What do you think?
Rate this book
Wizard vs. Lizard
Fred may look ordinary, but sometimes people who look ordinary turn out to be not very ordinary at all ... because it just so happens that Fred is a Wizard!
Sounds pretty great, right? Except that Fred is absolutely, completely, mind-boggingly TERRIBLE at magic. At school, he’s stuck in a class of wizards half his age, feeling like a twit among tots. At home, he’s endlessly teased by his siblings and always a disappointment to his parents. All Fred wants is to become a better wizard....
So when he hears about a competition to meet Merlin(yes, THE Merlin!) Fred knows it's his one chance to prove to his family that he's not the worst wizard in town. The catch? To win the competition he has to capture the tail of a terrifying, fire-breathing lizard...
From Simon Philip, author of You Must Bring a Hat and I Really Want the Cake, and Sheena Dempsey, illustrator of Dave Pigeon, comes a tale full of magic and fun.
Sounds pretty great, right? Except that Fred is absolutely, completely, mind-boggingly TERRIBLE at magic. At school, he’s stuck in a class of wizards half his age, feeling like a twit among tots. At home, he’s endlessly teased by his siblings and always a disappointment to his parents. All Fred wants is to become a better wizard....
So when he hears about a competition to meet Merlin(yes, THE Merlin!) Fred knows it's his one chance to prove to his family that he's not the worst wizard in town. The catch? To win the competition he has to capture the tail of a terrifying, fire-breathing lizard...
From Simon Philip, author of You Must Bring a Hat and I Really Want the Cake, and Sheena Dempsey, illustrator of Dave Pigeon, comes a tale full of magic and fun.
173 pages, Paperback
First published February 21, 2019
27 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 27, 2019
This book was read by our after school bookclub. Here are their opinions......
It has real world problems like being overshadowed by your siblings or being behind at school. It is very funny and engaging for young children and it makes a completely new world for you to explore. 5*
K.A-Y.
This book was funny, weird and serious at times. I think it is amazing but surprised it made me feel overjoyed. I would recommend it to my friend who loves dinosaurs as lizards are related to dinosaurs. 5*
L.G.
I liked that in the book there are a few pictures. Another reason is it has mythical creatures. I would recommend it to my friends as most of them like Harry Potter and Artemis Fowl. 3.5*
D.H.
This is a tale full of magic. Terrible magic. Fred is a normal boy but a terrible wizard!
A.J.
It's funny. I like them using magic powers. I would like my friends to read this. My favourite part was the 'which witch used which wand...' tongue twister. 5*
A.M.
I liked the bit that said 'which witch uses which wand.....in a tick of a witch's watch'. I would recommend it to all ages as it's funny. 5*
C.R.
I liked the bit with the old wizard asking Fred lots of questions. I would recommend it to my friends. 5*
T.M.
I like the writing and the drawings. I really liked the font, it was easy to read and understand the text and I learnt some new words too. My favourite bit was on page 19/20 with the tongue twister all about 'which wand belonged to which witch.......'5*
E.O.
I liked how Fred's family thought he wouldn't achieve much in life but in the end he shows that he isn't pointless. I would recommend it to my friends who love reading and I can't wait for the sequel W.I.T. (wizard in training). My favourite part was the part where the two guards on the door confuse him with the password. 5*
N.S.
It has real world problems like being overshadowed by your siblings or being behind at school. It is very funny and engaging for young children and it makes a completely new world for you to explore. 5*
K.A-Y.
This book was funny, weird and serious at times. I think it is amazing but surprised it made me feel overjoyed. I would recommend it to my friend who loves dinosaurs as lizards are related to dinosaurs. 5*
L.G.
I liked that in the book there are a few pictures. Another reason is it has mythical creatures. I would recommend it to my friends as most of them like Harry Potter and Artemis Fowl. 3.5*
D.H.
This is a tale full of magic. Terrible magic. Fred is a normal boy but a terrible wizard!
A.J.
It's funny. I like them using magic powers. I would like my friends to read this. My favourite part was the 'which witch used which wand...' tongue twister. 5*
A.M.
I liked the bit that said 'which witch uses which wand.....in a tick of a witch's watch'. I would recommend it to all ages as it's funny. 5*
C.R.
I liked the bit with the old wizard asking Fred lots of questions. I would recommend it to my friends. 5*
T.M.
I like the writing and the drawings. I really liked the font, it was easy to read and understand the text and I learnt some new words too. My favourite bit was on page 19/20 with the tongue twister all about 'which wand belonged to which witch.......'5*
E.O.
I liked how Fred's family thought he wouldn't achieve much in life but in the end he shows that he isn't pointless. I would recommend it to my friends who love reading and I can't wait for the sequel W.I.T. (wizard in training). My favourite part was the part where the two guards on the door confuse him with the password. 5*
N.S.
February 8, 2019
What a delightful book!
I didn’t know this book was being sent to me, so a huge thank you to Simon and schuster because I adored it.
Fred is the typical underdog in a family full of over-achievers: I felt like he was a very young Ron Weasley, overshadowed by all his siblings. It instantly made me want to wrap him in a big hug and tell him that it didn’t matter how talented they were, and that he’d find his own skills...
My virtual hugs were unnecessary because despite warnings from his family and bff (I heart Marvin!) he sets off on this deadly mission, (see blurb!!).
This book is full of danger, humour and it made me smile so much. Fred is amazing! He’s full of spirit, bravery, courage, friendship and resourcefulness.
I can’t wait to pass this on to my godson.
Perfect for fans of Andy Shepard and Neil Gaiman’s Fortunately the Milk.
I didn’t know this book was being sent to me, so a huge thank you to Simon and schuster because I adored it.
Fred is the typical underdog in a family full of over-achievers: I felt like he was a very young Ron Weasley, overshadowed by all his siblings. It instantly made me want to wrap him in a big hug and tell him that it didn’t matter how talented they were, and that he’d find his own skills...
My virtual hugs were unnecessary because despite warnings from his family and bff (I heart Marvin!) he sets off on this deadly mission, (see blurb!!).
This book is full of danger, humour and it made me smile so much. Fred is amazing! He’s full of spirit, bravery, courage, friendship and resourcefulness.
I can’t wait to pass this on to my godson.
Perfect for fans of Andy Shepard and Neil Gaiman’s Fortunately the Milk.
March 12, 2019
This is a great little book which I've been reading to some of the kids at work. They were completely engrossed the first few chapters because it was very funny and then towards the end it builds to a more dramatic storyline. OK it's a little derivative... a young wizard, the name Fred, a big family, including twins, all named with names beginning with W....other than that though it's a genuinely lovely little book.
June 28, 2019
Hilarious, witty and a lot of fun to read!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews