The Wizards of Once : Twice Magic by Cressida Cowell

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Wizards of Once, book 2. Hodder Children's Books, 2018. ISBN 9781444941425
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. At the start of this book we find our unlikely heroes locked up: Xar in a prison that nobody gets out of, Wish in the punishment cupboard of her mother's warrior fortress. The king witch is free and after them and will do anything in his power to get them. He wants the magic that works on iron. Xar and Wish manage to find each other again and head off to continue to try and get rid of Xar's witch stain. Xar and Wish meet some new friends on this adventure who help them along the way. On their journey they learn things about themselves and their parents that changes their view on life.
The book has a mystery narrator and it adds an extra element of fun to the narrative as you try and work out who is telling the story. It shows that parents are not always right, and that they should listen to their children, as sometimes children see things from a different point of view that can be very insightful. Also parents are just trying to do what is bests for their children.
I highly recommend this book for readers aged 10+. If you enjoyed the first book you won't be able to put this one down. I can't wait for the next book in the series to find out if Xar and Wish are successful in their next quest.
Karen Colliver

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