Magic Shop Books by Bruce Coville

Jennifer Murdley's Toad. Junior Fantasy. I have loved all of the Magic Shop books by Coville. On a quick trip to Utah and back I downloaded a few of them to pass the time for my two kids stuck in the car for hours. We listened to this one first. These books are a quick read or listen and the audio version has a full cast of people voicing the different parts, which I always love. Coville's Magic Shop books start with a child who has a problem and they "accidentally" run into a shop that they've never seen before. Inside is an old man who offers to sell them any item they desire. This item, a toad in Jennifer Murdley's case, turns out to be magic and helps them solve their problem, although things seem to get worse before they get better and they always learn something about themselves along the way.

Jennifer has felt self conscious about her plain looks and has a great desire to be beautiful. The talking toad she buys from the Magic Shop shows her what's really important and in the end she has to make a difficult decision that will change her life and those she loves.

Recommend: Yes




Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher. Junior Fantasy. Jeremy is a typical 6th grade boy, he has friends, loves to draw, thinks one of his teachers hates him, and has that group of kids that love to tease him. Through a dragon's egg that he buys at the Magic Shop he comes to see the people around him in a different light and makes friends with a wonderful dragon as well.

Recommend: Yes




I recommend the rest of the Magic Shop Books series. They do not need to be read in any particular order:

Juliet Dove, Queen of Love
The Skull of Truth
The Monster Ring