Magicalia

Magicalia

To rescue her scientist dad, Bitsy learns to conjure magicores—extraordinary creatures of all shapes, sizes, and magical abilities. This new fantasy series by an internationally best-selling author will appeal to Pokémon collectors, fans of creature-filled video games, and anyone who dreams of attending magic school. Bitsy and her best friend, Kosh, are spending a normal evening playing video games—until a purple hamster the size of a bathtub barges in and eats Bitsy’s gym clothes. Now it’s a race against time to rescue Bitsy’s dad from a mysterious kidnapper, which starts with learning the truth—that he, Bitsy, and Kosh can conjure magicores, creatures made from the energy of emotions. From magic-carpet-like huffluffs to shape-changing (and purring) copycats and big, stinky lubberwharls, countless magicores exist hidden in plain sight, as do the schools that teach young conjurers to wield their powers. But the world of conjurers also features conflicts between guilds, and Bitsy’s dad may have been caught up in one. With minimal training, it’s up to Bitsy and Kosh to win an international race to find a long-lost magical object. The two friends must decide who to trust as they solve riddles, fight imaginative magical battles, and get to know the wide, wonderful world of magicores—before a shadowy archvillain destroys everything. Wyatt’s whimsical, detailed spot illustrations open each chapter, highlighting a charming array of magicores. Adventures aplenty, with oodles of scene-stealing monsters both mega and mini. —Kirkus Reviews Expertly paced with detailed and vivid descriptions, this is a perfect introduction for readers who are just beginning to explore the world of fantasy and adventure. . . .It's an excellent choice for bedtime ­reading for the whole family. An ­absolute winner and new classic. —School Library Journal Jennifer Bell worked as a children’s bookseller at a world-famous bookshop before becoming an author. Her debut novel, The Uncommoners: The Crooked Sixpence , was an international bestseller. She is also the author of the Agents of the Wild adventure series for younger readers; Wonderscape , a Waterstones Children’s Book of the Month that was inspired by some of her favorite heroes from history and her love of gaming; and Legendarium , which celebrates incredible legends from around the world. Jennifer Bell lives in London. 1 Until a monster swallowed her PE uniform, Bitsy’s evening had been going to plan. She’d finished all her homework, tidied her room, and defeated her best friend, Kosh, at Mario Kart. Twice. After dinner, the two of them had blown up an inflatable mattress so he could stay over this weekend while his parents were away and join Bitsy and her dad on a holiday to Paris on Monday. There was only one thing left to do before they could call it a night. “Recording in three, two . . .” Bitsy tapped a button on her laptop, adjusted her headphones, and leaned closer to the wireless microphone on her desk. “Hello and welcome to Poddingham, the local news podcast for Oddingham village. It’s Friday the twenty-ninth of March. I’m your host, Bitsy Wilder, and this week I’m joined by our sports correspondent—” “Koshan Ranasinghe!” Kosh declared his Sri Lankan surname like a football commentator announcing a goal. Sitting beside her, he had a tatty Oddingham FC beanie pulled over his floppy black hair and was wearing his usual slouchy T-shirt-and-tracksuit-bottoms combo. “Some of you might also know me as the boy who delivers your newspapers and accidentally rides a bike through your flower beds. Shout-out to Mrs. Harris on Bridge Lane for always being so chill about it!” Bitsy covered the microphone with the sleeve of her cardigan. “Mrs. Harris is not chill about it, by the way. I saw her yelling at your mum yesterday.” “You did?” Kosh paused. “Maybe edit that bit out.” Shaking her frizzy blond curls, Bitsy plowed on. “Coming up, Kosh has the lowdown on last night’s football match between Oddingham and Bletchy Town. First, though, the headlines.” She flipped open her trusty reporter’s notebook and tried to ignore a heavy feeling of disappointment as she read, “Tarmac Trouble: Residents concerned as potholes worsen on Church Street. Wood You Believe It? Sighting of rare woodpecker thrills local bird-watchers. And Gotta Ketchup-All: Oddingham gardener grows tomato shaped like Pikachu.” “‘Gotta ketchup-all’?” Kosh laughed. “That’s got to be one of your best puns yet.” Bitsy gave him a weak smile. As much as she enjoyed devising witty headlines, she wished there was more interesting news in Oddingham. She’d never understood why her dad had relocated from London to such a boring village in the middle of nowhere, but if she was ever going to become a professional journalist, she had to start by reporting the experiences of the community she lived in. Even if that meant talking about look-alike vegetables. She gazed at the bulletin board above her desk, cluttered with newspaper c