Diane Duane

Thirteen-year-old Nita, tormented by a gang of bullies because she will not fight back, finds the help she needs in a library book on wizardry which guides her into another dimension.

So You Want to be a Wizard

Thirteen-year-old Nita, tormented by a gang of bullies because she won't fight back, finds the help she needs in a library book on wizardry which guides her into another dimension.

So you want to be a wizard

Anna

Pretty interesting middle-grade urban fantasy. I've heard about the book from my cousin in late 1990s, but never got to read it because we didn't have it in my rural library, and I couldn't buy it either. I bet I would be in love with the series when I was 10, now I find it just interesting, but it lacks something intangible to make me pick up the next book in the series straight away.

Paige Green

Recommended Age: 10+

Rating: 4.5/5

Genre: YA Fantasy

Favorite Quote: "She loved the place. She loved any library, big or little; there was something about all that knowledge, all those facts waiting patiently to be found that never failed to give her a shiver. When friends couldn't be found, the books were always waiting with something new to tell."

Nita Callahan is a very special girl. When hiding from bullies in the library she discovers one of the "So You Want To Be..." books. Usually these books are about becoming a pilot, a doctor, or a lawyer. This book is about becoming a wizard. Nita thinks the book is a joke until she hears the trees begin to speak to her. Shortly, in company with fellow beginning wizard Kit Rodriguez, they set off on a journey to complete the Ordeal. The Ordeal is a challenge that every beginning wizard must complete. To complete this challenge, they must face the one power in the universe that hates wizardry the most. This menace is the Lone Power, the creator of death. Plunged into an alternate New York full of the Lone Power's creatures, the two kids must venture into the very heart of the darkness to find a stolen book called the Book of Night with Moon. Only with this book do they stand a chance of saving the alternate world and their own world.

This is not Harry Potter. This is totally different from Harry Potter... and I absolutely loved every second of it. I loved how the author not only made wizards unique from almost every other adaptation, but she also made the story relatable to adults and children alike. The underlying message of the book is something we all need to be reminded of every once in awhile. All the characters loved books and libraries and the ultimate power of being a wizard was your ability to use books and not memorize spells like in Harry Potter. I also loved how specified that her main characters were Latino, which not a lot of books can claim, and that two of the characters were hinted at being gay. Diversity for the win! Even though there were some very depressing moments in the book, I loved this story.

The only issues I had with the book were with the author's writing style. The writing became overly detailed and dense at times in the book. Sometimes I felt overwhelmed by the amount of detail there was in the book. It almost felt like I was drowning in words. Overall though, I found the book to be very enjoyable and I can't wait to read the rest of the series!

A mysterious library book opens the door to a world of magic and danger in the first book in the beloved Young Wizards series. Bullied by her classmates, Nita Callahan is miserable at school. So when she finds a mysterious book in the library that promises her the chance to become a wizard, she jumps at the opportunity to escape her unhappy reality. But taking the Wizard's Oath is no easy thing, and Nita soon finds herself paired with fellow wizard-in-training Kit Rodriguez on a dangerous mission. The only way to become a full wizard is to face the Lone Power, the being that created death and is the mortal enemy of all wizards. As Nita and Kit battle their way through a deadly alternate version of New York controlled by the Lone Power, they must rely on each other and their newfound wizarding skills to survive--and save the world from the Lone One's grasp.

So You Want to be a Wizard

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