International Magic Week was a week created to honour the legendary magician, Harry Houdini. He passed in 1927, but is still remembered for his incredible magical talents. Here at Cranthorpe Millner Publishers we love all things magic and fantasy. So, we thought we would use International Magic Week as the perfect opportunity to share some of our favourite magical reads.
If you’re looking for something aimed at a younger audience, B. Ware could be the perfect author for you. Aimed at 9- to 12-year-olds, Warning: Magic Can Be Dangerous is available now, and the second book, Warning: May Contain Dragons, is out next year. Both are full of magic and mystery, making them a really engaging read for children. Another great read 9- to 12-year-olds is The Whimstrick: Discovery of Whimsburrow by ESJ Tasker. But remember – once you’ve entered Whimsburrow, there’s no going back! We also recommend Alight by Phoebe Sleeman and Alexandra Hart for this age group. Alight asks the question: what if the line between science and magic was blurred?
Committed to the premise that it’s hard to expect people to love you when you don’t even love yourself. K. J. Cole captures the essence of being thirteen and feeling that life is happening to everyone else except her novel’s protagonist, Jane Pilgrim. The Pilgrims Pendant has one of our most beautifully magical covers. The Blackhill Manor series, by Claire Hastie, is also perfect for young teens. In The Guardians of the Athame, a group of eleven magically-gifted children face a race against time to develop their powers and stop the destruction from spreading. They continue their studies at Blackhill Manor, and uncover new magical threats, in the second book The Missing Grimoire.
If you can’t get enough of magical schools, A Reverie Tale: Borderlands and Transience by Anna M. Tusk is perfect for you. Immersing readers in worlds beyond our own, it follows protagonist Lilly-Anne as she finds herself imbedded in the political and spiritual turmoil of multiple, connected realities. Speaking of multiple realities, The Beast Trials by G.T. Jones is another brilliant read for teen and young adult readers. When sixteen-year-old Meadow Woodley discovers that her dad is from another world, she is forced to compete in ‘The Beast Trials’ to prove herself. If you love this book, we have the second book in this series coming out in 2025.
Another great set of reads this International Magic Week for older teens and adult readers are A W Jackson’s books. After the success of Madame Voodoo, this author signed with us for the bewitching prequel The Pudding Lane Witch. Within this queer love story, you can expect conflict and magic sprinkled throughout. Madame Voodoo and the Voodoo King, the sequel to Madame Voodoo, will be released in 2025.
If you’re looking for more a more high-fantasy read this International Magic Week, we recommend The Curiosities of Perciville Harper by Simon Batsman. The first in the Sarsen series, this book follows Fjona Sarsen on her quest to save her home from a terrifying curse. The second book in this series, In the Heart of a Soulless Vessel is coming out in March 2025. Fancy something with a touch more romance? Pariah by Vianne Max is the second in the The Isle of Storms series, following the first book Anahera. With scented magic, chaotic storms, tiny cheese-eating dragons and competing goddesses, it’s the perfect cosy fantasy to settle down with in front of the fire this autumn.
Interested in a more gothic tale of magic and myth? Then Soul of a Raven – the Fate of London Stone by Catherine Bloor could be the perfect read for you. As well as magic and myth, it includes family secrets, love and revenge. It is a tale of the extraordinary, hidden beneath ordinary Victorian lives.
This International Magic Week, we say to you happy reading! Reading in itself is magical – it can take you anywhere…