The Magician's Boy

by Susan Cooper, Serena Riglietti (Illustrator)

Only a child can find the way to bring Saint George back to the play.

The Boy works for the Magician, and he wants more than anything to learn magic. But the Magician always says, "Not yet, Boy. Not till the time is right." So the Boy has to be content with polishing the Magician's wand, taking care of the rabbits the Magician pulls out of hats, and doing his favorite operating the puppets for the play Saint George and the Dragon, which the Magician always performs as part of his act.

Until one day the Saint George puppet disappears, and the angry Magician hurls the Boy into the strange Land of Story to find Saint George. His quest is full of adventures with oddly familiar people, from the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe to the Giant at the top of Jack's beanstalk. But the Boy's last adventure is the most amazing of all -- and changes his life forever.

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens, Chapter Books, Fiction, Magic, Adventure, Dragons

112 pages, Paperback

First published February 22, 2005

About the author

Susan Cooper's latest book is the YA novel "Ghost Hawk" (2013)

Susan Cooper was born in 1935, and grew up in England's Buckinghamshire, an area that was green countryside then but has since become part of Greater London. As a child, she loved to read, as did her younger brother, who also became a writer. After attending Oxford, where she became the first woman to ever edit that university's newspaper, Cooper worked as a reporter and feature writer for London's Sunday Times; her first boss was James Bond creator Ian Fleming.

Cooper wrote her first book for young readers in response to a publishing house competition; "Over Sea, Under Stone" would later form the basis for her critically acclaimed five-book fantasy sequence, "The Dark Is Rising." The fourth book in the series, "The Grey King," won the Newbery Medal in 1976. By that time, Susan Cooper had been living in America for 13 years, having moved to marry her first husband, an American professor, and was stepmother to three children and the mother of two.

Cooper went on to write other well-received novels, including "The Boggart" (and its sequel "The Boggart and the Monster"), "King of Shadows", and "Victory," as well as several picture books for young readers with illustrators such as Ashley Bryan and Warwick Hutton. She has also written books for adults, as well as plays and Emmy-nominated screenplays, many in collaboration with the actor Hume Cronyn, whom she married in 1996. Hume Cronyn died in 2003 and Ms. Cooper now lives in Marshfield MA. When Cooper is not working, she enjoys playing piano, gardening, and traveling.

Recent books include the collaborative project "The Exquisite Corpse Adventure" and her biography of Jack Langstaff titled "The Magic Maker." Her newest book is "Ghost Hawk."

Visit her Facebook pages: www.facebook.com/SusanCooperFanPage
www.facebook.com/GhostHawkBySusanCooper

Reviews

[Clive · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of Clive’s first chapter books that we read in basically two sittings. The premise is a boy has to enter the Land of Story to try and find Saint George so… perfect for Clive.
There are a lot of references to other nursery rhymes/fairy tales that C isn’t yet familiar with (The Old Woman who lives in the shoe, Red Riding Hood, etc) which was a good reminder to me to visit these classics with him.
He wants to read it again and again!

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Susan Cooper creates a clever story about a boy that works for a magician is his assistant. His daily duties include washing the rabbits that the magician pulls from his hat, taking care of the magical herb garden and manning the puppets in the magician's puppet show. After a while these tasks grew to be boring for the young lad and he wanted to learn magic but the magician would always tell him no. The boy never grew flustered instead he continued to work hard.

One day at a very important magic show he realized that the most important character of the puppet show was missing. When he admitted his fault the Magician sent him to look for it in a magical realm. While in the magical realm the young boy encountered characters from some very famous Traditional Literature stories. Red Riding Hood, The Pied Piper, jack and the Bean Stalk amongst a slew of others all came out to play a part in this adventure. It turns out that the young boy was looking for St. George. It was suggested that in order to find St. George he should look for a dragon. Dragons are not that hard to find in Fairy Tales, just look for screaming people, smoke and fires and that is precisely what the young lad did. When he finally found the dragon it was told to him that he in fact was St. George and that was when he found his courage.

This book would be great for elementary level students around grades 3-5. The text is large and the sentences are short. There are a few pictures in the story to help the reader with visualizing as well. The chapters are under 10 pages long so it is easy for the reader to take breaks if the reading becomes too overwhelming. This book would be a great story for a kid to read as an individual and then conference with a teacher about overcoming obstacles, determination, and believing in oneself.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boy works for the Magician, who allows him to work the puppets in the puppet play but won't teach him magic. Then one performance, Boy discovers that the St. George puppet is missing, and is ordered by the Magician to search for it. Suddenly, Boy finds himself in the Land of Story, and where he must look for the missing puppet within the different nursery rhymes and tales. While I enjoyed Susan Cooper's writing, her descriptions and characters, the plot just didn't work for me. The ending didn't really make sense. I also wish the illustrations had been in color rather than in black and white. They reminded me of the work of '70s artist Peter Maxx. Not a bad read, certainly entertaining, but not her best.

