Title: The Young Magicians and the Thieves’ Almanac
Author: Nick Mohammed
Illustrator: Glenn Thomas
Publisher: Puffin Books

Teacher review

This book is the debut novel from Nick Mohammed, who was one of the youngest-ever members of the Council of the Magic Circle and a rising star in the comedy world. His knowledge of the magical world shines through in his book.

The Young Magicians and the Thieves’ Almanac tells the story of four young aspiring magicians who become friends as they try to become youth members of the world-famous Magic Circle. There’s a card expert, a pickpocket, a hypnotist and an incredibly tall boy who mixes science and magic with explosive results.

When they arrive at Magic Circle headquarters, they are confronted with the other children there for an induction week, before becoming young members of the Magic Circle.

After using their magical know-how to solve the mystery of a robbery at the Bank of England, they soon become tangled up with a gang of magical crooks who are hellbent on much more than just robbing banks - the Queen and the crown jewels appear to be their next target. And, with the forbidden magic in the fabled book The Thieves’ Almanac, they might just manage it.

This book has been written in a witty humorous style, which I think would appeal to fans of David Walliams. The narrator’s comments are written in a chatty conversational style and provide useful background information and explanation of magical tricks and techniques.

I’ve never read a story based on the Magic Circle before, so found it very interesting to be given a guided tour by the characters in this story. The headquarters were described in such a way that I could picture myself walking down the corridors with Alex and the gang.

Joanne Cummins is literacy manager at Chalk Ridge Primary School in Hampshire. She writes a children’s book blog, and tweets as @BookSuperhero2

Pupil reviews

I felt this book got off to a slow start but then it got really exciting. My favourite part was when they travelled to the Queen’s house in a safe!
Lilly, age 9

I found this book interesting and gripping. Sophie was my favourite character because of her amazing hypnotic talent. I also enjoyed the little humour texts at the end of some of the sentences, which explained what was happening.
Oly, age 10

This book has mystery and can be scary. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to someone who likes magic and mystery.
Beth, age 10

If you or your class would like to write a review for TES, please contact Adi Bloom at adi.bloom@tesglobal.com

Want to keep up with the latest education news and opinion? Follow TES on Twitter and like TES on Facebook