Student Review: "Bad Magic," by Pseudonymous Bosch

Clay considers magic “bad”. He used to practice magic tricks with his older brother, Max-Ernst, but then his brother strangely disappeared leaving Clay clueless and confused. Suddenly, one day some words from his journal appear on school wall with his name signed at the bottom and he gets in trouble for putting graffiti on the school wall. He is sent to a camp called Earth Ranch as a punishment. This camp is on an island with an active volcano and is used to discipline kids who are having trouble or causing trouble in their schools. At this island, Clay faces many mysterious objects and events that he can neither explain nor understand. As he tries to understand his strange fellow campers and strange events at the camp, he discovers that his brother is still alive and probably on the same island. Although he never meets his brother in this book but his adventure continues and at least he has a purpose now for going through all this trouble. I really liked the book. The talk about magic tricks and solving mysteries makes it very exciting. I felt like I was playing a video game, and each mystery will take me to the next level of the game. I also enjoyed reading about Clay’s relationship with his brother. I can’t wait to read the second book in the trilogy to find out if Clay will be able to find his brother?

Mohid Ali's Rating: ****

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