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Wild Magic
Dark, magical and exciting, Cat Weatherill's new fantasy takes the legend of the Pied Piper and gives it an unexpected twist. Mari and her brother Jakob have followed the enchanted music and are now trapped in a world of wild magic. A world as cruel as it is beautiful. And all the time, they are being stalked by a fearsome beast, who needs one of the children to break a centuries-old curse. But the price of breaking the curse is a terrible one . . . A spellbinding and wild adventure, full of unexpected magic and danger.
256 pages, Paperback
First published July 5, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
July 18, 2020
favourite book as a kid even though i no longer remember what happens :3
August 10, 2010
I bought this book on a whim last weekend because the title intrigued me, the cover was pretty and the description was interesting. Sometimes despite all that promise, a book has still failed to deliver, but thankfully Wild Magic was mostly a pleasant surprise.
This book is a retelling of the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. After the piper successfully rid the town of their rat infestation and is refused payment, he plays his pipe again and leads the children of Hamelin away with him. Our main character, Mari is one of the children to be lead away, while her crippled brother Jakob is barely left behind. The Piper leads the children into the world of Elvendale where they soon learn that he is looking for one child in particular - a child with unknown magical powers who will help him lift an ancient curse.
The book is split into 3 different narratives that alternate back and forth. Mari and Jakob serve as two of the narrators, with the Piper as the third. It is interesting to read the story from both the perspectives of the "heroes" and the "villain".
The story is inventive and interesting. The ending was mostly satisfying. Despite a few "too-neat" aspects, and a couple unanswered questions, I enjoyed this take on the Pied Piper.
This book is a retelling of the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. After the piper successfully rid the town of their rat infestation and is refused payment, he plays his pipe again and leads the children of Hamelin away with him. Our main character, Mari is one of the children to be lead away, while her crippled brother Jakob is barely left behind. The Piper leads the children into the world of Elvendale where they soon learn that he is looking for one child in particular - a child with unknown magical powers who will help him lift an ancient curse.
The book is split into 3 different narratives that alternate back and forth. Mari and Jakob serve as two of the narrators, with the Piper as the third. It is interesting to read the story from both the perspectives of the "heroes" and the "villain".
The story is inventive and interesting. The ending was mostly satisfying. Despite a few "too-neat" aspects, and a couple unanswered questions, I enjoyed this take on the Pied Piper.
June 30, 2021
THIS IS IT THIS IS THE BOOK
Ok I have been searching for this for so long because I read it in year 5, enjoyed it, but then forgot everything useful that would have helped me find it again
Wild Magic is a retelling of the Pied Piper of Hamlin, featuring curses, shapeshifting, and (funnily enough), magic. I'm giving it 5 stars because I remember really liking it, along with the fact that even now, 8 years later, I can still remember scenes from it - how the beggar girl who always wanted to run faster than everyone who chased her was turned into a hare, and how the brother must rescue his sister after she was turned into a fox, picking her out from a field of near identical foxes
Maybe one day I'll reread this, and maybe I'll enjoy it just as much, or maybe I'll find it a bit average, but oh my god I finally found it
Ok I have been searching for this for so long because I read it in year 5, enjoyed it, but then forgot everything useful that would have helped me find it again
Wild Magic is a retelling of the Pied Piper of Hamlin, featuring curses, shapeshifting, and (funnily enough), magic. I'm giving it 5 stars because I remember really liking it, along with the fact that even now, 8 years later, I can still remember scenes from it - how the beggar girl who always wanted to run faster than everyone who chased her was turned into a hare, and how the brother must rescue his sister after she was turned into a fox, picking her out from a field of near identical foxes
Maybe one day I'll reread this, and maybe I'll enjoy it just as much, or maybe I'll find it a bit average, but oh my god I finally found it
Read
February 14, 2012This re-imagining of the Pied Piper tale gets off to a chilling start with the Piper leading every child in town to a watery grave. Or at least that’s what the sorrowful adults think is happening. Turns out, the Piper is an elf and he is leading the youths to the hidden world of Elvendale to find out which of the children has the ability to release him from his curse. A flashback fills in the details: long ago, the Piper (named Finn) was cursed to turn into a beast each full moon, and only a magical child can free him. Weatherill’s brother and sister protagonists—the plucky Mari and the hobbled Jakob—are inventive without ever coming off as too precocious. But the book’s greatest achievement is Finn; this irredeemable villain is fleshed out.
