The Magician Next Door: A fantastical adventure story for children aged 6, 7, 8, 9 who love magic, flying houses and stories about friendship

by Rachel Chivers Khoo, Alice McKinley (illustrator)

A magical tale from the author of The Wishkeeper’s Apprentice, with gorgeous black-and-white illustrations throughout.“A charming story brimming with magic and wonder." Hannah GoldLate one night a flying house crash-lands in ten-year-old Callie's garden. It is the home of magician Winnifred and all of her magical artefacts. Winnifred asks for Callie's help finding her lost Wanderdust – until she realizes it is Callie's sadness that is causing her malfunctioning magic. With Winnifred's most precious magical possessions at risk from malicious pixies and dangerous giants, can Callie and her friend Sam find the Wanderdust in time to save the magician?

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Fiction, Childrens, Family, Juvenile, Audiobook

208 pages, Paperback

Published March 7, 2024

Reviews

[Nic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Winnifred is a magician with a problem: her flying house has crash-landed in the middle of the countryside. The negative energy emanating from a particular cottage has clashed with the mechanisms of magical house removal. A young girl called Callie is the source of such sadness that could bring down a house! In order to help rectify things for Winnifred before further disaster strikes, Callie must act courageously, facing a series of increasingly perilous events, and confront her emotions bound up with layers of loss.

I loved the use of setting as intrinsic to much of the story-telling: the Mourne Mountains have their own magic long before Winnifred manifests! Winnifred’s house literally plunging from the sky and opening up this intrusion into Callie’s isolation. I enjoyed the quirky magical gadgets- “an invisible-intangible-imperceptibly charm” has got to be a plot device of any writer’s dreams! 😂

The Magician Next Door features a child living with grief and looking for a new sense of belonging and as such, amongst the giggles, there are some lovely, tender moments of reflection and lots of life-affirming messaging.



I read this before its publication date on NetGalley.

[Jester · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Magician Next Door is a story about grief and belonging, and the author handles the themes well. This is a short and quick read. The plot is entertaining, and so are the characters—especially the Magician, of course. There are seldom female magicians in fiction, so I was even more curious about reading this story.

I enjoyed this very much and am glad I came across it.

Note: Using new rating system starting 2025.

[andra · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5** (or at least this is how my younger self would've rated this book)

This book took me on a nostalgic kind of adventure - the kind I loved back when I was still reading Rainbow Magic books and The Bliss Bakery books in elementary. I loved the characters, I loved the setting, and I loved the simple message that this book has - that home is about the people and you should not be afraid of change. It was whimsical, wholesome, and delightful. As an adult reading this, it definitely wasn't the "best" book I've ever read but even now I had such a fun time reading it and if my 9 year old self had found this book on the library, I would probably have ended up borrowing it.

Thank you so much to Walker Books and Netgalley for the ARC!

[Florence Mullot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Voilà typiquement le genre de romans littérature jeunesse que j'adore. On y retrouve la magie de l'enfance, l'aventure, les émotions en ébullition, un ton juste et des personnages adorables. Ma voisine la magicienne apporte une grosse dose de bonne humeur, malgré des sujets abordés pas forcément très gais. En fermant le roman, je me suis même dit qu'une suite serait vraiment géniale.

Nous rencontrons donc Callie, une enfant qui vient juste de déménager et donc de quitter le foyer qu'elle a toujours connu. Sa mère étant décédée il y a plusieurs années de cela, le départ a une note encore plus profonde pour la jeune fille. Pour Callie déménager revient à rompre tous les liens qu'elle avait créés, perdre ses souvenirs en un sens, ne plus avoir de maison. Elle dit avoir le mal du pays, mais en soi, c'est bien plus profond que cela. Elle est déracinée et ne pense pas pouvoir retrouver cette sensation de chez soi. Et pourtant, la nouvelle région où son père a décidé d'emménager est magnifique, pleine de surprises et avec des voisins accueillants. Mais ce n'est pas chez elle.

