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Matter-of-Fact Magic
Royal Magic
While looking at an exhibit in the Museum of Natural History, Cindy and Jack are magically transported to an early African civilization, where they must save the king and his Royal Jester from the terrible customs they are forced to obey.
10 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
67 people want to read
About the author
Ruth Chew
48 books137 followersRuth 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.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 10, 2021
Cindy and Jack are visiting a museum when they are magically transported through one of the displays into ancient Africa. In the middle of the jungle, the children meet a man with a beautiful flute who escorts them to the royal palace to meet the king of the Edo empire. There they find court intrigue and a royal secret.
I loved this fun story! The history is really interesting and we get to learn about the culture of the Edo empire (also called the Benin Kingdom) in ancient Nigeria. It was an amazing kingdom with roads and infrastructure and walled cities and trade. The king was called the Oba, and Cindy and Jack get to meet the Queen as well. I loved reading about the unique customs and manners of the people, their greetings and social hierarchy. Everything from the way they built their homes to the way they ate their food had a special organization to it.
The plot is simple enough for a child to follow, but also interesting enough to keep my attention. I love the straightforward writing style. There is a charm to the writing that draws the reader in.
I loved the interesting characters! Cindy and Jack are just normal kids, but they are quite intelligent to pick up on all the subtle mannerisms of their new friends. They adapt quickly to the culture, and they are wise to avoid any major faux pas.
It was very interesting to learn about the Oba and his family. The royal characters are likeable and mysterious. The characters who are servants and hunters are more fun and relaxed though.
There are also slaves in this society, who serve and do the difficult work. I think it's appropriate that that aspect of this ancient culture was not brushed under the rug. It's important to learn this history, so that we can learn from the mistakes of the past. There are also some mentions of human sacrifice, and the Oba says that he is trying to convince the priests to do away with human sacrifice. The Edo empire was not a perfect society, and I like that this book shows us the good with the bad.
This was such a fun read! I love Ruth Chew's writing!
I loved this fun story! The history is really interesting and we get to learn about the culture of the Edo empire (also called the Benin Kingdom) in ancient Nigeria. It was an amazing kingdom with roads and infrastructure and walled cities and trade. The king was called the Oba, and Cindy and Jack get to meet the Queen as well. I loved reading about the unique customs and manners of the people, their greetings and social hierarchy. Everything from the way they built their homes to the way they ate their food had a special organization to it.
The plot is simple enough for a child to follow, but also interesting enough to keep my attention. I love the straightforward writing style. There is a charm to the writing that draws the reader in.
I loved the interesting characters! Cindy and Jack are just normal kids, but they are quite intelligent to pick up on all the subtle mannerisms of their new friends. They adapt quickly to the culture, and they are wise to avoid any major faux pas.
It was very interesting to learn about the Oba and his family. The royal characters are likeable and mysterious. The characters who are servants and hunters are more fun and relaxed though.
There are also slaves in this society, who serve and do the difficult work. I think it's appropriate that that aspect of this ancient culture was not brushed under the rug. It's important to learn this history, so that we can learn from the mistakes of the past. There are also some mentions of human sacrifice, and the Oba says that he is trying to convince the priests to do away with human sacrifice. The Edo empire was not a perfect society, and I like that this book shows us the good with the bad.
This was such a fun read! I love Ruth Chew's writing!
May 20, 2015
Read this first when I was 10 and back then, this was a pretty magical read for me. Now I'm 25 and it still brings me to a magical place. Amazing. :) This is actually one of the books that started me on the right path of reading.
January 4, 2024
Quick read. Interesting story but none of the magic has any explanation. It just happens and the kids go along with it. I don’t know enough about the Edo civilization to know if this is an accurate glimpse into their society. But if you can overlook a few plot holes it’s enjoyable. It seemed a little unnecessary when the kids started teaching ancient grownups survival tips right off the bat.
January 3, 2023
African-American children fall into an African diorama at the museum. Magic! They are mistaken for visiting royalty by Africans of some long ago time and have some adventures before seeking out the magic that will bring them home.
May 8, 2018
Definitely a bit of a pleasant departure from her usual formula. Enjoyable with a little mystery for kids.
November 19, 2011
As a child, one of my earliest memories is scouring the old school card catalogue looking for Ruth Chew books in my elementary school library. Chew's stories are always fantasies of some kind that transport the reader to a different land in some magical fashion.