July 20, 2012
We listened to this on a long road trip to Washington, D.C., after listening to The Name Of This Book Is Secret (also a fun one, but...) I really enjoyed the author's reading of her own material. She does slightly different voices for characters, but not in an intrusive, annoying way. As a professional storyteller, she knows how to build suspense and kept us all (me, hubs, 10 year-old dd and 5 1/2 year-old boy ) enthralled for nearly straight 7+ hours. At times I felt it was a bit violent and scary for our youngest, but he didn't comment so I'm only mentioning it if you have young ones who get easily scared However, this is an audio book, not a movie, so perhaps they will have the same reaction as my son ;)
November 25, 2009
Every wonder what happen after the Pied Piper took the children to the mountain? Cat Weatherill answers this question with this magical story. She spins a new adventure but, like a good storyteller stays true to the source material. For anyone who has felt draw to the strange story of the Pied Piper this should be a good read.
March 19, 2021
Pre-Read; Awesome! A new book on the "Pied Piper" mythology. Not sure how I missed this in the past, but thanks to Gloria for pointing this title out to me! :)
***
Not sure how I lost track of this in my stacks, but I"m glad I rediscovered it! A fun, enjoyable read reimagining one of the lesser known (and a personal favorite) fairy tales.
***
Not sure how I lost track of this in my stacks, but I"m glad I rediscovered it! A fun, enjoyable read reimagining one of the lesser known (and a personal favorite) fairy tales.
December 10, 2023
The first book I ever properly read as a child, the one that got me into reading 🥰
October 21, 2010
A beautiful version of "The Pied Piper of Hamelin". Following the magical piper the children of Hamelin enter the fairy realm through a magical door. On the other side their excited giddiness turns to panic and fear. They're trapped. The only one not taken was Jakob, a little crippled boy who tries to follow but lagging so far behind is cut off when the door closes. He is heart broken for he is sure that in the land on the other side he would find a cure for his illness. The book has several characters that offer their points of view which keep the book from flowing well. Over all though I did enjoy.
November 4, 2008
One Sentence Review: While the premise is strong (i.e. what did the kids find when the Pied Piper led them into that mountain?) the fantasy elements are just bit too disjointed to hang together as a whole.
September 16, 2014
A continuation to the original Pied Piper fairy tale. The Pied Piper is an elf-human-werewolf thing. So cool.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 11, 2021
Marianna se simțea nemaipomenit. Își pierduse boneta de dantelă și rochia i se lipea de spate, dar nu-i păsa. Era fericită. Capul i se învârtea de atâtea culori. Iar muzica – ooo! Nu mai auzise niciodată așa ceva. Era foarte simplă – aceleași note cântate la nesfârșit la un fluier de argint –, dar o făcea să se gândească la raze de soare și pășuni, și băi prelungi și leneșe într-un râu rece și albastru.
O făcea să danseze. O făcea să își ridice poalele rochiei și să bată din călcâie. Să bată din palme. Să le zâmbească străinilor. Să se învârtă și să se zbenguie ca o frunză în vânt – și totul din cauza Cântărețului din Fluier.
Adulții îi spuneau „Prinzătorul de Șobolani”, dar nu și Marianna. Era mult prea exotic pentru asta. Mai văzuse nenumărați prinzători de șobolani – oameni măruntei și mizerabili, cu fețele la fel de rele și boțite ca și prada lor. Umblau pe străzi cu niște căței agitați sau făceau paradă prin piața orașului, cu șobolani morți atârnați de centuri.