Ayant déménagée moi-même plusieurs fois durant l'enfance "à cause" du travail de mon papa, il était facile de faire écho à ce que peut vivre Callie. Quitter ses amis quand on est enfant, c'est une épreuve. Je n'ai jamais été en colère contre mes parents par contre, même si je peux là aussi comprendre notre jeune héroïne. Elle est, en un sens, face à un deuil. Celui de son ancienne maison, de son ancien quartier, de son ancienne ville. Ce n'est pas évident de reconstruire surtout quand on a vécu de très bons moments. Callie doit en plus de cela gérer les émotions liées au décès de sa mère. C'est cette ancienne maison qui renferme tous les souvenirs que Callie avait d'elle. Et pour notre héroïne, ce déménagement est une perte énorme. Ma voisine la magicienne va donc se concentrer sur l'acceptation et l'envol de Callie, le cheminement un peu douloureux mais surtout la vision de ce que le futur peut lui réserver. De nouvelles rencontres, dont notamment Sam, petit garçon intrépide qui connait comme sa poche la région, et Winnifred, notre fameuse magicienne. Le fait de réaliser que non, elle n'a rien perdu, que sa maison ce sont les gens qu'elle aime et que la distance ne signifie pas forcément la fin de tout. Un parcours émouvant qui m'a beaucoup touché.

Il y a aussi la partie magique et un peu folle de l'histoire. Une bouffée d'air frais face au chagrin de Callie mais aussi un moyen de comprendre beaucoup de choses. Et c'était parfait. Le côté magie fait écho à l'enfance, et ajoute une touche d'imaginaire que j'adore. Winnifred va conduire notre petit duo dans une aventure un peu folle, inquiétante mais surtout extraordinaire. Un nouveau monde s'ouvre à nous, et franchement, on aimerait tous avoir une voisine comme Winnifred (surtout pour le service de livraison à domicile de repas... j'en rêve encore...). C'est loufoque, drôle, attachant, intrépide aussi. Callie va devoir sortir de sa zone de confort, faire des erreurs, mais surtout se découvrir et ça c'était super.

Ma voisine la magicienne est un petit roman jeunesse comme je les aime. Frais, pétillant, drôle mais qui aborde aussi des sujets importants pour l'enfant. Ici on n'infantilise pas, on apprend en faisant des erreurs et en allant de l'avant. Pour sûr, Rachel Chivers Khoo est une auteure que je vais suivre et j'espère que ses autres romans seront traduits.

[books.bintulu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aug 2024: The Magician Next Door

Oh, I never expect the theme of this book!

There is ten-year-old Callie, who just moved to North Ireland due to her father's new job. Callie had a hard time adjusting and blamed her father. She missed her old house, her best friend Mia and the memory of her late mother while they lived in London.

One night, Callie heard a loud noise outside. To her surprise, a house landed in her yard, upside down! She saw a woman at the door, but when she went to check, the house disappeared! Sam, her neighbour was there too because of the loud noise.

The next day, Callie received a letter from Winnifred Potts, the woman at the door who was asking for Callie's help to get her magical Wanderdust back and regain her magical power...

✨️✨️✨️

Moving to a new place and leaving your old friends and familiarity is hard. This book reveals the feeling of HOMESICKNESS and how Callie gets to overcome it to save Winnifred and Sam. At this age, I still have that feeling sometimes🥺 and reading this book gives me a warm feeling.

Callie is such a sweet girl, she appreciates her friendship with Mia and cares a lot about her barely-knew friends Winnifred and Sam. She's coping with the loss of her mom and feels guilty for feeling cross at her father but soon learns her lesson...

✨️"Sometimes you think you are in the wrong place and then it turns out that you are exactly where you were meant to be."✨️

I love Winnifred the magician cum inventor. She's tethered to her house and becomes lifeless if she gets out. And her magical products are fun too. Who doesn't want an ever-changing wallpaper that brings the outside world inside?

