Review: The Giant Mystery: How to Grow Magic #1

This new series for your those independent readers will surely be a big hit with it’s combination of magic, humour, friendship, and school – with a difference! Enchantment Street is full of shops and businesses with all manner of magical merchandise and services.

Whether you need treats for your pet dragon or want riding lessons with your unicorn, there will be a place to go in Enchantment Street. And Enchantment Street Primary is certainly the school of magical delights. With human pupils as well as merkids this school has water slipways and ponds alongside desks and chairs and playgrounds.

And  let’s just say that the lessons taught are very different to our own curriculum. Sarah’s favourite lessons are those with Mr Pottifer, of Pottifer’s Parlour of Plants, a very engaging Venus flytrap who teaches Magical Gardening.

Sarah loves his lessons and even helps out in his shop and though there have been a few contretemps of late such as sprouting a whole bunch of unicorns instead of just one, the mishaps have a way of sorting themselves. But just lately there have been a few too many things going awry. Dandelions suddenly growing with Rockstar hair-dos and sweet peas suddenly turning pirate are just two of the unexpected results.

Sarah suspects somebody must be playing tricks. And when the class plants runner beans for the school sports day and suddenly there's a giant beanstalk complete with giants - look out! And even worse, a giant girl suddenly lands in the playground and scoops up Alba the mermaid from her pool. Oh no!

The ensuing rescue mission, the discovery that giants are just as frightened of humans as the other way round and just who is messing up the students' plantings makes for an entertaining story that young readers will enjoy.

The plentiful illustrations break up the text well for these burgeoning chapter book enthusiasts. I especially love the small-scale binding just right for smaller hands and especially - a real touch of magic - the accents of gold foil on the cover. With some useful and pertinent themes of not judging on appearances and diversity, this makes for both a splendid choice for your younger readers as well as a very enjoyable serial read.


Title: How to Grow Magic: The Giant Mystery
Author: Rachel Morrisroe
Illustrator: Steven Lenton
Publisher: Penguin Australia. Imprint: Puffin, $16.99
Publication Date: July
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780241635728
For ages: 6+
Type: Junior Fiction