Cântărețul din Fluier nu făcuse asta. Da, scăpase orașul Hamelin de șobolani, dar nu cu ajutorul capcanelor și momelilor. Îndrăznise să fie diferit. Într-o lume tristă și banală de gri și negru, el venise strălucind în turcoaz și verde jad. Sclipitor ca o libelulă. Cântase la fluier și șobolanii îl urmaseră dansând, până s-au înecat în apa rapidă și murdară a râului. Au trebuit să îl urmeze. N-au putut rezista muzicii lui. Iar Marianna nu-i putea rezista acum. Era divină. Voia să danseze. Voia să viseze. Voia să îl urmeze pe Cântărețul din Fluier.
Și Marianna nu era singură. Străzile erau înțesate de copii. Fiecare băiat, fiecare fetiță din Hamelin părea să fie acolo, dansând cu toții.
Cu excepția unuia.
Un băiat. Care privea de pe marginea drumului. Avea nouă ani, era cam ponosit și se sprijinea cu toată greutatea de o cârjă de lemn. Un trup diform. Picioare subțiri, slăbite. Un băiat care nu era făcut pentru dans. Dar ochii îi jucau, aprinși precum cărbunii, fără să piardă un lucru.
— Jakob! a strigat Marianna, țopăind către el. Nu dansezi!
— Ba da, spuse el. Aici, înăuntru. Își duse mâna liberă la inimă. Vai, Mari, ai mai auzit vreodată așa ceva?
Marianna scutură din cap.
— Nu, n-am mai auzit. E nemaipomenit. Îmi vine să dansez pe acoperișuri! Parcă m-am spălat pe ochi cu picături de ploaie! Totul e așa de luminos și de frumos astăzi! Cerul este frumos. Soarele este frumos. Tu ești frumos!
Îl sărută pe fratele ei pe frunte, iar acesta se rușină de plăcere.
O făcea să danseze. O făcea să își ridice poalele rochiei și să bată din călcâie. Să bată din palme. Să le zâmbească străinilor. Să se învârtă și să se zbenguie ca o frunză în vânt – și totul din cauza Cântărețului din Fluier.
Adulții îi spuneau „Prinzătorul de Șobolani”, dar nu și Marianna. Era mult prea exotic pentru asta. Mai văzuse nenumărați prinzători de șobolani – oameni măruntei și mizerabili, cu fețele la fel de rele și boțite ca și prada lor. Umblau pe străzi cu niște căței agitați sau făceau paradă prin piața orașului, cu șobolani morți atârnați de centuri.
Cântărețul din Fluier nu făcuse asta. Da, scăpase orașul Hamelin de șobolani, dar nu cu ajutorul capcanelor și momelilor. Îndrăznise să fie diferit. Într-o lume tristă și banală de gri și negru, el venise strălucind în turcoaz și verde jad. Sclipitor ca o libelulă. Cântase la fluier și șobolanii îl urmaseră dansând, până s-au înecat în apa rapidă și murdară a râului. Au trebuit să îl urmeze. N-au putut rezista muzicii lui. Iar Marianna nu-i putea rezista acum. Era divină. Voia să danseze. Voia să viseze. Voia să îl urmeze pe Cântărețul din Fluier.
Și Marianna nu era singură. Străzile erau înțesate de copii. Fiecare băiat, fiecare fetiță din Hamelin părea să fie acolo, dansând cu toții.
Cu excepția unuia.
Un băiat. Care privea de pe marginea drumului. Avea nouă ani, era cam ponosit și se sprijinea cu toată greutatea de o cârjă de lemn. Un trup diform. Picioare subțiri, slăbite. Un băiat care nu era făcut pentru dans. Dar ochii îi jucau, aprinși precum cărbunii, fără să piardă un lucru.
— Jakob! a strigat Marianna, țopăind către el. Nu dansezi!
— Ba da, spuse el. Aici, înăuntru. Își duse mâna liberă la inimă. Vai, Mari, ai mai auzit vreodată așa ceva?
Marianna scutură din cap.
