Blue Magic

by Edith Ballinger Price

Hook line: A sickly boy on a sunlit voyage meets a blue, bookish Djinn who brings magic to life aboard a racing yacht and along the Nile, the Adriatic, and Italian shores.

In this classic tale, a young boy named Fen travels with his family aboard a mighty yacht. Struck by illness, he finds a companion in Siddereticus, a Blue Djinn who hides among the pages of imagination and the glow of Egyptian legend. Their unlikely friendship unfolds across deserts, temples, and candlelit corridors as Siddereticus shares visions of tombs, gods, and ancient wonders. A mysterious amulet named Thoth becomes a beacon that shapes Fen’s journey from the Nile to the Mediterranean, inviting wonder and courage at every turn.




Follows Fen’s quiet strength and curiosity as he longs to explore the world despite his back injury.
introduces a magical, charismatic Djinn who can transform ordinary moments into adventures.
Centers on travel from Egypt’s timeless ruins to bustling ports and grand Italian cities.
Rides the tension of a fragile health story with moments of whimsy, danger, and hope.


Ideal for readers who enjoy old‑fashioned adventure with a touch of magic and a focus on family journeys at sea and ashore.

Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1919

Reviews

[Alanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

As there is no description of this book, I will write a short one here. Fen is a seven year old boy who can no longer walk after an accident. His family takes him on a tour across the Mediterranean, in order to make him feel better, yet they leave him on the boat while they go sightseeing. A Blue Djinn (or a man called Thornton pretending to be a djinn, take your pick) entertains Fen with songs, travel experience, and magic.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a description: A 7-year-old boy with an injured back from an accident four years ago that prevents him walking is taken for a change of air in the Mediterranean. When they are on the Nile, a young man comes to the yacht to introduce himself to the family because his father had known them, but when he finds that Fen has been left onboard with his caregiver while the family is sightseeing, he decides to pose as the genie Siddereticus. Fen is enchanted at having his very own genie. Siddereticus magically produces scarabs at the first meeting, gives him an amulet later, sings for him, and provides other small gifts, all of which delight the boy. When they sail for Venice, Fen is worried that he will not see Siddereticus again, but the genie shows up there. The young man decides to follow and continues to act the genie for Fen when the family goes to the Bay of Naples to meet his Aunt Cynthia. Throughout the story, the young man's actions raise Fen's spirits.

I thought it was a fun, easy read.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a rare and wonderful book. Completely charming and not at all overly sentimental, beautifully written without being indulgently so. It is short, and though I would have loved more, honestly it is the perfect length for itself. It carries a bit of the magic in its story into the reader, something particularly rare and necessary in these times. It crossed my mind that JD Salinger might have read this or another of the author's books and been inspired to find his form there. I couldn't find anything by Edith Ballinger Price here on GoodReads, but I was able to add her and this book. I looked her up on Wikipedia, such a lovely sounding person: and I ordered another of her books.