Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/06/04/magic-r-us.html
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The wizards’ school on Roke in Le Guin’s A Wizard of Earthsea (1968)? Miss Cackle’s Academy for Witches in Jill Murphy’s The Worst Witch (1972)?
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I came here to mention just that. I think A Wizard of Earthsea set the bar.
Also, this book looks awesome. Presses so many buttons I’m tempted to get a digital copy so I can start reading right now.
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My library system hasn’t even got a copy yet and there’s already 54 holds on the ebook. Oh well, I’ve got time. 
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Or Diana Wynne Jones (Charmed Life etc.).
And the Young Wizards books don’t even really feature a “school” in the same way as these. It’s still a fabulous series though so I don’t feel too bad about it being cited here…
I liked the idea of The Magicians, and bought it off the recommendation I believe I read here on BoingBoing, but I really didn’t like it. It was just Harry Potter with more swear words randomly thrown in, and a not-fully-fleshed-out plot. A number of bones of ideas, but no meat (except swear words and “grit”), and the whole thing felt very sterile and poorly-paced, and filled only with insufferable people.
I may have to find The Worst Witch for my six-year-old. I read it somewhere around that age, but have no recollection whether it was actually good or not. Earthsea is, of course, on my list of books to give her when she’s older.
Nah, it’s Harry Potter meets Narnia with more swear words. Completely different thing.
The TV adaptation is one of the best shows on at the moment. Hale Appleman as Eliot is fantastic, and the rest of the cast ain’t too shabby either.
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