Half Magic

It all Begins with a strange coin on a sun-warmed sidewalk. Jane finds the coin, and because she and her siblings are having the worst, most dreadfully boring summer ever, she idly wishes something exciting would happen. And something does: Her wish is granted. Or not quite. Only half of her wish comes true. It turns out that the coin grants wishes -- but only by half, so that you must wish for twice as much as you want. Wishing for two times some things is a cinch, but other doubled wishes only cause twice as much trouble. What is half of twice a talking cat? Or to be half-again twice not-here? And how do you double your most heartfelt wish, the one you care about so much that it has to be perfect? Edward Eager's Half Magic has enchanted legions of readers for fifty years. This collectible, one-of-a-kind volume features the original art by N. M. Bodecker and a new introduction by award-winning author Jack Gantos, making it the definitive edition of this enduring classic. Book jacket.

EDWARD EAGER (1911-1964) worked primarily as a playwright and lyricist. It wasn't until 1951, while searching for books to read to his young son, that he began writing children's stories.

JACK GANTOS is a National Book Award finalist, the recipient of a Newbery Honor and a Printz Honor, and the bestselling author of Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, Joey Pigza Loses Control, the Rotten Ralph series, and Hole in My Life, as well as a dozen other widely acclaimed books of fiction for young readers. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts.