The Magic Bicycle

The Magic Bicycle #1

by William Hill

Danny has a magical, shape-changing bicycle that he and Murg, his talking cat, use for their adventures times.

310 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1997

About the author

William Hill is a native of Indianapolis, Indiana, and first learned to read through comic books and adventure and science fiction novels.

Since realizing that the corporate world stifled creative thought and discouraged personal imagination, Bill has been employed as an alchemist in South Lake Tahoe and an EMT/Ski Patroller at a North Lake Tahoe resort.

Although his first writing love is magic-oriented fantasy, Hill's first and second novels - Dawn of the Vampire and Vampire's Kiss - were supernatural thrillers published by Pinnacle. The Magic Bicycle and California Ghosting were published by Otter Creek Press.

Bill and his lovely wife, Kat, and their son, Brin, currently reside in the beautiful Carson Valley of Nevada. Bill intends to write imaginative fiction and fantasy until dirt is shoveled upon his coffin. (And friends have joked, beyond, to the supernatural author state.)

Reviews

[Keshia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young adult reader book with core principles and lessons theme. Danny is dealing with some heavy issues and a new parental figure causes even more issues.
I think this book could do with some better editing, a better book cover to appeal to a young reader and a much better description for those who might be interested in reading it. The author sent me second book in the series as well so thank you very much for that and the giveaway through goodreads.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first in a series, this is a magical, engaging tale geared for the Young Adult reader, however it is also very engaging for any adults who enjoys a bit of fantasy reading now and then. When Danny Chase lose his mother and sister in a tragic accident, he is left in the charge of his cold and grief-stricken father. Feeling alone and a young outcast, he is brought out of his sorrow and grief by an alien who has crashed on Earth who is also an outsider. Through a varying cast of characters, Danny receives a very special gift of a MAGIC BICYCLE powered by his imagination that allows him to time travel back to the past to make everything all right. But will traveling back in time really make things right, or will that open up an entirely new set of problems for Danny?

[Nancy Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imaginative and fun. Poor Danny Chase is NOT in a good place in his life. His mother and sister were killed the year before, and his Dad certainly isn't very supportive or understanding. And Danny has been moved to a new location yet again and hasn't fit in or found any new friends. As a matter of fact, he's being bullied. All he has is his cat, Murg. But all of that changes with a chance encounter with an alien and a new magic bike. This is supposedly a story for young adults, but as a much older reader, I found a lot of positive lessons in the book; in particular, an imagination is powerful tool.

[Brittnay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think that this book was ok... It wasn't one of those books that i counldn't stop reading and wondering what was going to happen next. I think that a person that likes to read a lot of fiction books, I think that person should read it.

[Dow Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was sort of weary reading this book through the beginning but it definitely picks up and held my interest. Being older, it made me feel young but if you're around 10-15, I'd say that's the best age to read this book. Very heartwarming and full of excitement. Can't wait to read the next!

[Marissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

i have learned that there is a lot of mythical stuff to read in this book and its fun!

[Asuka · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off, I want to say while the cover is dated, I absolutely love it. I do feel updated cover art for this book could appeal more to the current generation than the cover this novel has now. Personally, the very quirky cover is what attracted me to this book, and ultimately led to me reading it, but I am also quite strange. (I love cats too!)

Now onto the actual content of the book, this story is unique, and interesting. The main character Danny goes through a lot of trauma, which I am not going to go in detail about as it is kind of a spoiler, in the middle of one of these traumatic events, things start to get weird, and I mean WEIRD.

The weirdness is what I love about this story, I would say this book is what most people would call "out-there". I don't think I've ever read a book quite like this, yes there are other similar stories, but this one just has something different about it. It's magical, mystical, and fantastic.

I personally deal with things that are hard for me with otherworldly metaphors, and imagining things as different than they are. This book kind of fuels that thought process.

After Danny goes through these traumatic events he gets thrown into a world of aliens, a talking cat, and a magic bicycle to name a few. While in these fantasy situations, there is kind of an evaluation process as he works through his issues with mystical things instead of the harsh realities. Which in some cases can help deal with trauma as you don't have to talk or think about the very things that traumatized you directly, bringing back memories, and making things worse.

I feel this book sends an excellent message, and deals with many struggles that kids and teens do legitimately experience. I feel like this book can serve as a tool to promote healthy coping mechanisms as well. Overall, I found this book to be a very good read, and I highly recommend it.

[Jaclyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a giveaway. I thought the premise sounded fun and unique and would be a good book for my son once I read it first. I was surprised at all the themes in it, from a grieving distant father to guilt over deaths to bullying to time and choices of whether to change things to friendship to geniuses in the past to the power of imagination and making your own magic. It was such a great way to approach all of them and a wonderful hopeful ending with closure in the most important areas. I didn’t expect to be into it but I really cared about the characters and even teared up towards the end. Danny is a great kid and very empathetic. The way he deals with things that are very relatable and things that aren’t (like a new alien friend, a magical bicycle, and choices involving time travel) is believable and sweet. Besides a few words I’ll substitute when reading for my son, it is a great book for middle schoolers and beyond. It’s thought-provoking and well thought out with lots of heart and fun, and I’m very glad I won it!

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main character is a boy who has experienced loss. In addition, his family moves frequently because his father is in the military. He does not make friends easily and ends up being bullied. He misses the friends he had to leave with each move.
This is where the story gets fantastic. He meets up with an alien who gifts him with a magic bicycle. While in the end he ends up finding a way to be successful without magic, his use of the bike to deal with his current life is a big part of the story. It may seem like a silly story, but the author deals with these common issues in a thoughtful way. Danny seeks answers to the hard questions regarding his loss with the help of the bicycle and his cat, Murg. He experiences typical feelings that many will recognize. The ending is satisfying. It is a clean read, but there is some bullying. I would recommend it for any age, but don't let the cover fool you, most of it is not a sunshine and rainbows type of book. (I received this in a goodreads giveaway.)

[Franchesca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Danny is a young teenage boy who moves around a lot and recently lost his mother and sister in a car wreck. After totaling his bike running from bullies Danny meets a shape-shifting alien and saves him from being captured, and in return is given a magical bicycle as a gift for doing so. The magic bicycle can also shape-shift and is powered by imagination.

A journey through space and time on a magic bicycle with a talking cat, facing big decisions and moral dilemmas against deep emotions. Non stop excitement from beginning to end, vividly imagined with good moral and life lessons, and age appropriate. I really enjoyed this book.

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway!

[Diane Bateman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved how well this book was written .. It had a very good story about friendship and imagination and loved how well it was written ..

[Kelly Knapp · Rating 5 out of 5]

A biblical allegory full of fantasy and friendships, heroism and suspense, and full of basic values that both conservatives and liberals can agree upon.

[Fred · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book for a middle grade student. Good writing and plot. Kids will enjoy the book. My niece will use it in her classroom library.

[Kelly Erwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this book to my nephew to read. He said the cover needs to be more appealing. I also read this book. I thought is had good core principles and lessons.

[Gin Battista · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr Hill definitely has a wonderful imagination! Thank you, Goodreads, for this great book!

[Michelle Pulignani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story

[Flower · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books. A great story and pretty quick read. I had a hard time finding a copy of this book once I loaned out my first copy. It is the story of a young pre-teen boy who has experienced a tragady in his life. He then meets someone that changes his life. A young reader book but very good. William Hill is considered a local author here. There is a second book in this series called Chasing Time. Hill also has a vampire novel about this area. It involves the area that was flooded when TVA built a dam therefor creating a lake. Kinda cool book if you are familiar with the area.