I have a feeling this book is going to have a sequel since there are a lot more magical places according to Sam's Seven Wonders of the Mourne Mountains. And of course, the Magician's Emporium products that haven't been discovered.

Thank you #Pansing for this copy. This book is available at all good bookstores.

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Callie is one of the typical girls in books like this – grieving for her deceased mother and angry that she has been moved, with her dad, from her home and friends in busy London to the silence and remoteness of Northern Ireland. There lives one potential new friend thereabouts, but as she's spent the summer moping in her bedroom that's not developed. But when a humongous noise brings her attention to the garden one night, she sees the results of someone else forcibly moved – a magician's house has landed in the garden. Well, I say landed – it's crash-landed, upside-down, and the magical mojo of the place has left it, which will result in the whole building and the magician inside losing everything within days. After all, it's not like Callie and the non-friend, Sam, are going to be able to help the magical Winnifred out, is it?

Now, there's two ways of approaching this. One is to state that it is far from perfect. The other is to admit that when it slumps down it's noticeable because it hits, and sustains, a pretty decent height elsewhere. At one point, about a third of the way in, it was a surprise to see, practically in front of my eyes, the text say "right, reader, that's the introduction done, here's what the thrust of the book will be". That didn't strike me as subtle, and seemed a bit late. A point much further on has the very likeable lead Callie capital-G Get the capital-M Message of it all, and yet that's still not too big a problem, however laboured it gets. Sure, her character arc, from timid loner to rope-climbing heroine is a bit too broad and swiftly covered, but again that isn't a heinous sin here.

What I found here was a concise, quickly-read (large print, much pictorial content, not too many pages all told) drama of some small renown. You'll recognise the girl-forced-from-home trope, but where she ends up is fine for this fantasy. The volume does not make sure it's a book about the Mountains of Mourne, where it's set, or Any Generic Land With Magic, but the piece is probably more relatable for practically forgetting its real-world setting for the greater part. So yes, once again I fall into my trope of filling negative boxes and yet not doing what I should be – lauding a more than reasonable story, that is more than able to intrigue the magically-minded young reader, with a very positive friendship formed through high action, showing high agency for our heroine. So for all the hiccups and issues and flaws you might see flagged up too much in the reading of this, it's definitely four star-worthy.

[Tonja Drecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whimsical fantasy mixes with gentle adventure to form a magical read, which lets imagination take flight.

Callie wishes she could just go back to London, but her father claims that his new job allows him more time to spend with her and relaxes life in general. But she misses her friends and her mom. While gazing out of the window one evening, a sudden noise is followed by the short appearance of a house standing upside down in the hard. A woman appears in the window, and then, all is gone, but a strange turtle-shelled shingle from the roof is on the lawn, and a huge crater has formed where the house once was. Her dad says it was a meteor, but she knows better. When a note asking for help appears in her room, the adventure begins.

This read snuggles up in the area of chapter book readers sliding into lower middle grade reads. The font is larger, the spacing generous, and the illustrations add even more lightness. The plot jogs along at a nice, steady pace and stays mostly action orientated. There are spouts of deeper, emotional moments as Callie misses her mother and friends, which do lean toward the middle grade direction more, but the rest of the tale is fairly straight-forward and playful to still embrace the chapter book reader end.

As for the story, it's cute, imaginative, and offers just enough tension to make it fun. It's never said why the parents separated or why Callie is living with her father and seems to have no visitation rights with her mum. Which as an adult, seemed odd, but young readers won't spend much thought on that. She's more concerned about the absence of her best friend, and while this does weave into the story as well as influence the plot, it also jabs in here and there to concentrate on the adventure. The neighbor boy adds personality, which gives great balance to the magician's, and the magic is simply enjoyable.

This book sets the stage for what could be an entire series of adventures, and I'm sure it would be much-loved. I received a DRC and enjoyed the adventure quite a bit.

[whatbooknext · Rating 4 out of 5]

Callie is still angry at her dad for moving them both to Northern Ireland from London. She feels she has left everyone she knows and loved behind in the city she was born in – including her best friend Mia and memories of her mum.

Five weeks later and she is still sulking in her bedroom, unable to shift the anger from her heart and words, even though her father is trying his best. She knows she is being unreasonable but cannot lift her intense homesickness. One night, something very strange happens as she is gazing out at the dark.

A house lands in her back yard. Upside down.

She can’t believe her eyes and also catches a glimpse of a woman in the house doorway. A moment later the house and the woman, vanish. The only person she can tell is the boy next door who is also still awake when he should be fast asleep. He tells her to believe her own eyes, even if it seems impossible, and he is soon proven right.

A strange note arrives from the owner of the house. The woman is a magician in a very tricky situation. Her house is upside down because the special magic that looks after it has run off – leaving her in terrible danger. If the wanderdust magic doesn’t return, her home will be found and taken apart for its magic by all manner of magical creatures.

Callie can’t believe her ears either. Fairies, Pixies and Giants? Will they really steal the magician’s house?

When Callie learns that she is the reason the wanderdust left, she knows she must find her old self and save The Magician Next Door.


Beginning with a very homesick nearly 10 year old girl, and finishing with a battle of giants, fairies and run-away magic, this wee gem of a story was very entertaining.

Illustrated throughout and full of magical wonders, The Magician Next Door has everything. A main character to feel for, a brave and kind new friend, a magical new neighbour in need and a cause to bring out the courage in all to save a life.

The ending leaves a promise of more in a series where a girl, a boy and a sometimes cranky magician could have more adventures together.

[YSBR · Rating 4 out of 5]

At just ten years old Callie has already lost her mom, now she’s moving with her dad from London (and the only flat she’s ever known as home) to a quiet village in Northern Ireland. Missing both the city and her best friend, Callie has no interest in leaving the cottage… ever. Unless it’s to go back to London. She also doesn’t want to try to make new friends, even if there is a boy about her age that lives next door. But all that changes when a magical house crashes (upside-down) into her backyard in the middle of the night. The magical Wanderdust that powers the house has gone missing after being repelled by Callie’s homesickness, and magician Winnifred enlists Callie and her neighbor Sam into helping her find it. The only catch is that Callie and Sam may have to fight off giants and fairies who will be looking to steal the Wanderdust for themselves! Helping out Winnifred may be just what Callie needs to cure her homesickness, and make a new friend too. Callie and Sam are cued as White, Winnifred is described as having brown skin and box braids.

The message is a little heavy handed, but Callie learning that home is more than just an address is an experience that will resonate with anyone who has moved as a child (or even as an adult). McKinley’s illustrations (I loved Sam’s Seven Wonders of the Mourne Mountains map) really add to the story and almost every page has some kind of detail on it. The magical inventions that Callie and Sam learn about are cleverly named giving this story a level of whimsy that helps to offset the heaviness of Callie’s emotions. There’s even a drizzleberry pie recipe included at the end! This is a satisfying standalone, though there is potential for this to be turned into a series. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...

[Stace · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Magician Next Door is a captivating middle-grade story that follows the adventures of Callie and her dad, who have recently moved from London to Northern Ireland. Callie is struggling with homesickness and misses her best friend, Mia. Late one night Callie hears a loud crash outside and she sees an upside-down house and a woman. However, as soon as she sees them they disappear and all that is left is a hole in the ground.

Callie’s neighbour, Sam, also heard the noise and joins her in investigating the incident. Soon after, Winnifred the Magician contacts Callie, seeking her help. Winnifred’s wanderdust has malfunctioned, causing it to disappear, and she cannot travel in her magical house without it. She needs Callie and Sam to help her find it before the magic in her house runs out and Winnifred will be gone forever.

The Magician Next Door is an amazing story that covers a range of themes, including homesickness, grief, and the importance of making new friends. Callie is a fantastic character who grows as the story progresses and discovers her inner strength and courage. Sam is a delightful character, always eager for adventure and level-headed throughout. Winnifred is quite a worrisome magician but then I suppose if you were facing impending doom you would be too.

Overall, the story is absolutely wonderful. It is a quick read and alongside the remarkable plot are amazing black and white illustrations which will help children to visualise the characters and scenes perfectly. Hopefully, readers will find comfort in the story and help them realise the importance of friendship.

[Bookread2day · Rating 5 out of 5]

I became a fan of author Rachel Chivers Khoo after reading The Wishkeeper’s Apprentice.

The Magician Next Door by Rachel Chivers Khoo is a fantastic fantasy story. Everyone loves a story full of magic. Children will love this exciting story, that will transport them, escaping, into the land of make believe.

Callie Brown, is feeling lost and lonely moving from her flat wither dad to Northern Ireland. One evening Callie’s new house begins to become a bit more exciting, when a magician’s house lands in her garden unpside down.

Normally magicians stay hidden from all humans, but Winnifred needs Callie’s help. Callie sees Winnifred Potts as someone who could be quite dangerous with magic powers. Wanderdust scattered around, and sent the magicians house upside down, so now Winnifred wants Callie to help find the wanderdust. I truly loved this whole story, and the authors wonderful imagination. I’m already looking forward to the next book.

I would like to thank walker books for sending me a copy of one of my favourite authors books to read and review

[Rowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Magician Next Door by @rachelchiverskhoo and published by @walkerbooksuk is an incredibly wonderful story about magic, homesickness and finding your place in life.

Rachel Khoo effortlessly links together the idea of magic with strong emotions so that when our homesick heroine, Callie, has a magical house land upside down in her back garden, she can overcome her sense of loss and grief and help Winnifred the magician. In such a short time we see Callie progress from hopeless and despondent to courageous and wonderful. But it doesn't feel forced. Instead Callie owns up and understands the consequences of her actions.

This book is wonderful and magic in a way that makes you desperate to share it with your children.

[Therearenobadbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5. Very sweet. The cover is gorgeous. It has sparkles; I love a book with a lot of illustrations, even if they are framing the text. The book is sad and deals with grief and change, dealing with the loss of a parent and how the child and the father react to this new life away from home, but learning to let the anger go and being willing to try new things and make new friendships can sometimes open the door to amazing, wonderful possibilities. I like the creatine, imaginative, and fantastic bits of it where magic rules, giants exist, and memories become treasures. It's simple, fast, and easy to read but filled with honest, uplifting emotions and adventure towards the end. A ray of sunshine after a very sad stormy day.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an exciting children’s book with nice, complementary artwork which I liked. A fantasy story of magic and mayhem, of finding your feet as a child in a new place, and of discovery things about your family not spoken about because of the grief of loss. That makes it sound really sad, and it isn’t at all. It’s full fun and action. As an adult I found some of the descriptions around how the magic works here a little confused. As a child I would have just accepted it, and read on to find out what happened next, without any determent to my enjoyment. Thank you to Walker Books and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

[Nicola Day · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read a lot of children's/middle grade books so I often enjoy them but I just couldn't get into this one.

The problem of her homesickness seemed to be fixed so quickly and easily and the interactions with giants and fairies seemed to be over so quickly yet those were the most interfering part.

I found the plot pretty dull otherwise and was not invested in the characters at all.

I also found the narrator of the audiobook horrendous when speaking the parts in the N. Irish accent. Every line has the exact same intonation and it was so grating.

