Icespell

Spell #3

by C.J. Busby

Join Max and Olivia for more magical thrills, spills, and spells in their third hilarious adventure.

Max and Olivia are loving life in Camelot. Not only is Max having magic lessons with the great wizard Merlin, Olivia is finally in training for the Squire's Challenge. But disaster strikes when Camelot is frozen inside a magical mountain of ice and it's all Max's fault! Can he and Olivia rescue Arthur and Merlin from their icy prison before evil Lady Morgana gets to Camelot and seals their doom?

Icespell is the third book in this fresh, funny series set in the magical time of King Arthur!

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens, Humor, Mythology, Magic, Dragons

160 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2012

About the author

I wanted to be a children's writer from the age of about 10, but got distracted and became an anthropologist instead. I did fieldwork research in south India and then worked for ten years as an academic. I wrote my first children's book, Frogspell, while taking a break between jobs. The sequels, Cauldron Spells, Ice Spell and Swordspell are all now out and I'm working on a new trilogy, starting with Deep Amber which is out in March 2014. My books are fantasies, aimed at ages 7-10, with lots of humour and adventure. They are equally aimed at girls and boys - and grown-ups seem to quite enjoy them too!

Reviews

[Ronel Janse van Vuuren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dragons, magic gone awry and a duck telling everyone what to do – so much fun to read. I liked that Max owned up to his part in the disaster instead of making excuses.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm actually really getting into this series and in my opinion it keeps getting better the further it goes on. We are back with Max, Olive, Adolphus and Ferocious who are trying to stop Morgana from hurting Arthur. With Merlin's help they must stop the trickiest spell yet, the Castle and everything in it has been covered in ice and all those inside are frozen - and that includes Merlin who is trapped with Arthur, it's up to Max and his friends to find a way to undo the spell. But Snotty Hogsbottom and Morgana are determined to make sure they fail.

I really liked to see Max's magic progressing and he also seems to think things through a bit more now, although he still has his clumsy moments which are so a part of his character you can't help but love him. Olivia is still my favourite though, she is so feisty and willing to do anything to get what she wants, I really admire her strength and courage.

This book was fun and exciting and I liked the new characters too, Vortigern the Duck really shakes things up a bit.

I'm looking forward to seeing how the series ends, I'm expecting something spectacular.

[Namratha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things are heating up in Camelot. Or to be more precise, things are freezing up in Camelot. Young Max Pendragon, in a foolish and unsuspecting moment, has encased Camelot in a mountain of ice. Powerful sorceress Morgana La Fey and her nasty young sidekick (and Max's greatest enemy) Snotty Hogsbottom have a role to play in this devious spell. Max is guilt ridden and helpless. And this time there is no Merlin, King Arthur or Lancelot to help him out for they are all stuck inside Camelot.

It is up to the fledgling magician, his brave sister Olivia and their trusty sidekicks, Adolphus the dragon and Ferocious the rat to save the day. Adventure follows, spells are cast and reversed and royal ducks go searching for stray bits of bread.

All this and much more in the third instalment of the SPELLS series. As always, I come away with a smile on my face.

[Blue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once more we’re thrust into the world of this book straight away with Max being taught how to be a better wizard by Merlin. It’s full of excitement and intrigue, and you can’t help but hope that Max is going to master his craft at some point soon. Unfortunately, however, being Max, he ends up doing something wrong and uses his magic to freeze the entire castle, and all the inhabitants inside, including Merlin! This story is full of worry, more adventure, and two children and three animals using their wits, strength, and character to help the adults trapped. It’s fun and full of flair and something that you can just really see younger children loving. Of course, the end once again leaves you wondering what else is to come.

[Zayneea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a wonderful little series. Another great adventure of Max and Olivia.

Lady Morgana is still determined to get rid of King Arthur and this story Max is tricked into freezing the whole Castle into a mountain of Ice with the IceSpell.

From the first two stories, I didn't understand why there was a duck on the front cover - but he does play a very important role in this story as he is a great assistant in the mission to save everyone.

In the last chapter, it is a set up for the final book in the series "Swordspell". I borrowed the first 3 books from my local library which unfortunately do not have this 4th book.... I am going to go on a hunt for it when I get some time as I am loving this series and really want to find out what happens next!

[Elfeeza Ehsan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series just at gets better and better. So Max is dabbling is training under the most powerful wizard in Camelot and he just found out exactly just how talented he really is in the magic department. Maybe even as talented as Merlin himself? As usual the gang gets into some magical trouble which they need to rectify and boy oh boy have the characters grown more real, even little Adolphus. C. J. Busby really thought out this series very well. The plot is easy to follow and the characters get more lovable as the pages go. Really enjoyed this book. Definitely in my list of recommended books for my students.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say about the third book in the series that I haven't already said? I love these simple little tales.
We get to meet a new character in this one - a Royal Duck no less! He's just as charming and loveable as the rest.
I strongly recommend these stories for children aged 7-11, or anyone who likes a quick easy read. There's adventure, there's humour, there are characters who are easy to identify with.
Definite winners.

[Crystal Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and funny. Great entertaining adventure reads that introduce Camelot and King Arthur to kids in a fantastic easily relatable way!

[Malcolm Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd say this is on par for the first two books, this time with a bread-obsessed duck. A little bit of travel, some old friends and enemies, some new. Having Sam being the cause of the problem was a nice twist.
My son is enjoying me reading these to him and was delighted to discover that there is a fourth book in the series.