The Magic of Endings

by Tom Avery

Jojo Locke's dad disappeared six years ago. And what's stranger still, none of his family can really remember him, there's a hole inside each of them where Dad should be.
But then Aunt Pen arrives, a real faerie, with her tricks and wishes. She tests Jojo to see how deep his courage runs and sets him off on a journey to find their memories of Dad, and an adventure far beyond what he could have imagined begins.

Genres: Middle Grade

215 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 5, 2023

Reviews

[Anubha (BooksFullOfLife, LifeFullOfBooks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

An adventurous tale of Jojo Locke and his family who are visited by the fairy Penn and the Sandman. A magic fueled story of whimsical wishes and exploring the mystery behind Jojo's dad Jamie's disappearance from their lives. Cozy middle grade fantasy ✨️🔮

[Ian Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable novel with a well-drawn setting in England's South-West. The story concerns a boy who has lost his father. It draws on many sources about fairies, goblins and the Arthurian legends (and references some other magic stories). There are a lot of facets to this world and a lot of 'stuff' that the main character needs to do to complete his quest. Sometimes this becomes a little confusing and overly complex in my view. Also, I love a fart joke at least as much as the average middle-grade reader, but Trevor, the farting dog, is strangely unfunny.
However, Penperro, the witch, is nicely drawn, the various locations on the hero's journey are beautifully described and there is a lot of magic and emotion to be had here.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the concept of the book and the idea of introducing English Folklore and old beliefs to the attention of the younger generation. The story was poignant and explored grief and moving on. It made me want to find out about the history and meaning behind Fairies and what they represented.

[Lisa M · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful story about remembering a loved one and the adventure that happens when you have a fairy godmother!

The story is beautifully written and perfect for children who like adventure stories

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is really good, thank you Tom! And it's so good I almost fell asleep. You're the best at making books and I like it which you know because I gave it 5 stars. (K, 8yo)

[Alison May Cotter · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.7🌟 I loved the plot, but it was hard to follow and just wasn't well written.

[Bethany Sawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

A reluctant hero, Jojo is suitably unimpressed at having to spend his summer with his grandparents, even when mysterious Aunt Pen arrives to cause mischief. Eventually, Jojo embraces the magic the faerie brings, lets go of his worries and realises she can help them find his missing father, who none of them can remember. A quest is undertaken, reminding me of a mixture of The Castle of Tangled Magic by Sophie Anderson and Snowglobe by Amy Wilson, full of secrecy and memories, can Jojo complete it before it’s too late? A brilliant MG magical realism story which tugs on the heartstrings and makes you giggle in equal measure.

[Samuel Pollock · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to say, the title "The Magic of Endings" is a bit misleading. It gives the reader the image of how the book is going to be a book about endings, while in reality it is about a boy and his family loosing the boy´s father, but just can´t remember anything about the incident. Somehow, the boys father is remembered to have been alive, and then he just suddenly one day disappeared.

The storyline itself was decent, but could have used more action. It is also packed full of different people/creatures, which is why I did miss understand or not at all understand what is happening during the story. Take for example, he is a bird flying and suddenly sees his father and shouts for him, but in return he disappears and some sort of fog appears, after which within seconds the boy is back in a normal human shape.

After reading the adventure the boy had, it got me thinking how much he sacrificed for to at least remember his father. This shows how much effort, courage, and sacrifice he was willing to make so that he could remember his father. That teaches a lesson that when family members are around you, you don't realize how much you actually love them until they´re gone.