MotherReader

There was a two-week blog tour for MagicKeepers: The Eternal Hourglass, by Erica Kirov, so I feel like I’ve seen the book everywhere. Good thing that it has an appealing cover — and story.

Nick is living in a third-rate hotel with his father, a fourth-rate magician in Las Vegas. But on Nick’s thirteenth birthday, his circumstances change completely as he finds himself living among a family of magicians. Real magicians, not those illusionists putting on stage shows. And the family is his own extended relations exiled from Russia. Nick finds out about his own powers and the secret that he carries that threatens him and his new family.

I liked the inclusion of Russian culture and history in the book. Houdini also makes an appearance as we learn the back story of a lost magical relic. The writing is engaging and lightly funny. There may be comparisons to Harry Potter, and that’s fine. In fact, it’s probably good, as it may draw readers to this great title. This Middle Grade series will be particularly good for kids who like the idea of the Potter books, but may not be ready to tackle the longer and darker ones. Personally, I’ll be watching for the next book.

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