— Nu, n-am mai auzit. E nemaipomenit. Îmi vine să dansez pe acoperișuri! Parcă m-am spălat pe ochi cu picături de ploaie! Totul e așa de luminos și de frumos astăzi! Cerul este frumos. Soarele este frumos. Tu ești frumos!
Îl sărută pe fratele ei pe frunte, iar acesta se rușină de plăcere.
June 25, 2018
This was a sweet book, a modern retelling of the pied piper of Hamelin.
It's an easy, entertaining book: a classic book to read in summer.
I do like happy endings, but this ending seemed a bit contrived. I felt like chapters kept being added on in the end in order to provide the requisite happy ending.
I felt that a bit disjointed ...
Also, the exploration of the villain from his point of view was interesting, and meant to engeander sympathy. But it was also confusing. First the Piper is bad/evil, then the forest is bad/evil, and then maybe the Piper is not bad/evil, but merely a victim. There is violence; children have been transformed into animals, never to be reunited with their parents. Some may have died. I wasn't sure why the Piper deserved redemption, and at the cost of a young, disabled boy's life. And there is an angry mob mentality in their village, so they can't go home. And they still have lost their children.
After all this I wasn't sure what the message was. The young boy sacrifices himself for the Piper, who still does not seem all that deserving of sacrifice to me. The father and children are reunited for a second chance at family happiness in a nearby village. The curse is altered (that part seemed a bit contrived to me) to provide a happy ending.
I think the book could have been better ... it's good though. I think a clearer focus about the message would have helped.
It's an easy, entertaining book: a classic book to read in summer.
I do like happy endings, but this ending seemed a bit contrived. I felt like chapters kept being added on in the end in order to provide the requisite happy ending.
I felt that a bit disjointed ...
Also, the exploration of the villain from his point of view was interesting, and meant to engeander sympathy. But it was also confusing. First the Piper is bad/evil, then the forest is bad/evil, and then maybe the Piper is not bad/evil, but merely a victim. There is violence; children have been transformed into animals, never to be reunited with their parents. Some may have died. I wasn't sure why the Piper deserved redemption, and at the cost of a young, disabled boy's life. And there is an angry mob mentality in their village, so they can't go home. And they still have lost their children.
After all this I wasn't sure what the message was. The young boy sacrifices himself for the Piper, who still does not seem all that deserving of sacrifice to me. The father and children are reunited for a second chance at family happiness in a nearby village. The curse is altered (that part seemed a bit contrived to me) to provide a happy ending.
I think the book could have been better ... it's good though. I think a clearer focus about the message would have helped.
March 20, 2023
3.5*
O poveste magică şi palpitantă, placuta chiar si pentru adulti desi este cea mai potrivita pentru copii si adolescenti. Nu o poti lasa din mana. Avem parte de o aventura in care se impletesc mai multe basme si povesti mitice. O transformare in bestii, un fluier magic care facea ca muzica sa te vrajeasca si sa il urmezi pe cantaret, nopti cu luna plina in care omul devine un animal feroce. Marianna si Jakob sunt doi frati care traiesc intr-un mic oras cu tatal lor. De la moartea mamei,tatal lor era mai mult in carciuma asa ca atunci cand Finn, cantaretul care venise sa scape orasul de sobolani, si ii rapeste pe toti copiii din sat nu este acolo sa ii salveze. Finn fusese blestemat sa devina o fiara la miezul noptii in fiecare noapte cu luna plina. Blestemul avea sa fie ridicat daca gasea un copil special care sa preia blestemul lui. Jakob este un copil cu un trup diform si din pricina asta nu se putea juca cu ceilalti copii asa ca este singurul care nu reuseste sa ajunga la usa care facea trecea in taramul spiridusilor si sa suporte transformarea. Dorinta lui de a-si salva sora va duce la o multime de aventuri dar si de descoperirea unor adevaruri ascunse de tatal lor.
