Britain is ruled by magicians in this first book of a trilogy, and eleven-year-old Nathaniel is an obedient apprentice to a cold, weak, mid-level magician named Arthur Underwood. Nathaniel has survived for 5 years or so in this forbidding environment where his salvation is Mrs. Underwood. Then, the day comes when Nathaniel finds himself thoroughly humiliated by a magician named Simon Lovelace. He responds by dedicating himself to becoming as knowledgeable a magician as possible and planning to get revenge through his own potential power. Along the way, Nathaniel summons a "djinni" named Bartimaeus. Suddenly, amid the pain and the belittling, Nathaniel has a powerful tool whose sense of humor delights the reader until the last page. Great imagination. Great adventure and mystery. Wonderful humor. Golem's Eye and Ptolemy's Gate complete the trilogy.
464 pages 978-0786852550 Ages 9-12
Keywords: fantasy and magic, magical creatures, action/adventure, trilogy, 9 year old, 10 year old, 11 year old, 12 year old
Recommended by: Barb Langridge, abookandahug.com
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Presenting a thrilling new voice in children's literature-a witty, gripping adventure story featuring a boy and his not-so-tame djinni.
Nathaniel is a young magician's apprentice, taking his first lessons in the arts of magic. But when a devious hotshot wizard named Simon Lovelace ruthlessly humiliates Nathaniel in front of everyone he knows, Nathaniel decides to kick up his education a few notches and show Lovelace who's boss. With revenge on his mind, he masters one of the toughest spells of all: summoning the all-powerful djinni, Bartimaeus. But summoning Bartimaeus and controlling him are two different things entirely, and when Nathaniel sends the djinni out to steal the powerful Amulet of Samarkand, Nathaniel finds himself caught up in a whirlwind of magical espionage, murder, blackmail, and revolt.
Set in a modern-day London spiced with magicians and mayhem, this extraordinary, funny, pitch-perfect thriller will dazzle the myriad fans of Artemis Fowl and the His Dark Materials trilogy. And with the rights sold in more than a dozen countries, and a major motion picture in the works, the Bartimaeus trilogy is on the fast track to becoming a classic.---from the publisher
