Magic by the Lake (1957)

magical! ( )

Magic by the Lake by Edward Eager is the third of the Tales of Magic series but the moral sequel to Half Magic. It's only a few weeks after the end of the sibling's first adventures, and now they are being whisked away to a lake for summer vacation with their mother and new step-father.

The children, desperate to avoid a boring summer of swimming and nature hikes, look for anything magical. Their prayers are answered in the form of an annoying, and officious turtle. The turtle's magic is their access to a summertime of adventures.

As it's a lake, most of these new adventures are water related: mermaids and pirates, and a rather unfortunate chapter with island savages. Then near the end, the book takes a preverbal left turn at Albuquerque and does some completely unexpected and extremely satisfying time travel.

Thematically I'd say this book is most like Drift House by Dale Peck, except without the underlying depressing subtext of a post-911 America. The children's adventures here aren't as an escape from real world terror. ( )

I enjoyed Magic by the Lake much more than I did the previous book in this series. It was great to read about the adventures of Martha, Katherine, Jane, and Mark again! They are characters who are becoming much more developed and have distinct personalities! I love how their personalities and relationships to each other seem so real (though I am sure there would be more arguing and fighting among four siblings).

In this book the children spend the last part of their summer (only a few weeks after Half Magic ends) at a lake with their mother and stepfather, Mr. Smith. They go on many exciting adventures including the South Pole, the Arabian desert, and a mysterious island; Jane and Katherine also experience what it is like to be sixteen. It was a fun, entertaining, and exciting read that was suspenseful, but never frightening, which is perfect for young children. I continue to enjoy all the literary references throughout these Tales of Magic books, and there were plenty in this one!

I loved how their silly adventures actually served a purpose as they did in Half Magic. In this story they end up finding a way to save Mr. Smith’s bookstore, and learn many valuable lessons along the way.

The one part of the book that I don’t believe is suitable for younger children is the part when the children are on the island and they encounter natives who are depicted as violent cannibals who speak a funny pseudo language. The natives actually tie them up and put them in pots! They almost get cooked but are saved by some other children who happened to show up on the island at the most perfect time.

Otherwise, this is a great book for any child or parent who has enjoyed the other books in this series. If you love fantasy and magic you will probably enjoy this book.

( )

This is the second of the earlier generation of the interlocking series, following Half Magic. This generation is very early 20th century. The marriage between the children's mother and Hugo which was set up in the first book has now taken place, a Hugo has enough money to take them to the lake for the summer, where they become involved with a magical turtle and the magic of the lake itself. The episode I recall best is when the two girls wish themselves to be 16, and promptly are sixteen and dealing with romantic young men, until the shocked younger children undo the spell. Other episodes involves. pirates, mermaids, etc. mostly with a water motif. There are the original, wonderful, whimsical illustrations by N. M. Bodecker, but unfortunately in these reprints another awful, deliberately clumsy cover illustration by Quentin Blake --there seems to have been a notion that pictures for children's books should be drawn as if done by untalented children (there is an equally ugly cover for a reprint of My Friend Mr. Leakey, but fortunately I have the original edition.) ( )

I've really enjoyed reading Edward Eager's books to my kids, and Magic by the Lake is no exception. As in his earlier books, Eager's descriptions of place are vivid and detailed. They draw me in until I feel almost as though I'm in a cottage on a midwestern lake in summer rather than in a split-level in a suburban neighborhood with a foot of snow on the ground.

My daughter loves how the books link together (and I love that they do so relatively subtly). I won't mention the big link in this one because that would be a spoiler; I'll just say that it was the cause of great excitement in our house.

The only trouble I have with the books is that the chapters are so long, which makes reading them aloud a little more challenging than a book with wee little chapters. We'll say, "Hey, let's read a chapter from Magic by the Lake!" always forgetting that this will take thirty minutes or so. This isn't bad, though; I don't think the chapters should be shorter, I just need to keep their length in mind when my mental planning includes time for a read-aloud. ( )