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Magical Mischief
Hardbattle Books is no ordinary bookshop. Magic has settled there in every corner and over the years has brought chaos to Mr Hardbattle's life and driven away most of his customers. His livelihood threatened, Mr Hardbattle is finally forced to take action. Together, Mr Hardbattle, the resourceful and down-to-earth Arthur and Miss Quint embark upon a quest to find a new home for the magic.
304 pages, Paperback
First published June 7, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
September 30, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed this middle grade fantasy! It was a random library find and I'm looking forward to reading more from this author. The characters were cute and interesting, the premise was fun and whimsical, and it reminded me a lot of Eva Ibbotson's books, which were my favorite when I was young.
I was prepared to give this book a higher rating, but in the end I had two problems that prevented me from giving it more than 3 stars: (1) The initial conflict of the book was that the magic in the bookshop needed a new home, but that conflict was quickly outweighed (eclipsed?) by the conflict of Ms. Quint's mistakes. I was unsure what the main goal was for the characters, and it seemed like the issue of the magic was totally absent for at least a third of the book. (2) The ending was rather abrupt! The reader cannot even be sure whether the magic really did find a home (though the inference would be that it did, in the old tower on the free range chicken farm), and from there -- what was going to happen to Mr. Hardbattle? I was expecting an ending in which Mr. Hardbattle would somehow get to keep the bookshop.
Regardless of these two points, I'll still recommend this to readers who enjoy middle grade fantasy as a quick and charming read.
I was prepared to give this book a higher rating, but in the end I had two problems that prevented me from giving it more than 3 stars: (1) The initial conflict of the book was that the magic in the bookshop needed a new home, but that conflict was quickly outweighed (eclipsed?) by the conflict of Ms. Quint's mistakes. I was unsure what the main goal was for the characters, and it seemed like the issue of the magic was totally absent for at least a third of the book. (2) The ending was rather abrupt! The reader cannot even be sure whether the magic really did find a home (though the inference would be that it did, in the old tower on the free range chicken farm), and from there -- what was going to happen to Mr. Hardbattle? I was expecting an ending in which Mr. Hardbattle would somehow get to keep the bookshop.
Regardless of these two points, I'll still recommend this to readers who enjoy middle grade fantasy as a quick and charming read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 18, 2012
When I read the description of this book it sounded like it would be a really fun and interesting story to read. Mr. Hardbattle has been losing customers from his bookstore because, to put it bluntly, the place stinks. When he does some investigating to determine the cause, he finds out that it is all due to magic. He further learns that the way to get rid of the magic is to thoroughly dust and clean his store. With such a big heart and compassionate nature, he simply can't bring himself to do that. Rather than do so, he allows the magic to stay, even though sometimes it gets completely out of hand and leaves a mess that takes hours to clean up.
The story includes several very interesting characters in addition to Mr. Hardbattle. These include Arthur, Miss Quint, Susan (a girl who gets wished out of a book), Scallywag (Mr. Hardbattle's dog) and Trunk, a stuffed elephant left behind by a customer. Although I enjoyed most of the characters, I don't agree at all with the book description of Miss Quint wherein it calls her "lovable." Without giving away too many details I will say that I found her to be anything but lovable. In fact I felt that her actions were a poor example of how an adult should act. Rather than take responsibility and owning up to her actions, she repeatedly lies and makes up stories in order to keep from getting in trouble.
If you're looking for a fun, enjoyable escape into the world of fantasy, mixed with a little bit of mystery, then this may be just the book for you. Geared toward the 9-12 year old readers, I believe that it will appeal to both boys and girls alike. At 194 pages it's a quick read (I finished it in just two to three days). The book didn't turn out all like I expected it to and therefore, I came away with less than the WOW! I was hoping for. The other disappointment I felt when I was finished came from the fact that the story seemed to just end abruptly as if the author was either a) assuming that you know how it ends, or b) is leaving it open for a sequel. Either way I feel cheated.
The story includes several very interesting characters in addition to Mr. Hardbattle. These include Arthur, Miss Quint, Susan (a girl who gets wished out of a book), Scallywag (Mr. Hardbattle's dog) and Trunk, a stuffed elephant left behind by a customer. Although I enjoyed most of the characters, I don't agree at all with the book description of Miss Quint wherein it calls her "lovable." Without giving away too many details I will say that I found her to be anything but lovable. In fact I felt that her actions were a poor example of how an adult should act. Rather than take responsibility and owning up to her actions, she repeatedly lies and makes up stories in order to keep from getting in trouble.
If you're looking for a fun, enjoyable escape into the world of fantasy, mixed with a little bit of mystery, then this may be just the book for you. Geared toward the 9-12 year old readers, I believe that it will appeal to both boys and girls alike. At 194 pages it's a quick read (I finished it in just two to three days). The book didn't turn out all like I expected it to and therefore, I came away with less than the WOW! I was hoping for. The other disappointment I felt when I was finished came from the fact that the story seemed to just end abruptly as if the author was either a) assuming that you know how it ends, or b) is leaving it open for a sequel. Either way I feel cheated.
November 9, 2011
Cozy British fantasies are hard to find these days, so fans of this genre will enjoy the latest by Dale. A bookshop owner discovers that magic has taken up residence in his little shop, and he doesn't know what to do. Since the magic is tricky, and temperamental, though mostly good-spirited, he must step carefully. After consulting an expert, he decides to do nothing--and for ten years, the dust gathers and the magic has its way. Business drops off to almost nothing since every person who comes in smells a different unpleasant odor. Then Mr. Hardbattle is given notice of the rent going up far beyond what he can afford, and he must take action--he must move the magic to a new spot, or lose his home and livelihood. Enter Arthur, a 13-year-old boy, and Miss Quint, a middle aged chatterbox who can be exceedingly annoying. They tackle the problem of where to put the magic, but along the way, have some unusual adventures. The book falls short of greatness in the Diana Wynne Jones sense, and it's hard to like some of the characters (Miss Quint never really seems to evolve and the bad-guy characters are very one-dimensional) but is still an entertaining chapter book for 4th to 6th graders.
November 5, 2017
Honestly, I decided to stop reading this. I’m an adult, but I can’t imagine a kid that would want to read this book. The most prominent of the main characters are a middle aged woman and an elderly bookseller, with a kid thrown in as a sort of afterthought.
The author also embraces strict gender roles and stereotypes so lovingly that this is why I ultimately put the book down — “the females of the household were already in the kitchen” — I thought, fuck it, this was published in 2010 and I’m embarrassed to be reading it.
The concept itself is cute and the prose aren’t bad, but I wouldn’t recommend this book at all. Maybe if you’re ultra-conservative it’ll be up your alley, but for those of us living in the 21st century, this book is better left on the shelf.
The author also embraces strict gender roles and stereotypes so lovingly that this is why I ultimately put the book down — “the females of the household were already in the kitchen” — I thought, fuck it, this was published in 2010 and I’m embarrassed to be reading it.
The concept itself is cute and the prose aren’t bad, but I wouldn’t recommend this book at all. Maybe if you’re ultra-conservative it’ll be up your alley, but for those of us living in the 21st century, this book is better left on the shelf.
February 25, 2025
An incredibly interesting read. Picked this up from a charity book table (found it signed, which is very exciting!) and thought I would give it a read. At 22 I am certainly not the age demographic, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. It is an excellent escape from the stresses of life and I do feel that it could be enjoyed by all, particularly those around 9-12. My only criticism is that the ending is left quite inclusive. Either you are to assume the magic gets transferred to a free range chicken cope, or there was supposed to be a sequel. Either way I am left wondering what happened to Mr Hardbattle and his book store. Did it get saved? What is life like there without the magic? Did Miss Quint become an assistant there? And I still question whether they could have come up with another solution in which the magic remained in the bookshop and they found another way to get customers in.
January 1, 2019
This is the first book that eleven-year-old me ever read in a single day, staying up all night to finish it. As with all of Dale's books, Magical Mischief is beautifully written and perfectly captures a magical world for its younger audience.
September 17, 2025
4.5. Sweet and nostalgic, a wholesome read with found family, a fun magic system and books! Very whimsy and cute
December 7, 2011
Book talk: There are few places left where magic can live undisturbed. The world is too busy, too clean, and too new for magic. So when a bit of magic finds Mr. Hardbattle's dusty, quiet, old bookshop it is delighted. Living with magic can be hard--it smells awful and can create quite a mess when it gets excited. But life is never boring when the bottom step may turn into custard at any moment. So when Mr. Hardbattle learns he'll have to move out of the shop he's worried about where the magic will go. With the help of his new friends, though they just may be able to save the shop and the magic.
Rocks my socks: The premise of someone trying to save an independent book shop from closing down is timely and presented in a charming way. This is an old-fashioned fairy tale kind of world where people's characters are reflected by their names. I enjoyed reading about the mischief the magic got up to and I enjoyed the characters of Mr. Hardbattle and the boy Arthur Goodenough who ends up helping him.
Rocks in my socks: The plot has more holes in it than a sieve, the characters are mostly two-dimensional, and the pacing is slow. I really wanted to like this book, but I didn't. It was, like Arthur, good enough but the lackluster characterization and weak plot kept it from truly engaging me. Having worked in an independent book store the wildly inaccurate depiction of that annoyed me as well. I have no idea how Mr. Hardbattle could run a shop where the books constantly rearrange themselves, or keep afloat when he only has one or two customers a day unless he's doing crazy amounts of delivery, which doesn't seem to be the case. His shop must be really tiny too if a couple of people with no book shop experience can shelve ALL the books in the course of a morning. Many plot devices felt contrived such as the exterminator who randomly stopped by the shop then immediately began work as soon as he discovered what he thought to be a roach infestation without speaking to anyone other than a child too young to actually work there. The completely unsympathetic portrayal of the only teacher in the book didn't exactly thrill me either.
Every book its reader: I'd give this to someone looking for a magical tale to read before bed--something sweet that they'll be able to easily put down and pick up the next night.
Read more of my reviews at http://auldschoollibrarian.blogspot.com/
Rocks my socks: The premise of someone trying to save an independent book shop from closing down is timely and presented in a charming way. This is an old-fashioned fairy tale kind of world where people's characters are reflected by their names. I enjoyed reading about the mischief the magic got up to and I enjoyed the characters of Mr. Hardbattle and the boy Arthur Goodenough who ends up helping him.
Rocks in my socks: The plot has more holes in it than a sieve, the characters are mostly two-dimensional, and the pacing is slow. I really wanted to like this book, but I didn't. It was, like Arthur, good enough but the lackluster characterization and weak plot kept it from truly engaging me. Having worked in an independent book store the wildly inaccurate depiction of that annoyed me as well. I have no idea how Mr. Hardbattle could run a shop where the books constantly rearrange themselves, or keep afloat when he only has one or two customers a day unless he's doing crazy amounts of delivery, which doesn't seem to be the case. His shop must be really tiny too if a couple of people with no book shop experience can shelve ALL the books in the course of a morning. Many plot devices felt contrived such as the exterminator who randomly stopped by the shop then immediately began work as soon as he discovered what he thought to be a roach infestation without speaking to anyone other than a child too young to actually work there. The completely unsympathetic portrayal of the only teacher in the book didn't exactly thrill me either.
Every book its reader: I'd give this to someone looking for a magical tale to read before bed--something sweet that they'll be able to easily put down and pick up the next night.
Read more of my reviews at http://auldschoollibrarian.blogspot.com/
January 10, 2020
If I had a favorite realistic fantasy trope, it would have to be something of the sort found in Magical Mischief: rogue magic inhabiting some place and the people who live/work there having to find a way to deal with it. In this book, the magic is in a bookshop, and the events that happen as Mr. Hardbattle (the owner) and his friends try and relocate the magic before he goes out of business are as wild as the magic itself.
The one major flaw in this otherwise charming book is that it was simply too long, and after a time the characters and the plot started to grate on me, especially Miss Quint and the sideplot (but then actually the main plot?) of characters from books being wished into existence and the wreaking havoc in the real world. That plot went on forever, and Miss Quint, who is an adult, refusing to come clean and telling lie after lie to cover up her tracks got more and more annoying. There was also some pretty inconceivable events that happened and altogether I thought that plotline really dampened my enjoyment of the book.
I did like Susan’s plotline, though, and that was tied up with the annoying plotline, so I suppose it wasn’t all bad. I just wish the book had maybe been about fifty pages shorter, and hadn’t had that wild burglary angle complete with kidnapping and car chase because that’s when things really started getting unbelievable.
Basically, I really liked the first half of Magical Mischief, but the second half was a bit of a chore to read, so I finished the book with more of a negative feeling than a positive.
The one major flaw in this otherwise charming book is that it was simply too long, and after a time the characters and the plot started to grate on me, especially Miss Quint and the sideplot (but then actually the main plot?) of characters from books being wished into existence and the wreaking havoc in the real world. That plot went on forever, and Miss Quint, who is an adult, refusing to come clean and telling lie after lie to cover up her tracks got more and more annoying. There was also some pretty inconceivable events that happened and altogether I thought that plotline really dampened my enjoyment of the book.