[April · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this but it fell flat for me. I just wasn't drawn in and abandoned the book after a few chapters. This morning I thought I would give it another chance...it could be read cover to cover in an about an hour or so...but I still wasn't interested. I did skip to the end and I liked the way it ended (but even that didn't make me go back to the middle) so I gave it 2 stars instead of one. I could see myself recommending this to some kids...it just wasn't my cup of tea.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

The eponymous magician's boy finds himself in hot water one day, when the puppet needed to play St. George goes missing from the set he uses during performances of St. George and Dragon. Dispatched by the magician to the Land of Story on a quest to find the missing saint, the boy meets many nursery rhyme and fairy-tale characters, from the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe to the Pied Piper of Hamelin, Jack of Jack-in-the-Beanstalk fame to Little Red Riding Hood. Guided on his way by a signpost, he eventually discovers where St. George can be found (he himself must assume the role), and returns to the human world, where his master is impressed, and finally agrees to teach him magic...

I enjoyed The Magician's Boy, which I largely sought out because of my great fondness for some of its author's other works—namely, her marvelous The Dark Is Rising Sequence , her entertaining Boggart books, and her lovely folktale retellings—although I don't know that it is really the equal of some of those other books. The story idea—a hero who must traverse the world of stories, interacting with some of its famous denizens—is one I have seen before, but is entertaining nevertheless, and I thought the resolution here, in which the boy is himself the object of his quest is intriguing. That said, I never felt too deeply involved in this one, perhaps because of its brevity, and the fact that it is aimed at beginning chapter-book readers. Despite the fact that it is not destined to become a favorite, I am glad to have read it, and do recommend it to beginning chapter-book readers who enjoy fantastic fiction.

[Tea73 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pleasant little confection. Easy to read with short chapters, but assumes you are familiar with the standard stories and some that are considerably less standard. (Jack in the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, the old woman who lived in a shoe, the Pied Piper and of course Saint George and the Dragon. Oh and Father Christmas is there too, and bean pods the size and heft of "baseballs", not cricket balls? (Although apparently there is a form of baseball called Welsh baseball.) Anyway, it felt off, even if technically it might not have been. The plot is slim, the denouement predictable, but with a couple of nice unexpected touches.

[Isabel Bryan [the Bookmark Hoarder] · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only read this for Susan Cooper (I love her Dark is Rising series as well as Seaward). I liked the overall story/concept, but the prose was overly simple. I realize it is meant for young readers (probably elementary-age), but I have come to expect better from Cooper. Also, the story was a little confusing.

[Egbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite, easy to read children's chapter books. I've read this book before, though this is the first time I've recorded the fact. I love reading this book to the little kids in my life and even curling up with it when I feel like reading a good book but don't want to commit to a novel. Cute, sweet, simple story with beautiful illustrations this is a comfort book for me.

[Sarah Boone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Need to know some basic fairy tales to get all the references (jack and the beanstalk, little old woman in the shoe, red riding hood, pied piper..) I thought it could be a good fantasy read aloud because it's short, and it does have components of the genre, but not sure it's best representation

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book for young readers who enjoy adventure and are familiar with fairytales. The story reminds me of Job Scieszka’s Summer Reading is Killing Me. The illustrations were not enjoyable most of the time. Great fantasy.

[Kristi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a read aloud with my kids. It was a cute little story.

[Maren Prestegaard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a read-aloud in Maren's 1st grade class. A nice reminder of fairy tales but it won't go down as a classic.

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was disappointing.

[Jackie Ostrowicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite what I expected from Susan Cooper. The story was okay; but it was a short book and easy to read with a six year old. It just didn’t seem deep or hold interest as much as other books.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 5 year old and I found this pretty clever, although I don't think he understood who St George was (in fable, not in the book itself).

[Karina Enriquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

How have I never read this before?
Now I need to go read all her books.

[Kasi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so simple, but cute and fun. Loved it.

[Ronda · Rating 4 out of 5]

My "Book talk" including lots of quotes from the book.


The Boy wanted, more than anything in the world, to learn magic, but his master the Magician always said “Not yet, Boy. Not till the time is right. Not yet.” So the Boy polished the Magician’s magic wands, weeded the garden where the magic herbs grew, fed the white rabbits that the Magician pulled out of his hat, and during performances, helped the Magician perform the story of “Saint George and the Dragon.” His job was to pull the puppet strings while the Magician told the story. One fateful night, as the Magician called for each character to make his “appearance” one the puppet theatre stage, he called for “Saint George”—but St. George was nowhere to be found.