O poveste magică şi palpitantă, placuta chiar si pentru adulti desi este cea mai potrivita pentru copii si adolescenti. Nu o poti lasa din mana. Avem parte de o aventura in care se impletesc mai multe basme si povesti mitice. O transformare in bestii, un fluier magic care facea ca muzica sa te vrajeasca si sa il urmezi pe cantaret, nopti cu luna plina in care omul devine un animal feroce. Marianna si Jakob sunt doi frati care traiesc intr-un mic oras cu tatal lor. De la moartea mamei,tatal lor era mai mult in carciuma asa ca atunci cand Finn, cantaretul care venise sa scape orasul de sobolani, si ii rapeste pe toti copiii din sat nu este acolo sa ii salveze. Finn fusese blestemat sa devina o fiara la miezul noptii in fiecare noapte cu luna plina. Blestemul avea sa fie ridicat daca gasea un copil special care sa preia blestemul lui. Jakob este un copil cu un trup diform si din pricina asta nu se putea juca cu ceilalti copii asa ca este singurul care nu reuseste sa ajunga la usa care facea trecea in taramul spiridusilor si sa suporte transformarea. Dorinta lui de a-si salva sora va duce la o multime de aventuri dar si de descoperirea unor adevaruri ascunse de tatal lor.
March 5, 2022
more lile 4 stars and a half...
I fascinated about the Piper's chr, and the folklore piece of Hamelin.
so when I saw this being sold in my humble local used-bookstore i had to have it. I was not disappointed, so far each edition I read starts from the very beginning , but this ohhh, this was exactly which was not told before, simply, what happened to the children.
I fascinated about the Piper's chr, and the folklore piece of Hamelin.
so when I saw this being sold in my humble local used-bookstore i had to have it. I was not disappointed, so far each edition I read starts from the very beginning , but this ohhh, this was exactly which was not told before, simply, what happened to the children.
April 17, 2018
This a re-telling and expansion on the Pied Piper fairy tale. It explains why there was a plague of rats and gives a rationale for why the children are taken. Among the children are Mari and her disabled brother, Jacob. When her brother is separated and Mari is transformed, she finds a way back to try to find him. In the meantime, Jacob has found his own way into the fairyland and marvels at its wonders. The story explores the backstory behind the piper and also explores the meaning of family as Mari and Jacob reconcile with their difficulties with their father after the death of their mother. This was a well done re-imagining of the classic tale.
December 1, 2016
It was very nice. It showed me how powerful family love is. It was also suspensefI got very scared during some parts of the book. It made me feel what the characters were feeling. The author put emotion, love, and action into this heartwarming book about the mysteries of magic. I think this book is appropriate for people age 9 and above. I wanted to read it again and again.
January 3, 2018
What a great little book! It's subject is kind of strange but it is so good and very original. Those who love magic and fairy tale lands would love this one. It is a well-written book and I read it in like two days because I could not stop turning the pages!
March 25, 2018
Sweet. Very young adult fiction. Good can overcome evil, and not everything that is bad is necessarily evil.
September 6, 2018
I wanted to like this more, but maybe only because the cover and the title drew me in. I just didn't enjoy it.
September 11, 2018
GREAT BOOK!!! This book inspired a book that I am currently working on. It is a book that anyone that likes fantasy will love.
November 17, 2018
A great book with a positive role model and character-building messages. Upper elementary - 6 grade.
December 9, 2018
Loved the magic in it, just wish it was longer
December 28, 2019
I've owned this book forever and finally got around to reading it. The premise was really interesting, but I believe I found the ending dissatisfying.
January 22, 2020
It was okay.
March 28, 2020
this book was a real treasure to find and read . family, magic and a little bit of blood all in one book just GREAT.
May 10, 2020
Fantasy and YA are not my preferred reading, but it was a sweet, fun and fantastical fairy tale story nonetheless.
July 24, 2020
This was a really interesting retelling. There are a couple things I wish had happened at the end, but even without those events I loved it.
August 6, 2020
Well written. Dark, creepy and magical but the end really wasn't too satisfying 😔
Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews