Status
Available
Genres
Collection
Publication
HMH Books for Young Readers (2001), Edition: 1, 400 pages
Description
Thirteen-year-old Nita, tormented by a gang of bullies because she won't fight back, finds the help she needs in a library book on wizardry which guides her into another dimension.
User reviews
LibraryThing member beserene
I genuinely enjoyed this YA fantasy novel and, frankly, wished that I had read it years ago. There are so many tropes and images here that later writers seem to have picked up, yet this wonderful adventure not only predates them all, I would venture to say that it does many things better than its
Like much of children's fantasy fiction, this book involves wizards, wands, talking creatures, even a handy bit of time manipulation, among other familiar ideas, but there is much here that still feels fresh even more than a quarter century after the book was first published. The main characters, Nita and Kit, are eminently relatable -- they come from ordinary families with ordinary problems and neither has a secret closet full of gold, a convenient wizened old expert in the field, or anything similarly unlikely to make life easier. Magic itself, in this book, is not easy, as these two young folks discover once they are elbow deep in it.
What is more, there is a crucial awareness of sacrifice in the novel, which grows stronger as the story progresses; those who have lightly dismissed fantasy literature as "merely escapist" should read all the way to the end here, as Nita and Kit each lose, and gain, and lose again as they not only learn their chosen field of magic, but save the world on their first outing. Not a simple task, and Duane does not allow it to be such; each time the reader thinks that the problem has been solved, there is more to come. That makes for good, compelling reading.
There is a certain melancholy tone to the book that may not sit well with some readers, but for others that undercurrent of sadness will ring true with the realism (and, yes, I know I am describing a fantasy) of the novel's characters and atmosphere. All in all, I was so well pleased with this opening installment that I started the next book immediately -- and that is a recommendation in itself.
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descendants. Like much of children's fantasy fiction, this book involves wizards, wands, talking creatures, even a handy bit of time manipulation, among other familiar ideas, but there is much here that still feels fresh even more than a quarter century after the book was first published. The main characters, Nita and Kit, are eminently relatable -- they come from ordinary families with ordinary problems and neither has a secret closet full of gold, a convenient wizened old expert in the field, or anything similarly unlikely to make life easier. Magic itself, in this book, is not easy, as these two young folks discover once they are elbow deep in it.
What is more, there is a crucial awareness of sacrifice in the novel, which grows stronger as the story progresses; those who have lightly dismissed fantasy literature as "merely escapist" should read all the way to the end here, as Nita and Kit each lose, and gain, and lose again as they not only learn their chosen field of magic, but save the world on their first outing. Not a simple task, and Duane does not allow it to be such; each time the reader thinks that the problem has been solved, there is more to come. That makes for good, compelling reading.
There is a certain melancholy tone to the book that may not sit well with some readers, but for others that undercurrent of sadness will ring true with the realism (and, yes, I know I am describing a fantasy) of the novel's characters and atmosphere. All in all, I was so well pleased with this opening installment that I started the next book immediately -- and that is a recommendation in itself.
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LibraryThing member books_n_tea
I just finished re-reading the Harry Potter series, and my thirst for fantasy, wizardry, and magic had not been quenched, so I picked up So You Want to be a Wizard without knowing much about it.
I do have to admit, I did have trouble getting into the book. I don’t know if the book was just slow to
I’m still baffled at Nita and Kit’s ability to have what seems to be a sudden understanding of complex wizardry. I mean, the two only had the book for a few days and already they knew exactly what spells to use and when and how to manipulate basic spells into something more complex. It just didn’t seem believable even though it is a fantasy novel. It just seemed like they would have needed more training before jumping into the big stuff– the really big stuff.
I also had a problem with the way certain characters were introduced. Sometimes the introduction seemed so sudden, most specifically with the Perytons. When Nita and Kit are casting a spell, these villainous creatures begin to approach them. The two know them immediately as Perytons as if Perytons were creatures they passed in every day life. When I initially read the passage first describing the Perytons, I thought they were humans with wolf-like features, but I was very wrong. I later looked them up, and I guess they look just like wolves except more evil…?*shrug*
Confusion aside, I am glad I picked up the book. I enjoyed the characters in the story. Nita and Kit, the protagonists, are underdogs. But they don’t feel sorry for themselves. Instead, they try to find ways to overcome the bullying they endure daily. It just so happens that the lessons they learn through wizardry hold the answers. Fred, the white hole that is summoned, is my absolute favorite though. He is just a fun character! His awe of the new world and the sun (which he describes as “cute”) is so heartwarming, and his comments often evoked a few chuckles out of me.
Sci-fi is as much a part of the book as fantasy is since much of the magic revolves around manipulating the physical environment and time. I was surprised at how complex this was considering it’s a book aimed at pre-teens and young teenagers. For example, Fred says:
[I] have to find a functional-Advisory nexus in a hurry. I found out that the Naming of the Lights has gone missing, and I managed to find a paradimensional net with enough empty loci to get me to an Advisory in a hurry.
I scratched my head at that one and proceeded to look up a bunch of words in that sentence. I appreciated that Duane didn’t dumb the book down though. It certainly makes for a challenging but fulfilling read.
One of my favorite aspects of this book was Nita’s closeness to nature. Her closeness allows her to communicate with and manipulate nature easier than say things that are man made, like cars and planes, which appears to be Kit’s specialty. Nita’s closeness to nature allows for some really interesting dialogue between Nita and the trees that I absolutely adored.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a magic or wizard fix. It’s part of a series, and I think I’d like to read the rest, but I’m not in a rush to read them.
I do have to admit, I did have trouble getting into the book. I don’t know if the book was just slow to
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start up or what, but I did almost put this book down. Once Fred came into the picture though I became intrigued.I’m still baffled at Nita and Kit’s ability to have what seems to be a sudden understanding of complex wizardry. I mean, the two only had the book for a few days and already they knew exactly what spells to use and when and how to manipulate basic spells into something more complex. It just didn’t seem believable even though it is a fantasy novel. It just seemed like they would have needed more training before jumping into the big stuff– the really big stuff.
I also had a problem with the way certain characters were introduced. Sometimes the introduction seemed so sudden, most specifically with the Perytons. When Nita and Kit are casting a spell, these villainous creatures begin to approach them. The two know them immediately as Perytons as if Perytons were creatures they passed in every day life. When I initially read the passage first describing the Perytons, I thought they were humans with wolf-like features, but I was very wrong. I later looked them up, and I guess they look just like wolves except more evil…?*shrug*
Confusion aside, I am glad I picked up the book. I enjoyed the characters in the story. Nita and Kit, the protagonists, are underdogs. But they don’t feel sorry for themselves. Instead, they try to find ways to overcome the bullying they endure daily. It just so happens that the lessons they learn through wizardry hold the answers. Fred, the white hole that is summoned, is my absolute favorite though. He is just a fun character! His awe of the new world and the sun (which he describes as “cute”) is so heartwarming, and his comments often evoked a few chuckles out of me.
Sci-fi is as much a part of the book as fantasy is since much of the magic revolves around manipulating the physical environment and time. I was surprised at how complex this was considering it’s a book aimed at pre-teens and young teenagers. For example, Fred says:
[I] have to find a functional-Advisory nexus in a hurry. I found out that the Naming of the Lights has gone missing, and I managed to find a paradimensional net with enough empty loci to get me to an Advisory in a hurry.
I scratched my head at that one and proceeded to look up a bunch of words in that sentence. I appreciated that Duane didn’t dumb the book down though. It certainly makes for a challenging but fulfilling read.
One of my favorite aspects of this book was Nita’s closeness to nature. Her closeness allows her to communicate with and manipulate nature easier than say things that are man made, like cars and planes, which appears to be Kit’s specialty. Nita’s closeness to nature allows for some really interesting dialogue between Nita and the trees that I absolutely adored.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a magic or wizard fix. It’s part of a series, and I think I’d like to read the rest, but I’m not in a rush to read them.
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LibraryThing member abbylibrarian
This is one of those books I wish I had known about when I was a kid because I would have loved it. (I mean, I still loved it, but I also would have loved it then.) Nita is a rather geeky 12-year-old girl who is sick and tired of getting beat up by the meaner kids at her school. One day, as she's
There's no Hogwarts here; these kids are figuring it out on their own. And it'll be the most dangerous mission of their lives.
This book is pretty dark and a more than a little bit violent, but also funny at times. The characters are great and Duane really gets you into her world. I can't wait to read the next one!
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running from them, she ducks into the local library and hides in the children's room while the librarian gets rid of the bullies. It's here that a strange book on the shelves literally jumps out and grabs her. The book is called So You Want to Be a Wizard and it appears to be a career guide to wizardry. Intrigued, Nita takes the book home and begins reading. Although part of her thinks it's a joke, she dares to read the Wizard's Oath from the book... and her world is never the same. Nita is thrust into a world of magic- trees can talk to her, and she meets a friend named Kit (Christopher) who's also a new wizard-in-training. The two of them decide to cast some spells to get the bullies off their backs and before you know it, they're thrust into an alternate universe, a place with no light and where everything is out to get them. There's no Hogwarts here; these kids are figuring it out on their own. And it'll be the most dangerous mission of their lives.
This book is pretty dark and a more than a little bit violent, but also funny at times. The characters are great and Duane really gets you into her world. I can't wait to read the next one!
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LibraryThing member parallactic
Summary:
When Nita hides in the library to escape a bully, she comes across a book entitled, 'So You Want to be a Wizard?' She takes the Wizard's Oath in it, develops powers, and comes across her wizarding partner, Kit. They train as wizards, have adventures, and eventually end up saving the
Writing:
Duane has a prose style that I found hard to get into, but once I found the rhythm I got into it. I'm not fond of long descriptions in books, but Duane makes it work, and embodies the world, so you can feel how everything is interconnected. There were some passages in the book that were just gorgeous. She also has a lot of info dumping and exposition at the beginning of the book. Also, Duane's shifting tenses threw me out of the story several times.
The Good:
Her world building is pretty good. I'm not sure how accurate the science parts are, and suspect it isn't. I like how she embodies the universe from white holes to trees to machines. The world is alive. I also like how she didn't quite fall into the good vs. evil convention, but played with it more by giving the Lone Power the ability to change, and the warning of how too much goodness can be dangerous, too. I liked the whimsy in the book, like animated cars, and the hijinks Fred got into. The characters carried the plot, and were likeable, but didn't do much else. The battle scenes were well-written. I liked them, the epic grandiosity of it. Then again, an author would have to work really hard to make me not like world in peril scenarios.
The Bad:
Too much exposition. I'm not sure how she could have got across all that information, though, but the chapter where Nita read the book was a chore to get through. The book also felt uneven to me, almost like two books in one. I think it had to do with the first half being about wizard training, and the last half about worlds in peril and the alternate dimension. The latter half was more action oriented, and a huge page turner. The first half was slower paced. So maybe it's not a problem with the plot, but the pacing. I'd have to read it again to figure out why the book felt uneven. I don't like the book that much, but am willing to pick up the rest of the series.
