Review: The Magic Man by Anne Digby

THE MAGIC MAN

Jug Valley Mysteries, Book 6

by Anne Digby

Straw Hat

Middle Grade Mystery

94 pages

A prizewinning rabbit escapes and there's a £100 reward on offer. For the five friends in Hands, finding the runaway rabbit is their last chance of delivering on their promise to help JVJ meet its target for the Lifeboat Appeal. After all, they pride themselves on their detective skills. But will detective skills be enough in this intriguing & exciting story?

MY TIDBITS

This is a sweet, quick mystery which feels a bit like cotton candy with a magic twist.

The five friends of Hands (the mystery solving club) want to raise the funds to help the JVJ with their Lifeboat Appeal, and they're still missing 100 pounds. They've arranged a fair/sale but the promised advertisement from the paper falls through. Not sure how to lure the crowd in, they run into a magician, who promises to help for free. . .and it appears that he has real magic! Mix that with a missing rabbit, a 100 pound fine and more festival mishaps, and the five kids have their hands full.

This is such a short, cute read! The five Hands slide together seamlessly, making for a beautiful display of friendship, working together and getting along. It's a pure treat to watch these kids. They try their best to help, run into problems but always do their best to get things back in order. Even when they don't agree, there's no malice or meanness involved.

I have read the other books in the series and love the slight bit of magic added to this one. Even at the end, it's not really clear what happened. . .only assumptions can be made. There is a mystery but it flows more in with the rest of the tale. A sense of wonder glides off the pages, allowing the imagination not to lose to pragmatic reality. Even in real life, dreams and magic might exist.

I highly recommend this series to mystery lovers ages 8 to 10, who enjoy wholesome reads and great bonds of friendship. Especially reluctant readers will appreciate the quick pace and lean page amount. And it's even a great addition for homeschoolers.