Thursday, January 9, 2014

Sackett, Frances. The Misadventures of the Magician’s Dog.


Sackett, Frances.  The Misadventures of the Magician’s Dog.  Holiday House  2013  178p    ISBN 978-0-8234-2869-4  elem/ms  VG-BN  Fantasy   

Peter Lubinsky doesn’t like dogs, so he is surprised to find himself asking for a dog for his birthday.  The dog he picks at the shelter looks as ordinary as Peter is himself, but it soon becomes apparent that looks are deceiving. The Dog can talk and do magic, and he needs Peter’s help to change his previous master from a rock back into a boy. 

The mission is more complicated than The Dog at first describes.  The Dog’s previous owner was a boy Peter’s age, but he was also an wicked magician.   Peter can also do magic, but only when he is very angry.  Is it worth losing Peter’s positive traits to save another boy, and possibly his father
, who is an Air Force pilot flying missions in Iraq?

As Peter and his siblings discover the cost magic exacts from its users, they are forced to make serious moral choices.  The result is an entertaining, thought-provoking novel that will keep readers engaged as they devour the story as quickly as they can turn the pages.           

Summary: Peter can become a magician and save his father from fighting in Iraq as well as rescue another boy, but wielding magic may come with a price that is too high to pay

Magic-Fiction                                        --Hillary Welliver

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