When Nita hides in the library to escape a bully, she comes across a book entitled, 'So You Want to be a Wizard?' She takes the Wizard's Oath in it, develops powers, and comes across her wizarding partner, Kit. They train as wizards, have adventures, and eventually end up saving the
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universe. Writing:
Duane has a prose style that I found hard to get into, but once I found the rhythm I got into it. I'm not fond of long descriptions in books, but Duane makes it work, and embodies the world, so you can feel how everything is interconnected. There were some passages in the book that were just gorgeous. She also has a lot of info dumping and exposition at the beginning of the book. Also, Duane's shifting tenses threw me out of the story several times.
The Good:
Her world building is pretty good. I'm not sure how accurate the science parts are, and suspect it isn't. I like how she embodies the universe from white holes to trees to machines. The world is alive. I also like how she didn't quite fall into the good vs. evil convention, but played with it more by giving the Lone Power the ability to change, and the warning of how too much goodness can be dangerous, too. I liked the whimsy in the book, like animated cars, and the hijinks Fred got into. The characters carried the plot, and were likeable, but didn't do much else. The battle scenes were well-written. I liked them, the epic grandiosity of it. Then again, an author would have to work really hard to make me not like world in peril scenarios.
The Bad:
Too much exposition. I'm not sure how she could have got across all that information, though, but the chapter where Nita read the book was a chore to get through. The book also felt uneven to me, almost like two books in one. I think it had to do with the first half being about wizard training, and the last half about worlds in peril and the alternate dimension. The latter half was more action oriented, and a huge page turner. The first half was slower paced. So maybe it's not a problem with the plot, but the pacing. I'd have to read it again to figure out why the book felt uneven. I don't like the book that much, but am willing to pick up the rest of the series.
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LibraryThing member bluesalamanders
Nita Callahan, perennial geek on the bad side of the school bully, runs across an unusual book while hiding in the children's section of the town library: So You Want to be a Wizard. She thinks it's a joke until she starts learning real magic (or rather, wizardry) from it. But it's not all fun and
Duane's fantasy (with a sci-fi twist) is a joy to read and only gets better as the series goes on. What other system of magic uses terminology like temporal-spacial claudication instead of magic door? The writing is clean and crisp, the worldbuilding is fantastic, and the characters are wonderful and come in ever-expanding varieties. This series is a yearly-reread.
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games when Nita and fellow wizard Kit accidentally end up in an alternate universe that's not at all friendly to humans.Duane's fantasy (with a sci-fi twist) is a joy to read and only gets better as the series goes on. What other system of magic uses terminology like temporal-spacial claudication instead of magic door? The writing is clean and crisp, the worldbuilding is fantastic, and the characters are wonderful and come in ever-expanding varieties. This series is a yearly-reread.
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LibraryThing member heidialice
Nita and Kit are middle school kids who just happen to be wizards too. In a battle that quickly assumes epic proportions, they fight to save the world from chaos and destruction.
I found this book to be rather over-rated. SLJ gave it a starred review when it first came out, but I had a hard time
I found this book to be rather over-rated. SLJ gave it a starred review when it first came out, but I had a hard time
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really getting into it. The magic was imaginative, but the world was under-developed and I had a hard time getting into the characters. I was also repeatedly annoyed by the boys-talk-with-cars-and-machines, girls-talk-with-plants stereotype. And the whole white-hole as character that burps up weird stuff was odd and distracting to me, but would probably appeal to the 10-13 set. For middle readers who can’t get enough of Harry Potter-like fantasies, this would be a decent choice, though. Show Less
LibraryThing member MyopicBookworm
***Caution: may be spoilers***
This book is much better than I was expecting from the blurb. Comparison with the much more recent 'Harry Potter' series is misplaced. Nita's world of school bullies, uncomprehending parents, and sympathetic librarians is familiar mainstream children's-book territory,
This book is much better than I was expecting from the blurb. Comparison with the much more recent 'Harry Potter' series is misplaced. Nita's world of school bullies, uncomprehending parents, and sympathetic librarians is familiar mainstream children's-book territory,
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offering a solid backdrop to the fantasy element. In its otherworld sections, set in a dark, almost post-apocalyptic New York - overrun with predatory helicopters and feral taxicabs - and in its interlacing of magical fantasy with elements of science and myth, this book hits a tone closer to Philip Pullman's The Subtle Knife, or something by Madeleine L'Engle. There is a touch of silliness in the random objects produced by the burping white hole, but there is a seriousness of intent behind many of the book's ideas. I found the exchange between Nita and the rowan tree to be particularly thoughtful: if trees were sentient, what would they think of the ungrateful humans for whom they have prepared the earth? The setting probably has more resonance for readers who know New York. The book stands well by itself, not feeling like the first of a series, partly because of the cosmic scale of its finale: what sequel could you have, after saving the whole world and offering Satan a chance of redemption on the way? MB 15-ii-2008 Show Less
LibraryThing member TheDivineOomba
I just finished So You Want to Be a Wizard By Diane Duane. Its a pretty good read, aimed at the Tween Crowd (10 - 14 or so). I believe it even won a few awards, or at least thats what the cover proclaims. Its a pretty typical Modern Kids find Magic and save the world bit. This genre has grown
It starts off with 13 year old Nita running away from a pack of bullies intent on beating her to a pulp. She runs into the library to hide and finds a book titles So You Want to Be a Wizard. She checks it out on a whim, and takes her first step into wizardry. Along the way, she meets Kit, another lonely kid with a book teaching him magic. Together, they find that they can do magic that they can't do alone. In search of a missing NASA pen that writes upside down, they summon a white hole who's curious about planets. Together, Fred, Kit, and Nina trek into an alternate planet where the great destroyer is intent on destroying the universe. Its up to them to find the Book of Night With Moon, and thwart the Destroyer.
