What do you think?
Rate this book
Wizard
Meghan, a teenage wizard and the sister of Merlin, is fleeing Avalon for her life and accidently ends up in twenty-first century America when Merlin's spell to help her escape goes wrong. She meets Jason, who wants her for himself. She tries to deal with his demands and to adjust to a confusing land and time, and all the while her wizardry is creating more problems than it solves. Finally she has to decide whether she will risk everything to save a friend from the same forces that once threatened her. "WIZARD is a heart-stopping novel that will hold readers enthralled from the first page to the last." Lois Duncan Author of I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER
246 pages, Paperback
First published April 11, 2012
6 people want to read
About the author
Paula Paul
28 books43 followersPaula Paul writes novels that touch the heart and challenge the mind. She has published 25 novels, some with major New York publishers and some with small presses. They include historical fiction, mysteries, YA and literary novels.
She is a native of Texas. She wasn't really born in Lubbock, as her profile info states. She was actually born outside of Lubbock on her grandparents' farm. She grew up on a ranch about 80 miles from where she was born and attended a country school where she graduated as valedictorian.
She has a degree in journalism and worked for several years as a print journalist, winning a number of state and national awards. She has also won national awards for her novels.
She is a native of Texas. She wasn't really born in Lubbock, as her profile info states. She was actually born outside of Lubbock on her grandparents' farm. She grew up on a ranch about 80 miles from where she was born and attended a country school where she graduated as valedictorian.
She has a degree in journalism and worked for several years as a print journalist, winning a number of state and national awards. She has also won national awards for her novels.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 8, 2012
As a HUGE lover of all things King Arthur related, which includes Merlin, I had been excited to get the chance to read Wizard. I thought it would be interesting twist.
Meghan winds up in the face down in a duck pond in the twenty-first century thanks to Merlin’s miscalculations and from the moment the book starts, the reader is drawn in by Meghan’s sarcasm and adorable charm. She is naïve and ditzy in a cute way. Tyler and Ryan are the two other main characters. They are best friends who help Meghan adapt to the new world she’s thrown into. Tyler is a jokester, is strong and brave. Ryan is fiercely loyal, tough but sweet, and like any typical teenage boy confused about girls.
I also liked the secondary characters. Professor Kingsolver is as much in love with the myth of Merlin and King Arthur as any scholar can be and is definitely surprised when meets Meghan. He cracked me up with his relationship with his sister Alicia, who believes she is a witch even though she never actually had any real proof. She is spunky, sassy, and speaks her mind which drives Professor Kingsolver crazy. They were entertaining.
Jason is the villain of Meghan’s tale. He is the stereotypical popular jock who runs the social scene of the school and who everyone follows, mostly out of fear. He is a bigot with a huge ego and extremely arrogant. He treats people like his personal property and discards them without apology when he’s done using them. I liked the way the author used Jason to show how fitting can come at a very high price.
The book explores not only Meghan’s disastrous attempts at magic but also the tough subjects of bullying, harassment, and hate crimes. I liked the way the author approached such subjects through the interactions of the characters and showed how much our words are just as powerful, if not more powerful, than a physical action against someone.
There were a few things about the book that bothered me though. Meghan is supposed to be from the 6th century but her narration comes off to much in twenty-first century vernacular. There’s also a section in chapter two where she claims not to know what the word “teenager” means but she had used it in the first chapter. I would have preferred a more formal speak as she learned to adapt to the new century she was thrown into. Meghan, although cute, was far too gullible and weak. As soon as Jason paid attention to her, she fell head over heels even though she knew Jason was nothing more than a jerk who was treating Tyler like garbage! Then later on in the story, she claims to start having feelings for Ryan, which seemed to come out of nowhere making Meghan seem shallow. There was also far too much repetition throughout the novel of how Meghan learned 21st century form of speaking and what had already happened. The story dragged because of it.
Wizard was a pretty quick and fun read. There was a good amount of cute humor and good moral lessons to be learned. Fantasy fans will enjoy the book.
Meghan winds up in the face down in a duck pond in the twenty-first century thanks to Merlin’s miscalculations and from the moment the book starts, the reader is drawn in by Meghan’s sarcasm and adorable charm. She is naïve and ditzy in a cute way. Tyler and Ryan are the two other main characters. They are best friends who help Meghan adapt to the new world she’s thrown into. Tyler is a jokester, is strong and brave. Ryan is fiercely loyal, tough but sweet, and like any typical teenage boy confused about girls.
I also liked the secondary characters. Professor Kingsolver is as much in love with the myth of Merlin and King Arthur as any scholar can be and is definitely surprised when meets Meghan. He cracked me up with his relationship with his sister Alicia, who believes she is a witch even though she never actually had any real proof. She is spunky, sassy, and speaks her mind which drives Professor Kingsolver crazy. They were entertaining.
Jason is the villain of Meghan’s tale. He is the stereotypical popular jock who runs the social scene of the school and who everyone follows, mostly out of fear. He is a bigot with a huge ego and extremely arrogant. He treats people like his personal property and discards them without apology when he’s done using them. I liked the way the author used Jason to show how fitting can come at a very high price.
The book explores not only Meghan’s disastrous attempts at magic but also the tough subjects of bullying, harassment, and hate crimes. I liked the way the author approached such subjects through the interactions of the characters and showed how much our words are just as powerful, if not more powerful, than a physical action against someone.
There were a few things about the book that bothered me though. Meghan is supposed to be from the 6th century but her narration comes off to much in twenty-first century vernacular. There’s also a section in chapter two where she claims not to know what the word “teenager” means but she had used it in the first chapter. I would have preferred a more formal speak as she learned to adapt to the new century she was thrown into. Meghan, although cute, was far too gullible and weak. As soon as Jason paid attention to her, she fell head over heels even though she knew Jason was nothing more than a jerk who was treating Tyler like garbage! Then later on in the story, she claims to start having feelings for Ryan, which seemed to come out of nowhere making Meghan seem shallow. There was also far too much repetition throughout the novel of how Meghan learned 21st century form of speaking and what had already happened. The story dragged because of it.
Wizard was a pretty quick and fun read. There was a good amount of cute humor and good moral lessons to be learned. Fantasy fans will enjoy the book.
June 11, 2012
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Annabell
As a HUGE lover of all things King Arthur related, which includes Merlin, I had been excited to get the chance to read Wizard. I thought it would be an interesting twist.
Meghan winds up in the face down in a duck pond in the twenty-first century thanks to Merlin’s miscalculations and from the moment the book starts, the reader is drawn in by Meghan’s sarcasm and adorable charm. She is naïve and ditzy in a cute way. Tyler and Ryan are the two other main characters. They are best friends who help Meghan adapt to the new world she’s thrown into. Tyler is a jokester, is strong and brave. Ryan is fiercely loyal, tough but sweet, and like any typical teenage boy confused about girls.
I also liked the secondary characters. Professor Kingsolver is as much in love with the myth of Merlin and King Arthur as any scholar can be and is definitely surprised when he meets Meghan. He cracked me up with his relationship with his sister Alicia, who believes she is a witch even though she never actually had any real proof. She is spunky, sassy, and speaks her mind which drives Professor Kingsolver crazy. They were entertaining.
Jason is the villain of Meghan’s tale. He is the stereotypical popular jock who runs the social scene of the school and who everyone follows, mostly out of fear. He is a bigot with a huge ego and extremely arrogant. He treats people like his personal property and discards them without apology when he’s done using them. I liked the way the author used Jason to show how fitting can come at a very high price.
The book explores not only Meghan’s disastrous attempts at magic but also the tough subjects of bullying, harassment, and hate crimes. I liked the way the author approached such subjects through the interactions of the characters and showed how much our words are just as powerful, if not more powerful, than a physical action against someone.
There were a few things about the book that bothered me though. Meghan is supposed to be from the 6th century but her narration comes off to much in twenty-first century vernacular. There’s also a section in chapter two where she claims not to know what the word “teenager” means but she had used it in the first chapter. I would have preferred a more formal speak as she learned to adapt to the new century she was thrown into. Meghan, although cute, was far too gullible and weak. As soon as Jason paid attention to her, she fell head over heels even though she knew Jason was nothing more than a jerk who was treating Tyler like garbage! Then later on in the story, she claims to start having feelings for Ryan, which seemed to come out of nowhere making Meghan seem shallow. There was also far too much repetition throughout the novel of how Meghan learned 21st century form of speaking and what had already happened. The story dragged because of it.
Wizard was a pretty quick and fun read though. There was a good amount of cute humor and good moral lessons to be learned. Fantasy fans will enjoy the book.
http://openbooksociety.com/article/wi...
As a HUGE lover of all things King Arthur related, which includes Merlin, I had been excited to get the chance to read Wizard. I thought it would be an interesting twist.
Meghan winds up in the face down in a duck pond in the twenty-first century thanks to Merlin’s miscalculations and from the moment the book starts, the reader is drawn in by Meghan’s sarcasm and adorable charm. She is naïve and ditzy in a cute way. Tyler and Ryan are the two other main characters. They are best friends who help Meghan adapt to the new world she’s thrown into. Tyler is a jokester, is strong and brave. Ryan is fiercely loyal, tough but sweet, and like any typical teenage boy confused about girls.
I also liked the secondary characters. Professor Kingsolver is as much in love with the myth of Merlin and King Arthur as any scholar can be and is definitely surprised when he meets Meghan. He cracked me up with his relationship with his sister Alicia, who believes she is a witch even though she never actually had any real proof. She is spunky, sassy, and speaks her mind which drives Professor Kingsolver crazy. They were entertaining.
Jason is the villain of Meghan’s tale. He is the stereotypical popular jock who runs the social scene of the school and who everyone follows, mostly out of fear. He is a bigot with a huge ego and extremely arrogant. He treats people like his personal property and discards them without apology when he’s done using them. I liked the way the author used Jason to show how fitting can come at a very high price.
The book explores not only Meghan’s disastrous attempts at magic but also the tough subjects of bullying, harassment, and hate crimes. I liked the way the author approached such subjects through the interactions of the characters and showed how much our words are just as powerful, if not more powerful, than a physical action against someone.
There were a few things about the book that bothered me though. Meghan is supposed to be from the 6th century but her narration comes off to much in twenty-first century vernacular. There’s also a section in chapter two where she claims not to know what the word “teenager” means but she had used it in the first chapter. I would have preferred a more formal speak as she learned to adapt to the new century she was thrown into. Meghan, although cute, was far too gullible and weak. As soon as Jason paid attention to her, she fell head over heels even though she knew Jason was nothing more than a jerk who was treating Tyler like garbage! Then later on in the story, she claims to start having feelings for Ryan, which seemed to come out of nowhere making Meghan seem shallow. There was also far too much repetition throughout the novel of how Meghan learned 21st century form of speaking and what had already happened. The story dragged because of it.
Wizard was a pretty quick and fun read though. There was a good amount of cute humor and good moral lessons to be learned. Fantasy fans will enjoy the book.
http://openbooksociety.com/article/wi...
May 22, 2012
Meghan is the middle sister of Merlin (yes, THAT Merlin) that history forgot. When Merlin tries to send Meghan forward in time to a land called Amorika, he mistakenly ends up sending her to 21st century America--pretty big difference for a 15 year old girl from England's Dark Ages!
Luckily, Meghan is found and taken in by an ancient languages professor and his teen son, Ryan. Meghan and Ryan become fast friends and he helps immerse her into the world she sees as magic all around her. Cars, telephones, TV's....even the English isn't the same. Needless to say, interesting things start to happen when Meghan tries to use her magic in the modern world. Can she fix things before she ruins more than just her own life?
I thought this was a really cute read. I am a sucker for accidental time traveler/fish out of water stories. They are a guilty pleasure (Black Knight, anyone?). It was also a pretty quick one in just under 200 pages.
Meghan was pretty likable as a character. It was so adorable the way she tried to use American phrases, and how she kept thinking everything was magic or a monster :) She was pretty adamant that she was so different because she was a female wizard, NOT a witch. I guess it goes to show people have been being persecuted for being different since the beginning of time.
Ryan was kind of annoying to me. I will admit it wasn't obvious that Meghan had feelings for him (at least to me, as a reader), but he treated her like a jerk all because of the snobby girl he was dating. Even at the end, I;m not quite sure he had come to his senses about Meghan, but the story seems to have left that option possible, at least.
The whole Tyler storyline and the direction it went bothered me quite a bit. I live in the Deep South, probably one of the most bigoted areas of the nation, and even I can't see someone being tortured for being gay still occurring in 2012. Maybe I'm just naive though...I haven't been in high school for 10 years. I just thought the teen generation now was more open minded about their friends' sexuality.
Finally, I wish there had been a bit more about Merlin and Meghan's past in the book...I understand this was hard to do when keeping the book so short, but it's something I wanted to learn more about.
All in all there were several moments that made me smile in this book, and it was a very fun read. I would recommend Wizard to anyone who loves Arthurian legend or fish out of water tales.
Luckily, Meghan is found and taken in by an ancient languages professor and his teen son, Ryan. Meghan and Ryan become fast friends and he helps immerse her into the world she sees as magic all around her. Cars, telephones, TV's....even the English isn't the same. Needless to say, interesting things start to happen when Meghan tries to use her magic in the modern world. Can she fix things before she ruins more than just her own life?
