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Melody Murray's Books

Hi. I'm new here.

Currently reading

Nigella Christmas: Food, Family, Friends, Festivities
Nigella Lawson, Lis Parsons
Our Bodies, Ourselves: Menopause
Judy Norsigian, Boston Women's Health Book Collective, Vivian Pinn

Half Magic

Half Magic -  'N. M. Bodecker (Illustrator)', 'Edward Eager' Would you believe I grew up in Toledo, Ohio and never noticed while reading and re-reading this that it was set in my hometown? It's true. I don't know if I just figured ALL books were set there, and that's why the street names were so familiar or if I was just extraordinarily clueless. I figured it out finally when I was reading this to my son. It seems worth talking about in view of how worried people sometimes get about kids getting the wrong message from books- sometimes kids don't even notice the town the book is set in, not to worry about the other things!So, this time through, I was paying more attention. The story is delightful, the kids complex and interesting- but oh, how I love the cat! And Merlin, with his entirely lovely speech, made me cry a little.To wit: '"But what about the good deed I wished?" said Katharine. "None of the ones I tried worked out!""My child," said Merlin, and his smile was very kind now, "you have done your good deed. You have brought me word that for as far into time as the twentieth century, the memory of Arthur, and of the Round Table, which I helped him to create, will be living yet. And in that far age people will still care for the ideal I began, enough to come back through time and space to try to be of service to it. You have brought me that word, and now I can finish my work in peace, and know that I have done well. And if that's not a good deed, I should like to know what is..."'