I think I've been reading too many of these types of books. Its well written, aimed at kids, with a very distinct Good vs Bad Message. As typical with books like this, the parent figures are mostly out of the picture, and the kids have to figure everything out themselves. I think my biggest concern with the book is how easy Magic came to them, It took just a few days for them to be magic beginners to be fully fledged magicians. Also, there was no guidance from other older, experienced wizards. Everything they did came from a book. The ending also seemed a bit rushed, not the way the world was saved, but in the wrap up at the end.
So to wrap it up, its a well written book, and would be a good book to give to a young Harry Potter Fan who has read it all, or as introduction to the world of fantasy. I think adults will appreciate it, but not necessarily find it that great. I will not read this again, or any of the other books in the series, but I plan on giving it to my niece when she is older and will appreciate a good fantasy.
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hugely with the success of the Harry Potter Series, but this book was first, well at least before the hype.It starts off with 13 year old Nita running away from a pack of bullies intent on beating her to a pulp. She runs into the library to hide and finds a book titles So You Want to Be a Wizard. She checks it out on a whim, and takes her first step into wizardry. Along the way, she meets Kit, another lonely kid with a book teaching him magic. Together, they find that they can do magic that they can't do alone. In search of a missing NASA pen that writes upside down, they summon a white hole who's curious about planets. Together, Fred, Kit, and Nina trek into an alternate planet where the great destroyer is intent on destroying the universe. Its up to them to find the Book of Night With Moon, and thwart the Destroyer.
I think I've been reading too many of these types of books. Its well written, aimed at kids, with a very distinct Good vs Bad Message. As typical with books like this, the parent figures are mostly out of the picture, and the kids have to figure everything out themselves. I think my biggest concern with the book is how easy Magic came to them, It took just a few days for them to be magic beginners to be fully fledged magicians. Also, there was no guidance from other older, experienced wizards. Everything they did came from a book. The ending also seemed a bit rushed, not the way the world was saved, but in the wrap up at the end.
So to wrap it up, its a well written book, and would be a good book to give to a young Harry Potter Fan who has read it all, or as introduction to the world of fantasy. I think adults will appreciate it, but not necessarily find it that great. I will not read this again, or any of the other books in the series, but I plan on giving it to my niece when she is older and will appreciate a good fantasy.
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LibraryThing member nmhale
After a gap of many years, I read this book again, and discovered that I actually remembered very little of it. I did recall the clever introduction of wizardry in to the mundane world - both protagonists are grabbed by a book, instead of the other way around - and the dark alternate universe with
Odd juxtaposition, right? Magical tomes on wizardry and evil vehicles that are alive on their own. I remember being captivated by the blend of more traditional magic tropes and the oddly scientific use of technical jargon and mechanical creatures. On this second read, I was still fascinated by the strange pairing of sorcery and science, but I was more immersed in the world Duane created, and appreciated that she was able to develop both threads of her magical universe in a balanced harmony.
The story is about Nita Callahan and Kit Rodriguez, two teenagers who are smart, heavily read, and a little unhappy. Their peers pick on them and they don't like it. Fortunately, their whole existence is about to be turned upside down. They find books - Nita in the kid section of her library, and Kit in a used book store - that claim to be about becoming a wizard. They each take the Wizard's Oath, half thinking that it is all an elaborate joke, and realize that everything they read is serious. Extremely. Each new wizard must endure an ordeal to test their commitment to the art, and that experience could prove deadly.
The first half of the novel focuses on Nita discovering the book, accepting wizardry as a reality, meeting Kit, and accidentally unleashing a white hole in her space time who assumes a quirky personality by the shortened name of Fred. This is a lot of set-up, but fortunately it doesn't read slowly, and really a book that is the start of a series will need some exposition time. Duane spiced the beginning up with enough tension, both from Fred's unfortunate accident and from the malicious classmates that are tormenting Nita, that the story never lagged. And once the kids break into the alternate world where the Lone Power rules, the action really kicks into high gear, rolling along to startling climax that blasts through New York City. I even got a little teary-eyed at the end.
I'm glad I decided to give this book another look. I simply thought to pick it up because I am reading recent additions to the series, but now I can say that the first book is still one of the best ones in the series (of the four I've read). I missed so much when I first read it, probably due to the fact that I was a teenager and accustomed to certain things in my fantasy novels, and this story was so different. It didn't have dragons or an epic quest or a medieval-type fantasy land; what it did have was a blending of contemporary reality with arcane magic and a truly inventive look at magical creatures. As an adult, I appreciate the variety and the heavy themes that are handled with a younger audience in mind. A great start to a good series.
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killer cars, but that was about all.Odd juxtaposition, right? Magical tomes on wizardry and evil vehicles that are alive on their own. I remember being captivated by the blend of more traditional magic tropes and the oddly scientific use of technical jargon and mechanical creatures. On this second read, I was still fascinated by the strange pairing of sorcery and science, but I was more immersed in the world Duane created, and appreciated that she was able to develop both threads of her magical universe in a balanced harmony.
The story is about Nita Callahan and Kit Rodriguez, two teenagers who are smart, heavily read, and a little unhappy. Their peers pick on them and they don't like it. Fortunately, their whole existence is about to be turned upside down. They find books - Nita in the kid section of her library, and Kit in a used book store - that claim to be about becoming a wizard. They each take the Wizard's Oath, half thinking that it is all an elaborate joke, and realize that everything they read is serious. Extremely. Each new wizard must endure an ordeal to test their commitment to the art, and that experience could prove deadly.