The Boy was terrified. He stepped out from behind the theatre and stood there shaking. “I’m sorry, Master,” he said in a very small voice, “Saint George seems to be missing.” The children all booed loudly. The Magician looked odwn with yes so angry that the Boy was afraid he would turn him into a rabbit. The Magician’s tall figure seemed to grow and grow, towering over the Boy, and he pointed a long finger at him. “Then you must find him!” he hissed. The finger came very close, with its long sharp nail. “You will go where you must go, through all the Land of Story, until you find Saint George!” He swung his arm so that his long dark-blue sleeve swung past the Boy‘s face, and the Boy saw gold moons and stars flash by, and felt himself falling, falling. . . .”

In his journey through the Land of Story, he meets the living and breathing puppets from the play; the old woman who lived in a boot (although he’d always thought it was supposed to be a shoe); the Pied Piper, Pinocchio; Jack, the Giant and the Giant’s wife, and, among others, a talking signpost that tells him “Only a child can find the way to bring Saint George back to the play.” Does the Boy find the way? Does he bring St. George back? To find out, you have join the Boy in the Land of Story—read The Magician’s Boy by Susan Cooper.

[Karissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun book sprinkled throughout with wonderful drawings about a Magician’s Apprentice. A great book for younger kids to read with their parents or for older kids to read by themselves. The story is cleverly done and even adult fans of fairy tales will find it entertaining.

The magician’s boy is upset because the magician won’t teach him magic. The Magician does however let the boy perform a puppet show for his clients. However when the lead puppet (Saint George) is found to be missing the Magician gets angry and throws the boy into the story book on a quest to find Saint George. The Boy tumbles through a series of fairy tales in his quest.

This book was written in a simple way with words that are easy for younger children to understand. The concept addressed in the book is slightly more advanced but well portrayed in a simple way. I read this with my 5 year old son and he was fascinated with the idea of a character being able to fall into a book.

The concept of falling into a book and having to partake of the story in a real-life way is a fun one. This is made even more clever by how the Boy stumbles upon characters from other fairy tales in his quest to find Saint George. The Boy runs into the Old Woman who lived in a shoe, Jack and his Bean Stalk, and Little Red Riding Hood to name a few.

The story has a fun twist at the end that is unexpected and interesting. In a humorous and fun way the story is about how bravery and hardwork can lead to great reward.

The illustrations throughout are in black and white and are cute and funny. They are cartoonish and made both me and my son laugh out loud.

Overall a fun fantasy story that people of all ages can enjoy. The language and writing level are simple and intended for a young audience. The concept of falling into a book and stumbling through other fairy tales to complete an adventure is a fun one. There is plenty of humor throughout and fabulous drawings as well. Recommened for fans of fairy tales and fantasy; especially younger readers.

[Laura (Amys) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The magician's apprentice was a young boy. He was in charge of the extravagant puppet show that was shown during the Magician's performance. One day, Saint George puppet, the dragon slayer, was missing. The magician was angry and sent the Boy back into Story Land. There he ran into many familiar fairy tale creatures. This started his journey to find Saint George and bring him back for the puppet show.

As an adult, I even found myself quickly flipping to the next page to see who the Boy ran into or what would happen next. I could only imagine what kids what think of this as they read it. It's a thicker book but there aren't many words on the page, as the font is larger. This book would be a great to use for those students who are just being introduced into chapter books. The vocabulary and the word-choice was fabulous. The description of what was taking place and what the characters looked like was excellent. I would for sure use this book as a mentor text for 1-3 grade for explaining word-choice.

With the use of familiar creatures and humor students would really be able to connect to the text. It could also be used to expand on students' inferring skills as they tap into their background knowledge of the various fairy tale creatures they meet. I would definitely have a few copies of this in my future classroom.

[KidsFiction Teton County Library]

Teton County Call #: SH CH COOPER
NO RATING
A nice short chapter book that takes a twist on a number of fairy tales, including "The Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe," "Little Red Riding Hood," "Pinocchio," and "Jack and the Beanstalk." Accompanied by wonderful illustrations, the premise of this story is a young boy (whos name is never mentioned) who works for a magician and wants very much to become his apprentice so that the boy can learn some of the magician's tricks. The boy is growing tired of waiting to be taken under the wing of the magician and his tiresome puppet show in which the boy brings to life the puppets as the magician narrates the story. Until onde day, the main character of the puppet show, Saint George, goes missing! The magician tells the boy, "you will go where you must go, through all the Land of Story, until you find Saint George!"
The boy then finds himself in a forest and has a series of adventures where he meets characters from the aforementioned fairy tales. Read how he tries to thwart Little Red Riding Hood from being eaten by the Big Bad Wolf, and how he learns that the Giant (of the Beanstalk) loves chocolate . A cute and funny story that inspires self confidence while entertaining readers with fractured fairy tale adventures.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published: 2005, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Age: 8-12

