Welcome to our series, "Ready to Go! Book Display." Once a month we'll highlight the latest or greatest for every age group that you can promote within your library or order for your collection. This month we are featuring some (non-Harry Potter) books featuring magic.
Recommendations for Adults:
The story of two sisters, Gillian and Sally Owens, brought up by their elderly guardian aunts in a small New England town. The aunts possess magic they they in turn hand down to their nieces.
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire (Oct 1995)
Set in an Oz where a morose Wizard battles suicidal thoughts, the story of the green-skinned Elphaba, otherwise known as the Wicked Witch of the West, profiles her as an animal rights activist striving to avenge her dear sister's death.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (Sep 2011)
Waging a fierce competition for which they have trained since childhood, circus magicians Celia and Marco unexpectedly fall in love with each other and share a fantastical romance that manifests in fateful ways.
Waging a fierce competition for which they have trained since childhood, circus magicians Celia and Marco unexpectedly fall in love with each other and share a fantastical romance that manifests in fateful ways.
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness (Feb 2011)
Discovering a magical manuscript in Oxford's library, scholar Diana Bishop, a descendant of witches who has rejected her heritage, inadvertently unleashes a fantastical underworld of daemons, witches and vampires whose activities center around an enchanted treasure.
The Magicians by Lev Grossman (Aug 2009)
Harboring secret preoccupations with a magical land he read about in a childhood fantasy series, Quentin Coldwater is unexpectedly admitted into an exclusive college of magic and rigorously educated in modern sorcery.
Recommendations for Teens:
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (Mar 2018)
Coming of age in a land where her magi mother was killed by the zealous king's guards along with other former wielders of magic, Zelie embarks on a journey alongside her brother and a fugitive princess to restore her people's magical abilities.
The Secret Science of Magic by Melissa Keil (Apr 2018)
Told from two viewpoints, Sophia, seventeen, a Sri-Lankan-Australian math prodigy with social anxiety, is panicking about her future when classmate and amateur magician Joshua proclaims his love for her.
These Witches Don't Burn by Isabel Sterling (May 2019)
When evidence of dark magic begins to appear all over Salem, Massachusetts, Elemental Witch Hannah and her ex-girlfriend Veronica are forced to team up to stop the deadly attacks.
History is filled with stories of women accused of witchcraft, of fearsome girls with arcane knowledge. This collection features fifteen stories of girls embracing their power, reclaiming their destinies and using their magic to create, to curse, to cure -and to kill.
Hocus Pocus & The All-New Sequel by A.W. Jantha (Jul 2018)
After accidentally bringing the Sanderson Sisters back from the dead, Max, Dani, and Allison race to stop their plans to torment Salem for all of eternity; then twenty-five years later it is up to Max and Allison's daughter to stop the Sanderson's newest scheme.
Recommendations for Children:
Magic Misfits by Neil Patrick Harris (Nov 2017)
Six young magicians and illusionists team up to save their small town from a crooked carnival owner and his goons.
The Magic Tree House: Dinosaurs Before Dark by Mary Pope Osborne (Jul 1992)
Eight-year-old Jack and his younger sister Annie find a magic treehouse which whisks them back to an ancient time zone where they see live dinosaurs.
Making Friends by Kristen Gudsnuk (Jul 2018)
When she and her friends are placed in different classes and begin exploring separate interests at the start of seventh grade, Danny inherits a magic sketchbook and uses it to create a perfect best friend, with unexpected results.
Shadow Magic by Joshua Khan (Apr 2016)
Thorn, a boy sold into slavery who must serve the royalty of Castle Gloom for a year and a day to earn his freedom, and Lilith Shadow, the 13-year-old ruler of Gehenna, who is forbidden to practice the magic that is her heritage, join forces to solve the murders taking place in Gehenna.
Mary Poppins by Amy Novesky (Oct 2018)
Based on Travers' 1934 classic, a picture-book adaptation traces the story of how a magical nanny is blown into the Cherry Tree Lane home of the Banks children, who accompany her on fantastical adventures.
Milo's Hat Trick by Jon Agee (Apr 2001)
After failing to perform any good magic tricks during his show, Milo is close to losing his job, but while searching for a rabbit in the woods, Milo encounters a clever bear and quickly decides to use him for his next great trick.