Listened at 1.50-1.65x speed on the Libby app through my local library.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Content warning: parental death

A sweet story about ten year old Callie who recently moved with her dad from London to a quiet village in Northern Ireland. As Callie deals with her homesickness of leaving London, her best friend, and the last place her mom lived, she begins a tentative friendship with new neighbor Sam. Then one night an upside down house appears in Callie’s yard kicking off an adventure Callie and Sam could never have imagined. While they help a magician locate the wanderdust that powers her house and allows her to travel the world, Callie learns that home is more than just an address.

McKinley’s artwork is a perfect addition to the story.

[Gemma Batters · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a charming, magical story with a powerful message about belonging.

The main character, Callie, is relatable and her problems feel real. So, it is only when facing huge magical problems that she is able to step away from her own issues to tackle a problem on behalf of a magician.

There are lovely themes on dealing with grief and home being carried around with you - as well as an actual magical house!

The illustrations throughout the book really lift the story, as do the magical adverts and recipe at the end.

[Minzreadssss · Rating 4 out of 5]

The theme was focused on "homesickness" I feel like they could have handled it better. That's why a lesser point.
The comparison of a town and a city is so true. In big cities, people just mind their own business, while in town, people are TOO much into each other's business, both have their pros and cons. It is good for privacy, but it is very lonely, while in town you keep interacting with people, no matter how much you try to avoid it lol - as Callie mentioned about inviting people formally in the city.

Loved the illustrations in between, they were a vibeeeee.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Callie is mourning her mother and frustrated that her father has taken a new job in Northern Ireland far from her home in London. One night a house, yes, a house lands just outside her window and it lands upside down. When she blinks, the house disappears. The house belongs to Winnifred, a magician, and she needs Callie’s help to fix her house. With the help of her neighbor Sam, the three of them set off on an adventure to save the house. This is a book about magic and the healing power of place and friends.

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used the author's first book in my course and my students love the book. We were luck enough to have had Rachel join us on Zoom for an author visit which was the highlight of the course.

Rachel has a unique way in blending emotional vulnerabilities with magic. It is this combination that can help children feel more open about their feelings as the whole process becomes magical.

[Isa Rive · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moving from your home, no longer being surrounded by familiar faces is a tough experience. While Callie is struggling to adjust, what should appear in the middle of her new backyard, but an upside down magicians house. A gentle adventure with lovely illustrations scattered throughout. Great for those starting to move past their first few chapter books. 3.5stars

[David Barker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely story of magic and mayhem amidst the Mourne Mountains, with an important message about the true meaning of home. Great cover and illustrations inside too. Perfect for young middle-grade readers

[Izzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

the cutest, sweetest most magical book i could have read.fast paced but with hints of found family and friends and of belonging somewhere new.this has fast become of of my most favorite books to date

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a gorgeous story full of magic, embracing adventures, finding home and a whole load of wonderful mythical creatures! I love that Callie is so open to how she feels and she doesn’t shy away from it! Feelings are superpowers. This was so canny and gorgeously illustrated!

[Zac · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the perfect book to read aloud with my 9 year old daughter. There’s adventure, magic, great characters and a good dash of silliness. We both loved it and will look forward to more stories with Callie, Sam and Winnifred.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This children's book is delightful. I loved the illustrations by Alice McKinley. The adventures Callie and new friends Sam and Winnifred go on are filled with magic, fairies, and giants. What more could a young reader want?
-Elaine Hopper, Owner
Marble City Books

[Katherine Bichler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

In a new neighborhood, a girl sees a house land upside down in her backyard. She must help the magician get back on her feet.

Cute, fun book about magic and helping others.

[Zazie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this on audio but apparently, there are illustrations? I guess I missed those. I loved the last half better than the first half, but it was a nice read nonetheless. I would recommend this story to kids it is aimed at.

[Kristina]

Cute story that introduces middle grades readers to fantasy, magicians, and magic. Loved it.

[Mariam Luqman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was cute! For some reason it reminded me of reading Mermaid Magic as a kid