The first half of the novel focuses on Nita discovering the book, accepting wizardry as a reality, meeting Kit, and accidentally unleashing a white hole in her space time who assumes a quirky personality by the shortened name of Fred. This is a lot of set-up, but fortunately it doesn't read slowly, and really a book that is the start of a series will need some exposition time. Duane spiced the beginning up with enough tension, both from Fred's unfortunate accident and from the malicious classmates that are tormenting Nita, that the story never lagged. And once the kids break into the alternate world where the Lone Power rules, the action really kicks into high gear, rolling along to startling climax that blasts through New York City. I even got a little teary-eyed at the end.
I'm glad I decided to give this book another look. I simply thought to pick it up because I am reading recent additions to the series, but now I can say that the first book is still one of the best ones in the series (of the four I've read). I missed so much when I first read it, probably due to the fact that I was a teenager and accustomed to certain things in my fantasy novels, and this story was so different. It didn't have dragons or an epic quest or a medieval-type fantasy land; what it did have was a blending of contemporary reality with arcane magic and a truly inventive look at magical creatures. As an adult, I appreciate the variety and the heavy themes that are handled with a younger audience in mind. A great start to a good series.
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LibraryThing member pwaites
So You Want to Be a Wizard is the 1983 fantasy YA novel which started off The Young Wizards series, which has the tenth book coming out next year. I’ve always loved this series, but I’ve never done a complete read through of the series. Time to change that.
Nita Callahan is an intelligent
“In Life’s name and for Life’s sake, I say that I will use the Art for nothing but the service of that Life. I will guard growth and ease pain. I will fight to preserve what grows and lives well in its own way; and I will change no object or creature unless its growth and life, or that of the system of which it is part, are threatened. To these ends, in the practice of my Art, I will put aside fear for courage, and death for life, when it is right to do so—till Universe’s end. I will look always toward the Heart of Time, where all times are one, where all our sundered worlds lie whole, as they were meant to be.”
Like a lot of ongoing fantasy series, the books age with the protagonists. So You Want to Be a Wizard is definitely the first book, and it would probably be considered middle grade today. The book’s short and the plot line relatively simple, especially compared to what I remember of the later books. It reminds almost more of a novella, even though it is longer than that.
The Young Wizard series is definitely a fantasy series, but it owes a lot to science fiction. Yes, there’s wizards, but there’s also aliens. Heck, there’s alien wizards. One of the three major characters in So You Want to Be a Wizard is a sentient white hole named Fred. Even the magic in the Young Wizard series has the feel of science, with the wizards having to write and balance equations to work spells. Of course, the simplest magic is enacted simply by speaking to the world in the wizardly language, asking a lock to come undone or air to harden and let you walk on it.
“A warp,” Nita whispered. “A tunnel through space-time. Are you a white hole?”
It stopped bobbing, stared at her as if she had said something derogatory. (Do I look like a hole?)”
Wizardry in the Young Wizard series is all about life and slowing entropy. Wizards are devoted to life and growth and sworn to stand against death and entropy. Sometimes, this can lead to difficulty when one organism is growing at another’s expense. The overall ethics and mythos of the series is a huge underlying part of what makes it so great. So You Want to Be a Wizard introduces many aspects of this, but it is explored much more fully in subsequent novels.
“And this was what being a wizard was about. Keeping terrible things from happening, even when it hurt. Not just power, or control of what ordinary people couldn’t control, or delight in being able to make strange things happen. Those were side effects – not the reason, not the purpose.”
I really love Nita as a female lead. She’s undeniably intelligent with a keen interest in the world around her. I also love how her and Kit’s relationship is based on friendship, not romance. Through the course of the book, the both save each other, and both play important roles in developing plans or working spells, which they often say together.
So You Want to Be a Wizard is one of those books that you can read at any age but might very well appreciate more when you’re older, especially when it comes to the themes of working for life versus death. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a light, fun read, a novel that is at the crossing point between science fiction and fantasy.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
Nita Callahan is an intelligent
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thirteen year old girl who likes looking at the craters of the moon and learning the different constellations. One day, she is running from a group of bullies who are constantly giving her black eyes. This time, she hides in the library. While Nita’s in the library, she comes across a book called “So You Want to Be a Wizard?” She finds a section entitled “The Wizard’s Oath,” and, feeling a bit silly, says it. The next morning, she wakes up to find herself listed in the book as a novice wizard. She soon encounters another young wizard, a boy named Kit Rodriguez. But every new wizard must go on an ordeal, and Nita and Kit soon plunge into theirs, where they will face the Lone Power itself, the Being who brought death into the universe…“In Life’s name and for Life’s sake, I say that I will use the Art for nothing but the service of that Life. I will guard growth and ease pain. I will fight to preserve what grows and lives well in its own way; and I will change no object or creature unless its growth and life, or that of the system of which it is part, are threatened. To these ends, in the practice of my Art, I will put aside fear for courage, and death for life, when it is right to do so—till Universe’s end. I will look always toward the Heart of Time, where all times are one, where all our sundered worlds lie whole, as they were meant to be.”
Like a lot of ongoing fantasy series, the books age with the protagonists. So You Want to Be a Wizard is definitely the first book, and it would probably be considered middle grade today. The book’s short and the plot line relatively simple, especially compared to what I remember of the later books. It reminds almost more of a novella, even though it is longer than that.
