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readasaurus_rex's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A very sweet middle grade! This is the kind of book that made me fall in love with reading when I was a kid. It suddenly made me wish I had a kid in my life that I could read aloud to.
ellielabbett's review against another edition
5.0
A wonderful, transportative read. McKay's story is a one of magic and discovery, involving three children moving into a narrow house encased with ivy, who begin to notice unbelievable things happening when they are on their own. A story with strong elements of fantasy, but also one of transition and adapting to new family circumstances, as two single parents marry and their children find themselves having to negotiate a chaotic and originally unwanted new home life.
A story that is easy to fall for from the offset. Abi, Max and Louis are three strong willed characters, each with vulnerabilities and I would be surprised if readers were unable to see either themselves or someone they are close to within at least one of them. The interactions between these characters was just excellent, and I loved the way that they were able to navigate through the real and the fantasy in this story.
McKay's narrative read just as seamlessly as The Skylark's War but I think The Time of Green Magic possibly topped it. Something about this growing family sold it for me, and the shimmers of humour and love between the three characters leave such warmth when the story is finished.
A story that is easy to fall for from the offset. Abi, Max and Louis are three strong willed characters, each with vulnerabilities and I would be surprised if readers were unable to see either themselves or someone they are close to within at least one of them. The interactions between these characters was just excellent, and I loved the way that they were able to navigate through the real and the fantasy in this story.
McKay's narrative read just as seamlessly as The Skylark's War but I think The Time of Green Magic possibly topped it. Something about this growing family sold it for me, and the shimmers of humour and love between the three characters leave such warmth when the story is finished.
bookishlymarie's review against another edition
4.0
Reading this book felt like being let into the front of this ivy-covered house, surrounded by this strange but lovable family, and being absorbed by the magic of the pages. That is a more flowery open to a review than I normally do, but the nature of this book somewhat demands it. The plot revolves around a newly formed family moving into the only, slightly run-down, home they can afford, and the period of magical possibility that brings them together more deeply.
How the bonds of family are weaved with the magic is well done. While the way the narrative switched between characters could be somewhat disorienting, I can’t imagine it being any other way. It gave a chance to understand each member of this family and why they might struggle to understand each other. And that made the character moments all the more satisfying. The way magic manifests in this story appeals greatly to my book-loving heart. There was one character who I wish we had gotten a bit more of a chance to know, but to say who and why would be a spoiler. But, if you’re a fan of wild animal companions there is a treat waiting for you here.
That all being said, I feel like this story would be suited to a very particular audience of kids. That may be the British sensibility of it, or the whimsical, character-driven narrative. But, for that audience, I think it would be an impactful read. I enjoyed my time with it thoroughly.
How the bonds of family are weaved with the magic is well done. While the way the narrative switched between characters could be somewhat disorienting, I can’t imagine it being any other way. It gave a chance to understand each member of this family and why they might struggle to understand each other. And that made the character moments all the more satisfying. The way magic manifests in this story appeals greatly to my book-loving heart. There was one character who I wish we had gotten a bit more of a chance to know, but to say who and why would be a spoiler. But, if you’re a fan of wild animal companions there is a treat waiting for you here.
That all being said, I feel like this story would be suited to a very particular audience of kids. That may be the British sensibility of it, or the whimsical, character-driven narrative. But, for that audience, I think it would be an impactful read. I enjoyed my time with it thoroughly.
ygraines's review against another edition
5.0
we moved house last year, right at the beginning of october, when the leaves were starting to fall and the sky was losing its blue. sriya sent me this book as a new-house gift, and for the first two months of living there, it was the only book in my room, all my others boxed up without shelves to home them. i wanted to pick it up immediately, so full of gratitude and love and warmth. i didn't, because other things, life things, brain things, house things, kept happening. it sat on my windowsill, soaking up the thin sun, waiting.
now, it's full of scribbled love and underlined passages.
it's the first book i've read since moving, the first physical book i've held and sat with and given myself over to in months. i can't think of a better one. like so many of the things sriya shares, with me & with the whole, lucky world, this book is kind, generous, familiar, full of charm and wonder and big, heart-filling hopes. reading it felt like casting a spell, or maybe receiving a blessing: your house is kind, and watchful. your love is a huge, powerful, sometimes unfamiliar creature. your dreams are true, and so are your waking happinesses, your comforts, your connections. share it all. it's precious and there's enough.
thank you, sriya, for this and for everything else. i love you immensely.
now, it's full of scribbled love and underlined passages.
it's the first book i've read since moving, the first physical book i've held and sat with and given myself over to in months. i can't think of a better one. like so many of the things sriya shares, with me & with the whole, lucky world, this book is kind, generous, familiar, full of charm and wonder and big, heart-filling hopes. reading it felt like casting a spell, or maybe receiving a blessing: your house is kind, and watchful. your love is a huge, powerful, sometimes unfamiliar creature. your dreams are true, and so are your waking happinesses, your comforts, your connections. share it all. it's precious and there's enough.
thank you, sriya, for this and for everything else. i love you immensely.
attolias's review against another edition
5.0
hilary mckay’s sentences, like eva ibbotson’s or diana wynne jones, always feel so inevitably right—you don’t know how they’re going, but once they get there, you couldn’t imagine them ending up anywhere else. i love her, and i loved this book.
indiebookshops's review against another edition
4.0
Was really lucky to get a proof copy of The Time of Green Magic from Macmillan as I really loved The Skylarks’ War and was looking forward to this.
When Theo and Polly met Abi’s life went through some big changes, two families blended, and she didn’t have her dad Theo all to herself anymore. More than that though she also had Max and Louis, two new stepbrothers to share everything with.
When they move into a mysterious ivy-clad new house for the extra space, mysterious happenings start to haunt them.
Shadows throughout the house and a mysterious visitor makes for a magical mysterious adventure with a real hint of danger.
Themes of change, growth, and familial love give this book a wonderful magical depth that needed a couple of read throughs to get everything out of it.
When Theo and Polly met Abi’s life went through some big changes, two families blended, and she didn’t have her dad Theo all to herself anymore. More than that though she also had Max and Louis, two new stepbrothers to share everything with.
When they move into a mysterious ivy-clad new house for the extra space, mysterious happenings start to haunt them.
Shadows throughout the house and a mysterious visitor makes for a magical mysterious adventure with a real hint of danger.
Themes of change, growth, and familial love give this book a wonderful magical depth that needed a couple of read throughs to get everything out of it.
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