Scan barcode
the_fabric_of_words's review against another edition
5.0
This book is told from the point-of-view of Leila, Mr. Vernon's adopted daughter and the escape artist in training.
A psychic with a secret comes to Mineral Wells, and it's not long before the Magic Misfits figure out something about her act is not right.
Leila is usually very happy being the daughter of the Misters Vernon, but still she wonders about who her parents, particularly her mother, is.
First, B.B. Bosso's monkey tries to steal Mr. Vernon's ledger, and the kids learn it's written in a cipher, the Atbash cipher, to be exact.
Then, one of Mr. Vernon's old magic-gang arrives on his doorstep, Sandra Santos. She's a psychic, a clairvoyant, who receives messages from spirits who've passed on. She's supposedly inherited a house from her deceased mother and moves back to Mineral Wells.
Of course it's not long before she's foretelling the futures of the Magic Misfits, specifically Leila's, reminding her of a very special key that was attached to a ribbon and Leila, when she was left on the orphanage doorstep. She tells Leila to "keep it close."
Izzy and Ozzy adopt two "magic mice" and begin training them, and the Resort's ancient, grumpy bellhop, Dean, steers the kids in the direction of some recent ghost sightings in the Resort's abandoned wing, the one that burned down so many years ago.
Sandra helps the ghosts "move on" and gains a gig at the Grand Oak Resort for her efforts. But the kids aren't convinced she's genuine, and start their own investigation of what happened in the fire, who's been in the wing lately, and they learn about Mr. Vernon's group of magicians, back when he was a teen. This is how they learn about mesmerist and Mr. Vernon's nemesis, Kilroy Kalagan, a dark, mysterious figure who's pulling all the strings in Mineral Wells.
I won't spoil the heart-breaking twist at the end, with Sandra's performance, so I'll stop here. It's a great second installment in the series!
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
A psychic with a secret comes to Mineral Wells, and it's not long before the Magic Misfits figure out something about her act is not right.
Leila is usually very happy being the daughter of the Misters Vernon, but still she wonders about who her parents, particularly her mother, is.
First, B.B. Bosso's monkey tries to steal Mr. Vernon's ledger, and the kids learn it's written in a cipher, the Atbash cipher, to be exact.
Then, one of Mr. Vernon's old magic-gang arrives on his doorstep, Sandra Santos. She's a psychic, a clairvoyant, who receives messages from spirits who've passed on. She's supposedly inherited a house from her deceased mother and moves back to Mineral Wells.
Of course it's not long before she's foretelling the futures of the Magic Misfits, specifically Leila's, reminding her of a very special key that was attached to a ribbon and Leila, when she was left on the orphanage doorstep. She tells Leila to "keep it close."
Izzy and Ozzy adopt two "magic mice" and begin training them, and the Resort's ancient, grumpy bellhop, Dean, steers the kids in the direction of some recent ghost sightings in the Resort's abandoned wing, the one that burned down so many years ago.
Sandra helps the ghosts "move on" and gains a gig at the Grand Oak Resort for her efforts. But the kids aren't convinced she's genuine, and start their own investigation of what happened in the fire, who's been in the wing lately, and they learn about Mr. Vernon's group of magicians, back when he was a teen. This is how they learn about mesmerist and Mr. Vernon's nemesis, Kilroy Kalagan, a dark, mysterious figure who's pulling all the strings in Mineral Wells.
I won't spoil the heart-breaking twist at the end, with Sandra's performance, so I'll stop here. It's a great second installment in the series!
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
bookiesncreme's review against another edition
4.0
I really would have LOVED this series when I was a kid. Orphans and magic? My fave! A cute and adventurous continuation of the first book. I think story wise I enjoyed this one more, but I liked the audio way less.
Audiobook: I know this was Leila’s story so a female narrator makes sense, but I would still have preferred Neil Patrick Harris. Also, this narrator really made Ridley sound like a serious brat. I know she is super snarky, but I couldn’t stand her in this one.
Audiobook: I know this was Leila’s story so a female narrator makes sense, but I would still have preferred Neil Patrick Harris. Also, this narrator really made Ridley sound like a serious brat. I know she is super snarky, but I couldn’t stand her in this one.
alaspooriorek's review against another edition
3.0
Meh. Book 2 in the Magic Misfits series was a real miss for me. I enjoyed the first volume of the series, but The Second Storyslipped way into dull territory.
m0thermayi's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars | I just want 20 of these stories. thank you.
ktamerlano's review against another edition
5.0
This series is so good and my daughter and I are enjoying reading it together! There are so many more secrets revealed about the Emerald Ring, very exciting!
sharkysav's review against another edition
5.0
Always a fun read! NPH does a great job with the storytelling of these diverse and magical group of kids. With fun magic lessons in between!
mzrachelsuperlibarian's review against another edition
4.0
Until I got to about page 225, I was planning to describe this book as suffering from the sophomore jinx. The characters are mostly treading water (except for Sandra, who’s clearly up to something from the get go). And then I get near the end and BOOM!! Non-stop, can’t put it down, when was the last time I breathed action! Having to flip back and forth to translate the morse code was tedious. As an adult all of the surprises were obvious. If I were in elementary or middle school, this book would mystify me and nine-year-old me was all about magic. Who am I kidding? 36-year-old me is STILL all about magic. And I love the bit about Houdini’s second career as a debunker of fake psychics.
albyscout's review against another edition
4.0
This story is so good. Each book keeps getting deeper and deeper. It makes me think of my childhood where I pretended to have magical powers. I will definitely finish this series, cant wait to see where it goes.
readwithneleh's review
4.0
4/5
Another great story from NPH filled with mystery, drama and of course magic! I actually enjoyed this more than the first one. The story had enough layers to the story and kept me engaged while I flew through this. I really liked that this story was from Leila’s POV and love that the books sorry rotates throughout the different characters. Sweet and interesting plot — perfect for kids and adults who love magic or just a good story.
Another great story from NPH filled with mystery, drama and of course magic! I actually enjoyed this more than the first one. The story had enough layers to the story and kept me engaged while I flew through this. I really liked that this story was from Leila’s POV and love that the books sorry rotates throughout the different characters. Sweet and interesting plot — perfect for kids and adults who love magic or just a good story.