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    The Children's Book Review

    James Riley, Author of The Revenge of Magic | Selfie and a Shelfie

    Bianca SchulzeBy Bianca Schulze4 Mins Read Ages 4-8 Ages 9-12 Author Interviews Best Kids Stories Fantasy: Supernatural Fiction Novels for Kids and Teens
    James-Riley-Author-of-The-Revenge-of-Magic-Selfie-and-a-Shelfie
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    The Children’s Book Review | May 15, 2019

    James Riley lives in Virginia. He is the New York Times bestselling author of the Half Upon a Time, Story Thieves, and Revenge of Magic series.

    James Riley’s Selfie with The Revenge of Magic

    THE REVENGE OF MAGIC, the first in my new series of seven books, tends to surprise people who’ve read my books before, including me at times. Unlike my series STORY THIEVES or HALF UPON A TIME, REVENGE OF MAGIC takes place entirely in our world, just a version of it where magic returned thirteen years ago, and only kids born since then are able to use it. The government’s been hiding this from everyone, running a secret school on a military base to teach a select group of kids magic, but sometimes secrets get out, no matter how hard we try to keep them hidden … especially when one of those secrets ends up destroying Washington, D.C. in the first two chapters.

    James-Riley-Revenge-of-Magic

    James Riley’s Shelfie

    Wow, dusty! Someone should clean better. These shelves contain some of my all-time favorite books, from Lloyd Alexander’s CHRONICLES OF PRYDAIN series to Kelly Link’s short stories. If you know how meta I can get in STORY THIEVES (a book about fictional characters confronting their authors) you may not be surprised to see books like S and HOUSE OF LEAVES, both of which play with what a book can physically be, or even the ADAPTION screenplay.

    James-Riley-shelves

    I grew up in the 1980s, so Robert Asprin was always a favorite, and was my first foray into humorous fantasy (or fantastical humor?) writing. But as you can see, I’m also a big fan of comics, like HYPERBOLE AND A HALF and SARAH’S SCRIBBLES. Why do I have three copies of HYPERBOLE? Other than that it’s fitting for the title? I bought two paperbacks for friends, and got all three signed by Allie Brosh, only she drew something different in each one, and I wasn’t strong enough to give them up. Sorry, friends, you should have come to the signing (I’m much nicer to my friends when it doesn’t involve books)!

    —

    The Revenge of MagicThe Revenge of Magic

    Written by James Riley

    Publisher’s Synopsis: When long-dead magical creatures are discovered all around the world, each buried with a book of magic, only children can unlock the dangerous power of the books in this start to a thrilling new series from the author of the New York Times bestselling Story Thieves!

    Thirteen years ago, books of magic were discovered in various sites around the world alongside the bones of dragons. Only those born after “Discovery Day” have the power to use the magic.

    Now, on a vacation to Washington, DC, Fort Fitzgerald’s father is lost when a giant creature bursts through the earth, attacking the city. Fort is devastated, until an opportunity for justice arrives six months later, when a man named Dr. Opps invites Fort to a government run school, the Oppenheimer School, to learn magic from those same books.

    But life’s no easier at the school, where secrets abound. What does Jia, Fort’s tutor, know about the attacks? Why does Rachel, master of destructive magic, think Fort is out to destroy the school? And why is Fort seeing memories of an expelled girl every time he goes to sleep? If Fort doesn’t find out what’s hiding within the Oppenheimer School, more attacks will come, and this time, nothing will stop them!

    Ages 8-12 | Publisher: Aladdin | March 5, 2019 | ISBN-13: 978-1481485777

    Available Here

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    Discover more books like The Revenge of Magic, written by James Riley, by checking out our reviews and articles tagged with Magic, Magical Creatures, and Middle Grade Books; and be sure to follow along with our Selfie and a Shelfie series.

    What to Read Next:

    1. Gregory Funaro, Author of Watch Hollow: My Writing And Reading Life
    2. Patrick Matthews Discusses Bradley’s Dragons
    3. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, by J.K. Rowling | Book Review
    4. My Writing And Reading Life: J.C. Cervantes, Author of The Storm Runner

    *Disclosure: Please note that this post may contain affiliate links that share some commission. Rest assured that these will not affect the cost of any products and services promoted here. Our team always provides their authentic opinion in all content published on this site.

    Aladdin Magic Magical Creatures Middle Grade Books Selfie and a Shelfie
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    Bianca Schulze
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    Bianca Schulze is the founder of The Children’s Book Review. She is a reader, reviewer, mother and children’s book lover. She also has a decade’s worth of experience working with children in the great outdoors. Combined with her love of books and experience as a children’s specialist bookseller, the goal is to share her passion for children’s literature to grow readers. Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, she now lives with her husband and three children near Boulder, Colorado.

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