The Young Wizard series is definitely a fantasy series, but it owes a lot to science fiction. Yes, there’s wizards, but there’s also aliens. Heck, there’s alien wizards. One of the three major characters in So You Want to Be a Wizard is a sentient white hole named Fred. Even the magic in the Young Wizard series has the feel of science, with the wizards having to write and balance equations to work spells. Of course, the simplest magic is enacted simply by speaking to the world in the wizardly language, asking a lock to come undone or air to harden and let you walk on it.
“A warp,” Nita whispered. “A tunnel through space-time. Are you a white hole?”
It stopped bobbing, stared at her as if she had said something derogatory. (Do I look like a hole?)”
Wizardry in the Young Wizard series is all about life and slowing entropy. Wizards are devoted to life and growth and sworn to stand against death and entropy. Sometimes, this can lead to difficulty when one organism is growing at another’s expense. The overall ethics and mythos of the series is a huge underlying part of what makes it so great. So You Want to Be a Wizard introduces many aspects of this, but it is explored much more fully in subsequent novels.
“And this was what being a wizard was about. Keeping terrible things from happening, even when it hurt. Not just power, or control of what ordinary people couldn’t control, or delight in being able to make strange things happen. Those were side effects – not the reason, not the purpose.”
I really love Nita as a female lead. She’s undeniably intelligent with a keen interest in the world around her. I also love how her and Kit’s relationship is based on friendship, not romance. Through the course of the book, the both save each other, and both play important roles in developing plans or working spells, which they often say together.
So You Want to Be a Wizard is one of those books that you can read at any age but might very well appreciate more when you’re older, especially when it comes to the themes of working for life versus death. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a light, fun read, a novel that is at the crossing point between science fiction and fantasy.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
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LibraryThing member gwenn2ns
What I liked about the book is the live things that normally don’t talk can talk .A support of this is that a car talks to Kit. Also the tree talks to Nita and the stone statues come alive. I liked this book because it has great vocabulary that I can picture myself in the book. Also she used
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great words like leaped or scaly or even metallic. Show Less
LibraryThing member benfulton
The real harm Harry Potter has done to fantasy fans was to create this neverending series of, well, serieses. It's not good enough any more just to write a good book, you have to write the first book of an Epic. I guess none of these writers have ever gone back to see how well Sorcerer's Stone
(Update: This book was written before Harry Potter so these comments don't really apply. Thanks bluesalamanders)
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stands up on its own as a story, because they all seem to spend so much time on developing characters rather than, you know, the plot, that you tend to lose interest before you ever reach the second one. #2 is probably better, but I doubt I'll ever get around to finding out.(Update: This book was written before Harry Potter so these comments don't really apply. Thanks bluesalamanders)
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LibraryThing member magnuscanis
The start of a very imaginitive series of stories, this is in my opinion one of the weaker offerings. It's good in that it introduces the central characters and concepts but I found most of the later plots to be a lot more gripping and less confusing (although the latter could just have been
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because I was more used to this world by then). Show Less
LibraryThing member rocalisa
So You Want to be a Wizard - Diane Duane (8/10)
YA fantasy; book 1 of the Young Wizards series; reread; audiobook.
I read the first three books in this series many years ago, when I was a lot closer to being a young adult myself. So I was delighted to see the books available as audioboks. I enjoyed
YA fantasy; book 1 of the Young Wizards series; reread; audiobook.
I read the first three books in this series many years ago, when I was a lot closer to being a young adult myself. So I was delighted to see the books available as audioboks. I enjoyed
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meeting Nita and Kit all over again and going on their first wizardly adventure with them and hope to find time to listen to more of the books in the not too distant future. The narrator was fine, although every now and then the accents she put on for the children did great a little. All the same, it wasn't enough to distract from my enjoyment of the book. Show Less
LibraryThing member sgerardo
pages read: 264- 386
This book is about a young girl, Nita Callahan, who runs away from bullies and into a library. She discovers a book that she has never seen before. She thinks the book is just plain fiction and the wizard spells and curses will never work. But, shes wrong.
The main character is
There was not really anything in this book that i could relate to because I never get bullied or I don't time travel through space and cast magical spells.
The main character did change. SHe became more mature. For example, she did not try to get revenge at the end.
I did not like how there were too unbelieveable characters in this book. It was a bit confusing because of all the characters that will never exist.
I would recommend this game to early teens. This is a great book because of its supenseful excitment.
This book is about a young girl, Nita Callahan, who runs away from bullies and into a library. She discovers a book that she has never seen before. She thinks the book is just plain fiction and the wizard spells and curses will never work. But, shes wrong.
The main character is
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Nita, who is frequently bullied in and out of school. She wants to get back at them by trying out these wizardly spells. Some work, but others don't. Soon enough she finds herself flying through space, fighting dragons, and meeting mystical creatures. There was not really anything in this book that i could relate to because I never get bullied or I don't time travel through space and cast magical spells.
The main character did change. SHe became more mature. For example, she did not try to get revenge at the end.
I did not like how there were too unbelieveable characters in this book. It was a bit confusing because of all the characters that will never exist.
I would recommend this game to early teens. This is a great book because of its supenseful excitment.
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LibraryThing member silentq
Nita and Kit run across separate copies of a book, and then into each other as they attempt spells. They're caught up in universe altering events just because they don't want to be beat up at school any more.
The plot jumped from event to event, getting a pen back leading to finding a Gate, leading
The plot jumped from event to event, getting a pen back leading to finding a Gate, leading
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to going through it, and then having to find the return gate, and more. It's a fun ride though the author didn't spend much time fleshing out Nita beyond the first chapter (she's a bookworm and a pacifist). I'm interested in seeing how she progresses in the next book. Show Less
LibraryThing member lewispike
This is a book aimed at children, but which works quite happily if you read it as an adult.
Nita is being bullied at school and takes refuge in the library, a familiar hiding place for her. She discovers a new book, "So You Want to Be a Wizard" which, as you might guess teachers her how to be a
She meets another wizard her age, some older ones, and has a string of adventures all in a short, easy to read book.
Without giving the plot away, there is a quite nasty parallel world, sacrifice, and quite a lot of fancy word-play that goes on. It works really well, and would make a fun story for a child or an amusing hour or two diversion for an adult that enjoys fantasy books.
Nita is being bullied at school and takes refuge in the library, a familiar hiding place for her. She discovers a new book, "So You Want to Be a Wizard" which, as you might guess teachers her how to be a
Show More
wizard.She meets another wizard her age, some older ones, and has a string of adventures all in a short, easy to read book.
Without giving the plot away, there is a quite nasty parallel world, sacrifice, and quite a lot of fancy word-play that goes on. It works really well, and would make a fun story for a child or an amusing hour or two diversion for an adult that enjoys fantasy books.
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LibraryThing member dbhutch
For a book written for young adult readers, this seemed a bit off to me. The storyline was great. Good premise, very good character development, but the wrting style, was just not ... stable? The chapters were infinetely long, something I can handle, but do not see a good thing for young readers.
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And the author is very longwinded - more so than even Stephen King who can really go overboard at times, but in a good way. This - not so good. Show Less
LibraryThing member atreic
This was recommended to me by Kat as a Narnia-esque book, full of childhood adventure with a spiritual richness underpinning the plot and the worldbuilding. It is very good fun, although I am not the age I was when I read Narnia (I am probably 25 years older!) and so it is hard to judge if this is
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more over-simplified and cliched, or if I have just become older and grumpier in my tastes. There are some glorious set pieces - frantically casting a spell to escape from an oncoming subway train, the Lone Power sucking all goodness out of the world and walking across the skyline on his eight-legged mechanical horse - and some strong and interesting themes - fighting for the light, loving and creating and building up, making choices and the hope of redemption. But there are also some odd pacing issues, a huge dollop of cliche, and the characters are quite two dimensional. Still, gently optimistic about reading the rest of the series and seeing how they develop. Show Less
LibraryThing member SilveredBlue
What a cool book.(I had to buy the new digest edition because the cover was gorgeous.) It's got everything, excitement, magic, a stellar plot, and best of all...eight (soon to be nine) more books!
LibraryThing member savageknight
Libraries, Books, Magic! What more could I ask for? How about some really fun adventures and young wizards who could just as easily be living on my street. Diane Duane has absolutely no problems making these kids come alive and throwing them into real issues one moment and harrowing adventures the
The "Lone Power" and comparison to Lucifer is chilling indeed! Imagine being 12 years old and the very first nemesis you go up against... it the Devil himself?! A powerful start to a new series!
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next!The "Lone Power" and comparison to Lucifer is chilling indeed! Imagine being 12 years old and the very first nemesis you go up against... it the Devil himself?! A powerful start to a new series!
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LibraryThing member GaylDasherSmith
forgetable fantasy that seems to address the bullying issue, but leave the reader unaffected.
LibraryThing member jrbeach
As an adult, I found I just didn't have the patience to get into the book.
LibraryThing member wphilbrook
I just had to re-read it and it was just as good as I remember. A book about 2 kids who realize they have what it takes to be wizards and save the universe from entropy. How can you not love a book with a star as one of the characters?
LibraryThing member LeslitGS
While seeking shelter in the library from bullies seeking to beat her to a pulp, Nita finds picking up a book that she's never noticed before: So You Want to Be A Wizard. She takes the oath, choosing to become a wizard in the hopes of all of the wonderful things she ever could dream, but along with
In a fairly common move, Duane makes both her main characters underdogs. Both Nita and Kit are in uncomfortable situations in school: Nita is bookish and quiet and Kit skipped at least one grade to get where he is now. The sad fact is that different is hard. And in their hardships, they both came upon the So You Want to Be a Wizard book and took the oath to become something more in the hopes that things would improve. But what happens next, I find to be fairly unique. After one brief but successful spat with Nita's foes, the book shifts entirely away from these issues and hurls both children into a massive adventure that even more experienced wizards would wish to avoid. The focus becomes survival and friendship.
Throughout the text, there were things that continually came to the surface as sort of sideways focal points for me, things that caught my eye and made me think about and appreciate them. Choice, was a constant theme, in a strange way that rolled it together with fate. Words and descriptions were the axis of the magic, and good and evil were not about power so much as about life, death and truth.
Choice plays a massive role in most any adventure story--including "choose your owns." But here, it was a constant thing. The kids make a conscious decision to step into the world, knowing [more or less] what it is. Ther is no familial tie, no separate culture to descend upon them. And, per organization in connection to the real world, it is much more Harry Dresden than Harry Potter--operating constantly in and around real life. Admittedly, I've only read the first book of this series [and probably will only read it, since, you know, so many books so little time] But anyway...
Nita and Kit are young, resourceful characters that choose do what is needed. The book seems to trap them in a circle of fate disguised as choice. There is only one answer, but the answer never has the expected results. They get Nita's pen back [the bullies had stolen it], but it makes Fred ill. To help Fred, they have to open the worldgate underneath New York City. When they open the world gate to help him, everything goes wrong and they're forced to leap into an alternate NYC. To get out of there, they need power, so they need the Book that was stolen. To find the Book, they need it's dark counterpart. Through all this, they must make their own path and grow in themselves as well as wizardry. They chose to become wizards, and in doing so agreed to protect life and energy. After that, their choices became entirely about how to go about this.
