Skip to main content

A Finder's Magic

By

by Philippa Pearce
Candlewick, 2009. 120 pgs. Juvenile Fiction.
A passing reference to Batman and Spider-man sets this book in the present, but it entirely has the feel of an old-fashioned story of a boy and his dog with a bit of magic to bring them back together. Written by Pearce for her grandsons, Nat and Will, the story was barely finished before Pearce died and the manuscript went to the boys' other grandmother, Helen Craig, to be illustrated. Tillawn (you will see the anagram) has lost his little dog Bess and despairs both waking and sleeping. But in his dreams a man appears at his garden gate and when he goes out the next morning, there is the man, waiting to help him. The old gentleman is a Finder and soon he and Till are on Bess's trail, out to the meadow where Miss Gammer and Miss Mousy live. With the help of these friends (one a writer, one an artist), and Finder's use of Bess's toy Mudman to talk to the heron, the mole, and the witch's cat, the little dog comes back to Till. Written in the spare but elegant prose of the olden days, A Finder's Magic is a gentle, deeply satisfying tale, perfect reading for a young family at bedtime.

Labels:

Comments

Ms. Yingling said…
One of my favorite books is Tom's Midnight Garden. I didn't know that Pearce had died. I'll look at this.
November 2, 2009 at 5:23 AM
curlyq said…
Tom's Midnight Garden is also one of my very favorite books as well! I am looking forward to reading another book by Pearce--thanks for the review!
November 7, 2009 at 10:11 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

If You Like...KPop Demon Hunters

By
KPop Demon Hunters has been one of the most talked-about movies of the summer. If you loved this movie as much as I did, you don't want the magic (or the music) to stop. Try reading these books that touch on some of the same topics and themes as the animated hit! Brick Dust and Bones By M. R. Fournet New York: Feiwel and Friends, 2023. Fiction. 247 pages. Orphaned Marius works in the family business--as their cemetery's ghost caretaker. However, Marius also moonlights as a monster hunter in order to earn the costly Mystic currency he needs to bring his mother back from the dead. As the window to bring his mother back begins to close, Marius's exploits get more and more dangerous, and he may have set his sights on a monster too big to handle on his own. Like Mira, Marius longs for familial connection, and his work as a monster hunter will satisfy the thrill of demon hunting for fans the movie. Where's Halmoni? By Julie J. Kim Seattle, WA: Little Bigfoot, 2017. Comics. W...
Post a Comment
Read more

Dog Man Read Alikes

By
Dog Man  is a popular graphic novel for middle graders all about the adventures of a half-man, half-dog police officer. With 14 books in the series, many readers can't get enough of these hilarious stories! If your child is looking for more books like Dog Man, here are some great options to try out.  Dex Dingo: World's Best Greatest Ever... Inventor By Greg Foley Los Angeles: Disney-Hyperion, 2024. Comic. 157 pages.  Dex Dingo doesn't know what he wants to do when he grows up. His classmates all seem to know, but he just doesn't feel like he is the BEST at anything. When a class assignment challenges him to figure out what he wants to be, he decides he wants to become the world's best ever inventor! Filled with beautifully drawn spreads and kid-approved humor, this book is sure to please any Dog Man fan.  Troubling Tonsils Written by Aaron Reynolds Illustrated by Peter Brown  New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2025. Fiction. 71 pages.  ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: The Teacher of Nomad Land

By
The Teacher of Nomad Land: A World War II Story By Daniel Nayeri Montclair, NJ: Levine Querido, 2025. Historical fiction. 181 pgs. In 1941 Iran, 13-year-old Babak will do anything to stay with his younger sister Sana, who is 8. After their father is killed during the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran, the siblings are left orphaned and Babak takes over guardianship to prevent the two from being separated. Carrying his father's blackboard on his back, Babak and Sana set off from Isfahan to find the nomadic tribes as they make their yearly trek across the mountains. Along the way, they encounter a suspicious man named Vulf, a friendly Englishman with a name that means cabbage, and a Jewish boy named Ben who has Vulf hot on his heels. As he is known for doing, Daniel Nayeri weaves a highly readable adventure with threads of philosophy about God, the ties of family, and musings about how cultures can reconcile across differences. The setting of this novel is ingeniously unique, and a lengt...
Post a Comment
Read more