The Magic Coin

Matter-of-Fact Magic

by Ruth Chew

Meredith and Christopher find themselves on a strange faraway island. The magic coin took them there, but now it will not take them home again!

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens, Middle Grade, Fiction, Young Adult, Magic

128 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1983

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

[Omdog · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the finds from a recent trip to my mom's, this isn't so much a review of the book as an explination.

I picked this up last night to re-read since I couldn't recall anything other than a part at the beginning where this magic coin turns into an umbrella, and later a boat. The plot, characters and otherwise important details of the story were gone from my memory, which is really strange for me, especially since the battered cover and dogeared pages indicated that apparently, I love this book.

I know I say in the rating that I like this book, but really, I love it. So why the disparity? Well, it isn't the story I love, or the characters, or the idea, it's what the book means to me.

When I re-found it, the cover fell open and I saw the inscription written for me in 1986 by my second grade teacher, Rita Grinnell. Beyond the story, which I thought good enough to re-read a couple dozen times, the real reason I loved this book was because it was the only personalized Christmas gift I'd ever gotten from a teacher. My previous experiences with public education till that time did not prepare me for the kindness she expressed daily in her classroom. She set the bar for how I measured all other teachers, and I maintain to this day that she's the best one I ever had.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the first books I read and was one of the first ones that I actually fully understood.It was sort of childish but at the same time very dramatic and humorous.

[Alyssa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this at Goodwill and it seemed like an interesting short read. It was indeed very short. I read the whole thing in about an hour and a half.
The synopsis is slightly misleading. What it says is not the entirety of the story, it's more like half the book. The first half of the book is other magic coin shenanigans.
The story itself was a cute brother and sister adventure. There wasn't anything dangerous or hugely fantastic. It all seemed pretty chill, like the kids were just going with the flow. They didn't question anything or fret. I think they just trusted to coin to make sure they were safe, and they didn't seem to think the coin would place them in any danger. Realistically speaking, though, I don't think their pirate experience would have played out as it did. It could have been much more dangerous and traumatic.
Don't expect to get any lore or explanation about the coin. There are no deep explanations for anything. The most you get is who the is on the face of the coin.
Overall, I think it was mediocre, but enjoyable. I think a 2.5/5 is fair (I round down). Straight up saying, "I liked it," doesn't feel right, but I'm comfortable saying, "it was okay."

[Stephen Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a simple fun fantasy story. No big moral, no crushing event to overcome. Just a simple magical story to entertain and inspire imagination.
⚠️ Parental Warning ⚠️
No witchcraft
No language or inappropriate dialogue/situations

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Omg we are talking about old books we read as a kid and I remembered Ruth Chew! I used to love her books and I remember the cover of this one. Good memories!

[Spencer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A creative childrens story I read when I was like 10. I liked the first half if the book better than the second half. But fun.

[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.

[Beka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think Ms. Chew must have had a slightly annoying little brother since she seems to put one in nearly every story. This one was slightly more annoying than usual, but still a fun little story.