I remember her book about the 20 league boots that two girls found. Each wore a boot - and holding hands, they made their way to Mexico, where they went to a market and bought little trinkets. I still look for her books at thrift stores constantly. I found this copy at the Friends of the Library Amazing Bookstore last week after school. At a cost of 25 cents I feel like I really scored!
Royal Magic was published in 1991, so it must be a book that Chew wrote later in career. The story centers around a brother and sister, Jack and Cindy. Jack and Cindy live in Brooklyn and take the train with their parents to Manhattan to visit the Museum of Natural History. This book is totally pre "Night at the Museum" action! In fact, maybe the story was lifted from old Chew. You can imagine what happens next . . .
Jack and Cindy are suddenly transported to a living version of a diorama depicting a culture that lives in a jungle. Will Jack and Cindy ever rejoin their parents at the museum? You'll have to read about all their adventures in the jungle to find out if they manage to get home.
I'm going to keep scouring thrift store shelves for more of Ruth Chew's book and building my collection. My interest and devotion is still as strong as when my chubby little fingers worked their way through a paper card catalogue in search of a little magic.
I remember her book about the 20 league boots that two girls found. Each wore a boot - and holding hands, they made their way to Mexico, where they went to a market and bought little trinkets. I still look for her books at thrift stores constantly. I found this copy at the Friends of the Library Amazing Bookstore last week after school. At a cost of 25 cents I feel like I really scored!
Royal Magic was published in 1991, so it must be a book that Chew wrote later in career. The story centers around a brother and sister, Jack and Cindy. Jack and Cindy live in Brooklyn and take the train with their parents to Manhattan to visit the Museum of Natural History. This book is totally pre "Night at the Museum" action! In fact, maybe the story was lifted from old Chew. You can imagine what happens next . . .
Jack and Cindy are suddenly transported to a living version of a diorama depicting a culture that lives in a jungle. Will Jack and Cindy ever rejoin their parents at the museum? You'll have to read about all their adventures in the jungle to find out if they manage to get home.
I'm going to keep scouring thrift store shelves for more of Ruth Chew's book and building my collection. My interest and devotion is still as strong as when my chubby little fingers worked their way through a paper card catalogue in search of a little magic.
January 28, 2012
Oh, boy, how low Ruth Chew sunk. Her early books were so good, but this one is just mostly bad.
This is the only of Chew's books to feature African-American kids.
There are so many holes in this story...
Cindy and Jack live in Brooklyn. They go with their parents to the Museum of Natural History in Manhattan. While the kids look at a diorama of primates, their parents wonder off for just a few minutes to look at the giraffe exhibit. Suddenly, with no explanation of why this happens, Jack and Cindy are sucked into the now living, breathing world of Africa. They run around with strangers for several days, never once saying they miss home or want to go back. These kids are just masters of going with the flow.
At the end of the book, still with no explanation of the magic which transported the kids into an alternate dimension, a woman casts some kind of spell for them and BAM! They're back in the museum. Ha! Ha! There several days of adventure in the alternate dimension lasted on a few minutes in this world.
Apparently the magic also make people capable of understanding each other when they speak, even if it would be impossible for them to speak the same language.
If I hadn't decided to read every book Ruth Chew has ever written (and gotten published), I would have not wasted my time with this one.
This is the only of Chew's books to feature African-American kids.
There are so many holes in this story...
Cindy and Jack live in Brooklyn. They go with their parents to the Museum of Natural History in Manhattan. While the kids look at a diorama of primates, their parents wonder off for just a few minutes to look at the giraffe exhibit. Suddenly, with no explanation of why this happens, Jack and Cindy are sucked into the now living, breathing world of Africa. They run around with strangers for several days, never once saying they miss home or want to go back. These kids are just masters of going with the flow.
At the end of the book, still with no explanation of the magic which transported the kids into an alternate dimension, a woman casts some kind of spell for them and BAM! They're back in the museum. Ha! Ha! There several days of adventure in the alternate dimension lasted on a few minutes in this world.
Apparently the magic also make people capable of understanding each other when they speak, even if it would be impossible for them to speak the same language.
If I hadn't decided to read every book Ruth Chew has ever written (and gotten published), I would have not wasted my time with this one.
August 3, 2016
I really enjoyed this book as a child and I just finished reading it to my daughter. It is a quick read that doesn't go too in depth into magic (the why and how things happen), but instead opens one's eyes to a different time and different culture.
April 14, 2016
I loved this book as a child and can't wait to find a copy and read it with my children.
June 2, 2016
Good book
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews