Avi. (1999). Midnight Magic. New York: Scholastic Signature.
· Plot Summary
The Kingdom of Pergamontio is in peril from unseen forces, and its Princess Teresina is at the heart of the mystery. Magus the Magician has already been told not to practice his sorcery, but is brought into the court in order to determine the reason behind a series of hauntings that have the Princess terrified. Bringing with him his trusted servent, Fabrizio, Mangus must use all his skills of reason to find out the truth. Without the help of Fabrizio, however, all may be lost.
· Critical Evaluation
Suspense at its best, a hard book to put down. The banter between Mangus and Fabrizio is first calibre, the and the Princess convincingly naive even as she tries to secure the kingdom from the evil Count Scarazoni who wishes to force her into marriage, and claim the throne for himself. Some tweens may figure out the identity of the scullery boy early on, particularly since the Prince of Pergamontio is said to be missing or dead, but this does not detract from the gem that is this novel.
· Reader’s Annotation
A rich book, full of detail, and with absolutely superb dialogue. It is hard to imagine a tween that would not find some point of interest in these pages.
· Information about the Author
Avi is an author of several genres, including historical fiction, animal stories, sports fiction, and documentaries. He has authored almost forty novels, and received the Christopher Medal, a Boston Globe/Horn Book Award, and a Newberry Medal. He was a librarian before becoming an author and lives in Denver, CO.
· Genre
Mystery
· Reading Level/Interest Age
Grades 6-8-Ages 11-13
· Booktalk Ideas
Magic tricks and illusion.
Renaissaince Italy and politics of the era.
· Why did you include this book in the titles you selected?
When I was in my undergraduate program at UCSB, I took a course on Renaissance Italy. It was one of my favorite classes, and I enjoy this setting in novels. It's rare to find it used for literature outside of the adult genres, so I was excited when I found this book in a used shop.