I did like Susan’s plotline, though, and that was tied up with the annoying plotline, so I suppose it wasn’t all bad. I just wish the book had maybe been about fifty pages shorter, and hadn’t had that wild burglary angle complete with kidnapping and car chase because that’s when things really started getting unbelievable.
Basically, I really liked the first half of Magical Mischief, but the second half was a bit of a chore to read, so I finished the book with more of a negative feeling than a positive.
May 1, 2012
Marvelous little story about a dusty old bookshop that harbors enough magic to wreak havoc and drive away customers. The owner and his unlikely sidekicks must find a new home for the magic, but in the meantime many adventures ensue - including the always fun scenario of book characters coming out of the books to hang around and steal things. Reminded me a bit of Edward Eager and some other magical stories I remember reading as a kid.
December 16, 2010
Closer to a 3.5, honestly. This is a very British book about a magical bookshop and the happenings within. It starts out kind of slow, hits quickly, veers into an unexpected direction, and tidies itself up nicely. A perfectly serviceable inoffensive children's book, which may be just what is needed in some cases.
December 29, 2012
Charming, quintessentially British story about a magical bookshop, the bookshop keeper Mr. Hardbattle, a middle-aged spinster Miss Quint and young Arthur. This unlikely trio unites to save Mr. Hardbattle's shop and rescue the magic. Just a fun, enjoyable tale. I'll be giving Anna Dale's other books a perusal next chance I have!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 22, 2011
A fun story about a special, magical bookshop (as if all bookshops weren't magical), where children are far more competent than adults. We insist that kids follow the rules, and then we don't - I can see why they look at us as if we were idiots. The magic is its own character, not something controlled by people - which makes it a bit unnerving, though fun.
March 8, 2014
Magical Mischief is a great book for kids and just an all around fun book. Anna Dale keeps you awaiting to see what happens next. With all the problems they encounter, you're always rooting for the characters. Even though it's like a lot of books containing magic, you don't really expect magic and a book shop to be in the same story.
March 3, 2016
This was a fun young adult fiction book. I think what I enjoyed the most was its Britishness; there's a sort of magic about English culture with its language and traditions. Without giving away the ending of this recommended book, I do wish it had ended slightly differently, resulting in more stories, but I shouldn't complain - it was fun.
August 10, 2016
This book is for readers who like magic but veer more towards the Penderwicks rather than Harry Potter. This is a fun, sweet story with lots of magical hijinks that help the plot from getting too bogged down by it's sometimes tiresome adult characters.
September 23, 2012
The book generally held my interest, but the plot fell apart at the end when the protagonists captured, detained, and moved three robbers without benefit of handcuffs, weapons, or any means of persuasion. How on earth did they do that???
February 13, 2013
Storyline and characters were old-fashioned but without the old-fashioned charm. It reminded me a bit of a fantastic book about magic called, The Lemonade Trick by Scott Corbett, about a boy named Kerby who get a magic kit for his birthday.
August 5, 2010
This is a fun kids book!
May 5, 2011
Summary:
Mr. Harbattle's bookstore is a musty old shop filled with books. But that is not all that it contains; it also houses magic, and the magic doesn't always behave...
Mr. Harbattle's bookstore is a musty old shop filled with books. But that is not all that it contains; it also houses magic, and the magic doesn't always behave...
January 30, 2012
Cute read, enough to keep me interested to the end. Not highly exciting or anything but enjoyable.
February 1, 2012
Kids book, fun to read with the kids.
February 18, 2012
This was a good fantasy for young readers with the 'Harry Potter' style of magical happenings.
March 3, 2012
Loved the concept of wishing characters out of books, and having a magical bookstore is a great idea... interesting tale.
March 14, 2012
Lovely story full of imagination and hijinks! Funny!
August 8, 2013
really epic!
October 21, 2012
2.5. The premise is cute, but it just didn't deliver. I also got really bored right in the middle. Fortunately the story picked up toward the end so I could actually finish it.
September 10, 2013
I really thought this was going to be a good book because I liked the cover. Unfortunately, it didn't keep my attention. I think fourth graders will really enjoy the book.
March 1, 2014
It took me ages to finish this book because it did not really grab me. That said, I am glad I finished it because it didn't go where I expected it to, which I enjoyed.
September 14, 2016
I feel this book deserves a higher rating. Its prob a 3 star.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews