do-it-yourself magic

Matter-of-Fact Magic

by Ruth Chew

When Rachel and her brother Scott purchase a construction kit that includes a magical hammer that can change the size of any object, the siblings embark on an extraordinary adventure

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens, Young Adult, Chapter Books

Hardcover

First published January 28, 1987

About the author

Ruth Chew is the author of a number of popular books for young readers, including Secondhand Magic and The Wednesday Witch. She was born in Minneapolis and grew up in Washington, D.C. She studied art at the Corcoran School of Art and worked as a fashion artist. She was the mother of five children.

Reviews

[Ryne · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love tiny robbers eating kernels of corn, this is the book for you.

Four stars is the rating I would have given this when I read it as a kid--maybe even five. (I haven't read this book again since then. Was I 9? Something like that.) Anyway, I just loved the idea of hidden worlds, and I was especially intrigued how the characters magically changed the sizes of things. I loved when the shrunken robber had his tiny dinner! The tiny brownie! The tiny napkin!

As a little kid I would take those tiny vending machine toys and imagine, if they were alive, what kind of obstacles they would face. "How would the 2 cm-long horse get from the bathtub to the kitchen sink?" I'd asked myself. Thus, the lovin' for this book.

[Leisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-reading books from my childhood collection. Book #2. Rating based on my past affection for the book and warn fuzziness of memory. Really not readable at my age, but that's okay. Re-homing this book.

[HeavyReader · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is one of the dumbest Ruth Chew books I have read!

There's no witch. There's no explanation of where the magic comes from. The reader never knows why a "Build Anything Kit" from a discount store is magical. I'll buy the bit about shrinking a burglar down to bug size and catching him in a drinking glass, but why in the hell would those kids shrink themselves down to his size and follow him into a castle they built with the "Build Anything Kit"? And why would the castle be inhabited by an entire medieval society? None of this makes any sense!

I like Ruth Chew, but some of her books (like this one) are just plain stupid.

[S. Shigemitsu · Rating 4 out of 5]

A unique fantasy about a kit of do-it-yourself magic and a magic castle to boot. I am not sure if it's just me but the burglar joining the two children into the magic castle felt kind of out place. Otherwise, it was a fun children's novel.

[Sarah Nadler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruth has such an incredible imagination. I grew up reading her stories and absolutely love and recommend them to people of all ages who enjoy children's fantasy stories.

[Phil · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one is cute but has a trope I don't care for... the "misunderstood bad guy".

[Janell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute juvenile fiction but definitely for very young readers.

[C. (Comment, don't blank click reviews). · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Do-It-Yourself Magic” is a special treat. I’m pleased I unearth these treasures out of circulation. Booksellers and people with foresight to send collections somewhere useful, extend availability to us through the decades! An extraordinary departure from Ruth Chew’s witch staples, the concept herein brings to mind a favourite Robin Williams film: “Jumanji”. A child was stuck in a board game that intruded rules and consequences into life. Ruth’s creation isn’t about danger or racing time. It explores the wonderment of unknown realities and possibilities. It would have five stars, if not for a segment with a burglar I considered silly. Truly, what a sparkling mind it takes to dredge up the ideas she did, of such magnificence and originality.

Her tales weren’t long enough to examine. I desperately sought acquaintance with Grandma’s friend and magic articles in “What The Witch Left”. I’d love information about Merlin’s occupancy in a tree, compared with his circumstances as the Merlin of history in “The Hidden Cave”. From whence does the box’s magic come in this story? However the fairest strategy is not penalizing what books don’t encompass but to grade what they do. I wish I could see how Ruth crafted full novels. These are about the feeling of meeting unusual people and extraordinary adventures. We sidestep explanations for the thrill of those moments.

Rachel and her brother, Scott seek a race car. At a discount, they choose a kit that claims to build anything one wishes. The details are thrilling: experimenting with the use of each tool that is powerful and hidden too, until you seek it; hanging onto implements that become invisible. Shrinking your toy castle to discover it has a living, thriving society! Spending a night as honoured guests within.... in a realm you built yourself! What an outstanding story.

[Books Kids Like · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scott buys The Build Anything Kit from the discount store's mark down table. The first thing he builds is a stock car. In the kit, Rachel finds a clear plastic hammer with two heads. One head is larger than the other. Its handle says "Sizer." Scott touches the big hammer head to a wheel. The wheel gets smaller. The small head has the opposite effect. Then, Rachel discovers that the sizer works on things that don't belong to the kit, and their adventures begin. Scott shrinks small enough to drive his newly made stock car. Next, the children build a castle with the kit, and, when they make it life-size, they find themselves transported back in time. Rachel and Scott entertain the earl and his family by singing and playing the harmonica. When they go to a country fair, Rachel is branded as a witch. They hide in their castle until dark when they hope to shrink the castle and themselves so they can return to their own time.
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was like 6 or 7, I ordered this book from Scholastic. I thought it was a book on how to do magic (if you remember scholastic pamphlets, there was never any summaries for the books). What I got instead was a book about two children who find a strange item in a 3D puzzle box that allows them to shrink or grow things they touch with it. Not much magic (besides the shrinking and growing), but a cute book that sort of introduced me to the world of fantasy.

[Cintamani · Rating 5 out of 5]

A boy & girl find a magic invisible double-ended hammer that makes things bigger when you tap them with the larger end and smaller when you tap them with the small end. This opens up a whole new world, and they start creating all sorts of fantastical adventures. So much fun!!! What would you do with that hammer..?

[Catherine Mustread · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rachel and Scott find a magic sizing hammer which makes things larger or smaller (including themselves) in a build anything kit they purchase on sale. Grades 3+

[Angie Lisle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruth Chew was one of my favorite authors as a kid - I still enjoy the magic woven in her stories!

[Sandy Brehl · Rating 3 out of 5]

For its time this was a delightful book, and it stands up as a solid, entertaining read.

[Crystal Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruth Chew was one of my favorite authors during my childhood. I have fond memories of reading her Witch books. They fostered my love for children's literature.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book as a kid.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

An inventive plot, executed with a charming simplicity.