A boy works with a magician. He works the magician's puppets in a puppet show. One day in the middle of a puppet show, the boy can't find the Saint George puppet. The magician is furious and zaps the boy into the land of the story. There, a signpost says, "Only a child can find the way to bring Saint George back to the play." He desperately searches for Saint George and along the way he runs into The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe and her children, Little Red Riding Hood and the wolf, Jack and the Beanstalk and the Giant, the Pied Piper, and Pinocchio. In the end, there is a twist and the boy receives something special.
Cooper's fantasy is a fractured fairy tale. She changes what happens in the fairytales and includes the boy interacting with each of the characters. The story has a hero and a fire breathing dragon that will delight young boys. Even though the dragon gets killed, the ending makes up for it. If children have not read the fairy tales included in the story, readers will want to find and read them. Suspense rises and you will want to keep reading to find out if Saint George can save the day.

[Katrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Boy works for the Magician, but instead of learning magic, the unhappy lad weeds the garden of magic herbs, polishes the magic wands, and operates the marionettes for the puppet play "Saint George and the Dragon." One day the Boy is transformed into a character in the land of the puppet play, where he encounters well-known folks from nursery rhymes, nursery tales, and other children's classics. He acquits himself so well in this adventure that he earns a real name for himself as well as the promise of lessons from the magician. Fanciful and mildly amusing, the dreamlike story flows along smoothly through a strange yet vaguely familiar wonderland. Riglietti contributes a series of expressive, stylized illustrations. With large type, wide margins, and one sizable picture in each of the 12 chapters, the book is well designed for independent readers, but it can also be read aloud to younger children.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is for a child who is becoming pretty confident about their reading, perhaps grade 3-4. The Boy works hard for The Magician but is unhappy because he wants to learn magic and the magician keeps telling him not now. He also helps the Magician at private shows for people by operating the puppets in the puppet show. One day they are at the beginning of telling the story of Saint George and the Dragon when The Boy realizes that St. George is gone and tells the Magician that. The rather angry Magician sends him to find St. George. After wandering through Story time with the aid of a Sign Post, he finds the dragon and fights and defeats him. At that point he discovers he is back in the real puppet show and the Magician says NOW he can learn to be a Magician. There are some creative twists and turns in this story. The concept of fractured fairy tales has been around for a bit but still, Cooper does a rather original take on it. It is a delightful little story

[deborah o'carroll (offline during 2026) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the most adorable little book I've read in a long time.

I loved the idea of the boy going through Story Land and meeting characters from fairytales and nursery rhymes he'd heard when he was younger. Jack and his beanstalk, Red Riding Hood, the wolf, and others. And the way he interacts with those characters as they're going along in their own stories was just awesome! There was a lot of dry humor and wit, and the ending was also great. Susan Cooper has amazing talent!

All in all, a very cute, fast read that I really enjoyed, and also good for reading aloud. A good book if you want a fun story and if you enjoy fairytales. :)

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

The boy works the magician they do proformances and after everyone the boy does a puppet show, but one day he lost one of his puppets. He travels through the world of fairy tales in search of him. At the end he earns his true name.

I like this book because it's a adventure. It also has big letters so I can read it better.

If you like adventure then you should read this book it also envolves a lot of fairy tales like little red riding hood and jack and the bean stock and much more so if you like fairy tales you should also read this.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maren and I just started this one. I don't know anything about it other than it's by Susan Cooper and I generally like her books.

We liked it. It wasn't fantastic, but Maren enjoyed the familiar characters from different stories and seeing how they connected and interacted with each other. The vocabulary was good and it was well written. It's not too long, and the chapters are just about the right size. We'll probably read it again sometime.

[Shanell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once apon a time there was a boy and he worked for a magician.He washed the rabbits,put on a puppet show, and then he cleaned up the puppets.One night in the middle of the puppet show one puppet was not there he looked every where and the more he looked the more the magician was running out of patience.Finally the magician was furios he sent the boy to a magical world with fairy tales and dragons. I am not going to tell even more your going to have to read the book.

[Aeslis · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Boy, who never gets a name, has to find the Magician's Saint George puppet mid-performance. The Magician casts him into storyland, where the Boy makes his way through several known nursery rhymes and stories. He meets Red Riding Hood, Pinocchio, Jack and the Giant, the Pied Piper, and the old woman who lived in a shoe. While the language was nice and created good imagery, and the concept of using known stories had potential, it's been done better.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 2005 Susan Cooper (The Dark is Rising) novel for young readers that mixes adventure, fantasy, and quest. "The Boy," is an apprentice to the Magician, whose puppet show of St. George and the Dragon transforms into a reality. On a quest to find St. George, The Boy encounters the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe, Little Red Riding Hood, and the giant at the top of the beanstalk. With large print and 100 pages long, this could be a good chapter book readaloud to introduce the fantasy genre.