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No More Magic
by Avi
Newbery Medal-winner Avi’s first book is this charming mystery about a boy named Chris whose bicycle disappears on Halloween night. Somehow he comes to believe this was connected with a mysterious figure in a warlock costume, who was seen flying through the air on a bicycle. And being a fan of comics and the Oz books, Chris believes real magic may be involved. So does his best friend Eddie, and his new friend Muffin, though his two friends suspect each other.
And why shouldn’t they? Muffin claims that the warlock costume was hers, but it was stolen from her. And Eddie claims that he went to the Halloween parade, where someone in a warlock costume won the top prize, but Eddie’s name isn’t on the list of contestants in the newspaper…and neither is the name of the winner.
Chris’s brother Mike and their parents are no help, because they don’t believe in magic at all. Could it have something to do with the disappearance of Muffin’s parents?
Throw in Muffin’s unhelpful aunt, and a shifty junk dealer, and the town drunk, and a mayor whose “secret identity” is a shoe salesman, and you get a twisted little mystery for young readers. Chris’ determination to believe in magic is very winning. And though I personally saw the solution to the mystery coming from the very beginning, I was totally charmed by the innocence and the belief of the children in the story. A great debut for a terrific author!
