đŸ™‚