Review: Magic for Sale

A deliciously spooky, spectacularly illustrated story of a boy’s adventure in a magic shop that’s perfect for Halloween . . . and beyond!

On the corner of Hemlock and Blight, the magic shop of Miss Pustula Night is open for business. Enchantments fill the shelves, but it’s the rumor of a shop ghost that really has kids excited. Brave Georgie McQuist is prepared to find the phantom, but he’s not prepared for what happens when Miss Night catches him in the act!

What spooky, creepy fun! When a little boy is double-dared to enter the eery magic store of Miss Pustula Night, he discovers more than he ever bargained for, including some very friendly spooks and creatures.

Carrie Clickard’s rhymes are enchanting, but at times they can be real tongue twisters, with differing rhyming schemes adding to the fun, as well as the challenge. I had to read some of the lines a couple of times to master the rhyme, so I’d highly recommend practicing this aloud before reading it to any children! It’s also a fairly long text, so it would likely work best with older children.

John Shelley’s illustrations are the real star of the show here – each page is just filled to the brim with fanciful details that young readers will happily explore again and again. The haunted shop is a bit spooky and bit creepy, but not at all scary, and the magical critters are more sweet than terrifying, making this a good choice for children who want something a bit ghostly, but never too frightening.