When Harry Potter ended, some people pointed to Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" as the next big children's book...course it became Suzanne Collins "Hunger Games" but since the games have ended, the question arises "What children's novel will follow in the path set by J.K. Rowling and her 'Harry Potter' novels?"I believe I have found the answer in a man from my own hometown named Shawn Thomas Odyssey. In "The Wizard of Dark Street" he introduces us to a magical world hidden in New York circa 1876, a little magical hideaway known as Dark Street which looks more like Victorian England then American New York. At Dark Street we met our 12 year old protagonist, Oona Crate. Oona is a remarkable young woman...the apprentice Wizard under her Uncle Alexander and born with the rare ability to use magic without training (she's called a Natural Magician). However, Oona detest magic and would prefer to follow in her deceased fathers footsteps and become a detective. Her resignation as the apprentice sets up the story in "Wizard of Dark Street" which for fear of spoiling I will not get much into.To describe Oona Crate is difficult...imagine if Sherlock Holmes had a daughter and that daughter married Harry Potter. That child would be Oona Crate, a young lady gifted in magic with an uncanny ability to use logic in order to deduce the answer to any problem.Full of amazing character such as Oona, her talking pet raven Deacon(whose a walking magical encyclopedia), the inept Inspector White, the loyal house servant Samuligan the Fay, the twins Isadora and Adler Iree, and the villainous criminal lord Red Martin (Sherlock had Moriarty, Harry had Voldemort, Oona has Red Martin), and not mention amazing locations such as Pendulum House and the Goblin Tower, "The Wizard of Dark Street" is a great novel for young and old alike.If you love Sherlock Holmes, and if you love Harry Potter, I suggest taking a look at "The Wizard of Dark Street", as Shawn Thomas Odyssey will delight you with his tale and leave you wanting the next case of Oona Crate to already be out. An enjoyable book for middle readers, this book stars 12-year-old Oona, who is apprentice to her uncle, who is the Wizard of Dark Street. After a horrible tragedy that killed her mother and baby sister, Oona is determined to forever give up practicing magic. Instead, she wants to start her own detective agency. On the night Oona is supposed to sign away her right to all the benefits of the wizard's apprentice and when a new apprentice is to be chosen, a major magical crime against the wizard is committed. Several applicants for the position of wizard's apprentice who were present when the crime was committed fall under suspicion.Oona faces the case of her life as she tries to piece together clues to discover who is behind a theft of several girls' dresses (and what that has to do with the attack on the wizard), who stole a pair of magical daggers which were used in the magical crime, and how her uncle can be rescued and returned to his wizard status. The conclusion was satisfying and all the clues are presented as the story unfolds, so it also makes sense.
Do You like book The Wizard Of Dark Street (2011)?
4.5 stars! Must read for lovers of MG books. More to come...
—raji
I read an advanced copy. I love Oona Crate!
—vitorge