I thought this was a really cute read. I am a sucker for accidental time traveler/fish out of water stories. They are a guilty pleasure (Black Knight, anyone?). It was also a pretty quick one in just under 200 pages.
Meghan was pretty likable as a character. It was so adorable the way she tried to use American phrases, and how she kept thinking everything was magic or a monster :) She was pretty adamant that she was so different because she was a female wizard, NOT a witch. I guess it goes to show people have been being persecuted for being different since the beginning of time.
Ryan was kind of annoying to me. I will admit it wasn't obvious that Meghan had feelings for him (at least to me, as a reader), but he treated her like a jerk all because of the snobby girl he was dating. Even at the end, I;m not quite sure he had come to his senses about Meghan, but the story seems to have left that option possible, at least.
The whole Tyler storyline and the direction it went bothered me quite a bit. I live in the Deep South, probably one of the most bigoted areas of the nation, and even I can't see someone being tortured for being gay still occurring in 2012. Maybe I'm just naive though...I haven't been in high school for 10 years. I just thought the teen generation now was more open minded about their friends' sexuality.
Finally, I wish there had been a bit more about Merlin and Meghan's past in the book...I understand this was hard to do when keeping the book so short, but it's something I wanted to learn more about.
All in all there were several moments that made me smile in this book, and it was a very fun read. I would recommend Wizard to anyone who loves Arthurian legend or fish out of water tales.
July 20, 2012
WIZARD by Paula Paul follows a unique tale of Merlin's sister, Meghan! She is thrown into the 21st century by mistake and the reader follows as she adjusts to a whole new world and learns who she is. An exciting and fun read about a whole other side of Arthurian legends.
I was so excited to read this! I love anything about Arthurian legends and this just happens to mix a little but with contemporary! I had to read it! Paula Paul, I thought did a wonderful job captivating the cruel side of how high school kids can be to an outsider and the challenges of being the new kid (though I think Meghan had a bit more than the new kid thing going on).
I liked Meghan. I thought she was a good solid character. I feel that she could have been a little bit more believable though as she seemed to fall too easily into 21st century America. I would have expected her to be a bit more...proper, coming from the time period she did. I don't think it took away from the story much but it was noticeable. I liked the magic aspect of her character, being a female wizard!
I liked Ryan and Tyler a lot. They were more believable, and honestly I could have seen myself hanging out with them in high school. Ryan to me was the sweet guy who was a little timid, but something about his demeanor was tough. Tyler brought to the table a lightness that really shone through. He was so fun! But, on the other side of things, Paula Paul did an excellent job of making me hate Jason, the antagonist. I couldn't stand him, he was so nasty!
Overall, I liked this book a lot. I liked the new take on some Arthurian legends. A forgotten sister of Merlin was a very enticing read. I would recommend this book to anyone who also likes all things Arthurian, or if you just want a quick fun read! There was a good mix of everything in this.
I was so excited to read this! I love anything about Arthurian legends and this just happens to mix a little but with contemporary! I had to read it! Paula Paul, I thought did a wonderful job captivating the cruel side of how high school kids can be to an outsider and the challenges of being the new kid (though I think Meghan had a bit more than the new kid thing going on).
I liked Meghan. I thought she was a good solid character. I feel that she could have been a little bit more believable though as she seemed to fall too easily into 21st century America. I would have expected her to be a bit more...proper, coming from the time period she did. I don't think it took away from the story much but it was noticeable. I liked the magic aspect of her character, being a female wizard!
I liked Ryan and Tyler a lot. They were more believable, and honestly I could have seen myself hanging out with them in high school. Ryan to me was the sweet guy who was a little timid, but something about his demeanor was tough. Tyler brought to the table a lightness that really shone through. He was so fun! But, on the other side of things, Paula Paul did an excellent job of making me hate Jason, the antagonist. I couldn't stand him, he was so nasty!
Overall, I liked this book a lot. I liked the new take on some Arthurian legends. A forgotten sister of Merlin was a very enticing read. I would recommend this book to anyone who also likes all things Arthurian, or if you just want a quick fun read! There was a good mix of everything in this.
April 25, 2012
Wizard by Paula Paul is a super story. Merlin the magician transports his younger sister Meghan to safety in eleventh century Armorika (France). Except he doesn’t - she ends up in twenty-first century America! At first Meghan struggles to find the words to describe her new surroundings - cars are monsters, the modern university building with electric lights is an enchanted castle (despite there being no bowmen to defend it) and every room she goes into could be a dungeon with a dragon in it. But order emerges out of chaos and Meghan is taken in by Ryan and his lecturer father, together with Ryan’s aunt, the new-age Alicia. She starts high school where she makes a big impact, not least because of her bungled spells. Meghan means well, but things don’t always go to plan.
Yes, this is another time travel book, but it has such a unique twist. Feisty Meghan, with her less than perfect magical abilities, is the perfect heroine. There are laugh aloud moments when her sixth century behaviour doesn’t quite fit into her new surroundings. But it’s not glib, and there’s a real message in the story about being a true friend and doing the right thing. The shallowness of false friendships because of only wanting to be cool is clearly illustrated. Meghan the outsider learns to value Tyler the outside for himself. Despite being confusing and flawed, modern life suits our heroine. Meghan’s closing words are: “Go back to my own century, I don’t think so!” I’m glad she’s staying because I hope Paula Paul will be creating some more adventures for her.
Yes, this is another time travel book, but it has such a unique twist. Feisty Meghan, with her less than perfect magical abilities, is the perfect heroine. There are laugh aloud moments when her sixth century behaviour doesn’t quite fit into her new surroundings. But it’s not glib, and there’s a real message in the story about being a true friend and doing the right thing. The shallowness of false friendships because of only wanting to be cool is clearly illustrated. Meghan the outsider learns to value Tyler the outside for himself. Despite being confusing and flawed, modern life suits our heroine. Meghan’s closing words are: “Go back to my own century, I don’t think so!” I’m glad she’s staying because I hope Paula Paul will be creating some more adventures for her.
April 25, 2012
Fifteen year old Meghan is from the sixth century and sister to the famous Merlin. Meghan is a wizard, who prefers a wizard’s wand to a witch’s wand. For her own protection, Meghan is sent from ancient Avalon into the future to what was supposed to be eleventh century Amoika. There she was supposed to meet up with Tredwal, a friend to her brother and the boy she loves. But something goes wrong and Meghan ends up in 21st Century, America. The young wizard is stunned by the changes in the world, thinking new technology is a form of witchery. Professor Benton Kingsolver and his son Ryan, are equally fascinated by the young woman, eager to help her. What follows is an attempt for magical Meghan to adapt to her new life as she becomes modernized and sent to school, where she will face the many challenges of being an everyday teenager and fitting in with her peers.
WIZARD is a charming story of mischief and fun. Meghan’s viewpoint into the modern world borders on hilarity as she tries to use magic to control situations with humorous outcomes. Dating current day boys also brings interest to the mix. I enjoyed this refreshing tale of a teen’s struggle to find herself as she gives up the past to begin a new future. Well done!
WIZARD is a charming story of mischief and fun. Meghan’s viewpoint into the modern world borders on hilarity as she tries to use magic to control situations with humorous outcomes. Dating current day boys also brings interest to the mix. I enjoyed this refreshing tale of a teen’s struggle to find herself as she gives up the past to begin a new future. Well done!
February 11, 2016
This book was great!! It is about one of Merlin's little sisters (the middle child Megan), being accidentally transported by Merlin to our time in America. She was supposed to be transported with the man she loves to Amorkia in the 11 century, but Merlin cast the spell wrong. She is in trouble in the 6th Century due to Morgan Le Fey finding out she uses a wizard's wand, even though only males are supposed to. Morgan Le Fey wants her dead. The witch's wand doesn't work for her, so she has to use a wizard wand, what else is she supposed to do? She hasn't had very much training in magic, because she has to practice in secret, so some of her spells come out wrong, which leads to drama. One spell that does work for her is that she knows every language, which is convenient, because she speaks 6th century Brython. It is interesting to see her struggle through learning the improper way we speak, and what all of our slang terms mean. She learns that 21 century America is a lot like the dark ages she came from, and being different here can spell disaster just like it can back then.
May 29, 2012
Wizard is a fantastic YA story. Geared perfectly towards middle grade or early high school students. On face value Wizard is about a girl with a magical heritage sent into the future to avoid persecution and potentially death. Landing in a water fountain at a local college she is lucky enough to find a family willing to take her in and teach her the ways of modern day America. As we follow her through her new experiences we learn that Wizard is also a story about tolerance. In the world today we need to practice tolerance and understanding everyday and through Wizard readers will see why it is so important.
This is a fantastic story that I recommend adding to everyones children's TBR list.
This is a fantastic story that I recommend adding to everyones children's TBR list.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews