BLACK AND BLUE MAGIC, by Zilpha Keatley Snyder, 1966

You'd think that someone with a name like Harry Houdini Marco would be deft and skillful, but Harry could only occasionally catch even an easy fly ball without making some dumb error. On top of that, most of his friends' families were moving to the suburbs. It would have been a long, dreary summer, but then a Mr. Mazeeck showed up and turned out to be more than he seemed. (Goodreads)

Reviewed by: Laina, a bookworm

I read this book years ago. I got it from a tiny library in a little town. I still remember it as a little splash of color among all the books a younger me read. It is a story that appeals to the desire in us to fly. That little wish that our ordinary little life could be just a little bit magical.

The story is about an ordinary, lonely little boy named Harry Houdini Marco who faces a long boring summer. Until he meets Mr. Mazeeck who isn't all he appears to be. Mr. Mazeeck gives Harry a bottle of oil that he says will give Harry wings. The oil actually works and Harry has two big feathery wings sprouting from his shoulder blades. The rest of the book is about his first flight, as he practices every night with his wings, his monkey incident, being mistaken for an angel, and all the other little things that happen when you have wings.

Who hasn't dreamed of flying? This is a book about that dream and that wish being granted. We all feel a little sad when the magic runs out and we are ordinary again. But we will have dreams about flying for the rest of our lives. So even though it has been a long time since I read this book, I still remember it. It is just a story that sticks with you even after you are 'grown up' and think you are above books for 'younger' children.    

Market: Children's Fiction, but who says adults cant sneak read it?

Language: None that I recall

Sensuality: None

Violence: None

Themes: Flying, magic, life and growing up


Book formats:
Paperback