Wizardry in Duane's world is about words--something that I found quite lovely, being a fan of them myself. But, at the same time, it is about truth. The power of the magic is in using the wizarding words to convince things that they should be other than they are. To enact magic, you use the words of the wizards, in which spells are written and everything speaks. With the ability to understand the language, to learn to listen and speak to trees and rocks. And in learning to listen and speak to them, the wizard gains the ability to control and coax the trees, rocks and other such objects. At one point, Kit convinces a door that it's been locked for too long, and it should probably want to be unlocked for a little while. The power is in knowing a thing as it is, knowing the change that you wish to make, and then using the words to convince the thing that it is or was and always will be that way. I found this entirely fascinating.
The fight between good and evil, as presented within the text is an interesting one as well. The, for lack of a better phrase, good Book, is essentially the book of truth. It has always existed, as per the living things knowledge, and it exists to tell the world what it truly is and how it is. It exists to preserve life, light and energy. The counterpart which we will just call the other book, is much the same, but is twisted in subtle ways so that the spells comprised of description are untrue; they are perversions of what should be, carrying the light into shadows, stifling life and encouraging death. The other book was created by something that chose to be against life, participate in death and make it a curse upon everything. This is your bad guy.
I suppose, with how I worded it there, not much seems astonishingly different, but there still is something entirely unique about this wizarding world. It's fun, it's easy, but Hahrry Pottah! shall always rule the day, I think.
Still, give it a read, if only for the tentacled office creature working on the very nice typewriter. Oh, the eighties.
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another young wizarding local, she instead finds herself in the midst of a struggle between light and darkness. Wizarding, as the book said, has many rewards, but it also has many risks as well. Now she and Kit must find their way through a universe that is a perversion of their own and survive to return a stolen spell book to the side of light and save their world. In a fairly common move, Duane makes both her main characters underdogs. Both Nita and Kit are in uncomfortable situations in school: Nita is bookish and quiet and Kit skipped at least one grade to get where he is now. The sad fact is that different is hard. And in their hardships, they both came upon the So You Want to Be a Wizard book and took the oath to become something more in the hopes that things would improve. But what happens next, I find to be fairly unique. After one brief but successful spat with Nita's foes, the book shifts entirely away from these issues and hurls both children into a massive adventure that even more experienced wizards would wish to avoid. The focus becomes survival and friendship.
Throughout the text, there were things that continually came to the surface as sort of sideways focal points for me, things that caught my eye and made me think about and appreciate them. Choice, was a constant theme, in a strange way that rolled it together with fate. Words and descriptions were the axis of the magic, and good and evil were not about power so much as about life, death and truth.
Choice plays a massive role in most any adventure story--including "choose your owns." But here, it was a constant thing. The kids make a conscious decision to step into the world, knowing [more or less] what it is. Ther is no familial tie, no separate culture to descend upon them. And, per organization in connection to the real world, it is much more Harry Dresden than Harry Potter--operating constantly in and around real life. Admittedly, I've only read the first book of this series [and probably will only read it, since, you know, so many books so little time] But anyway...
Nita and Kit are young, resourceful characters that choose do what is needed. The book seems to trap them in a circle of fate disguised as choice. There is only one answer, but the answer never has the expected results. They get Nita's pen back [the bullies had stolen it], but it makes Fred ill. To help Fred, they have to open the worldgate underneath New York City. When they open the world gate to help him, everything goes wrong and they're forced to leap into an alternate NYC. To get out of there, they need power, so they need the Book that was stolen. To find the Book, they need it's dark counterpart. Through all this, they must make their own path and grow in themselves as well as wizardry. They chose to become wizards, and in doing so agreed to protect life and energy. After that, their choices became entirely about how to go about this.
Wizardry in Duane's world is about words--something that I found quite lovely, being a fan of them myself. But, at the same time, it is about truth. The power of the magic is in using the wizarding words to convince things that they should be other than they are. To enact magic, you use the words of the wizards, in which spells are written and everything speaks. With the ability to understand the language, to learn to listen and speak to trees and rocks. And in learning to listen and speak to them, the wizard gains the ability to control and coax the trees, rocks and other such objects. At one point, Kit convinces a door that it's been locked for too long, and it should probably want to be unlocked for a little while. The power is in knowing a thing as it is, knowing the change that you wish to make, and then using the words to convince the thing that it is or was and always will be that way. I found this entirely fascinating.
The fight between good and evil, as presented within the text is an interesting one as well. The, for lack of a better phrase, good Book, is essentially the book of truth. It has always existed, as per the living things knowledge, and it exists to tell the world what it truly is and how it is. It exists to preserve life, light and energy. The counterpart which we will just call the other book, is much the same, but is twisted in subtle ways so that the spells comprised of description are untrue; they are perversions of what should be, carrying the light into shadows, stifling life and encouraging death. The other book was created by something that chose to be against life, participate in death and make it a curse upon everything. This is your bad guy.
I suppose, with how I worded it there, not much seems astonishingly different, but there still is something entirely unique about this wizarding world. It's fun, it's easy, but Hahrry Pottah! shall always rule the day, I think.
Still, give it a read, if only for the tentacled office creature working on the very nice typewriter. Oh, the eighties.
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Awards
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1983
2011
Physical description
6.82 x 1.08 inches
ISBN
015216250X / 9780152162504