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My mom read me books by Edward Eager when I was a kid. Since I was
little I have owned "Half Magic" and "Magic or Not?" I also checked out
Edward Eager's books at my public library and read them myself. I have
always loved "Half Magic," which is probably my favorite. I actually
dislike the two stories about the well: "Magic or Not?" and "The Well-Wishers."
According to a survey by a webmaster whose page seems to have disappeared, I am
not alone in disliking those two. I'm sad about "The Unofficial Edward
Eager Page" having disappeared. There aren't that many pages about Edward
Eager. Most pages are selling his books. I am happy his books have
been reprinted by Harcourt, because I think everyone should read them, but I
don't like the illustrator they chose for the new covers. His name is
Quentin Blake, and I associate his drawings with Roald Dahl, who I always
thought was too gruesome. I prefer the original cover illustrations, by N.
M. Bodecker, the person whose illustrations appear throughout the book. As
you can see below, I'm still missing copies of Knight's Castle and The Time
Garden which feature N. M. Bodecker's covers, and I don't have a copy of
"Seven-Day Magic" at all! They are sort-of hard to find. Used
children's paperbacks aren't sold in very many places, and finding the exact
book you want when the book you want is a children's paperback published 20
years ago isn't terribly easy. There's always the Internet, but usually no
one bothers to say who the cover illustration is by. Oh well. If you
haven't read Edward Eager's books, check them out at the library or buy them
with Quentin Blake's covers, if you must. With the exception of the well
books, they're well worth it. Ha!
Books by Edward Eager
(O=own, R=read, E=enjoyed)
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