The Return of Abracadabra

by Michael Dahl, Lisa K. Weber (Illustrator)

Overview

Tyler Yu asked Charlie Hitchcock to meet him after school, and Charlie assumed it was for a fight. But when it turns out Ty just needs help solving a magical mystery at the Abracadabra Hotel, an unlikely friendship is formed.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781434264107
Publisher:	Capstone
Publication date:	01/01/2013
Series:	Hocus Pocus Hotel
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
File size:	40 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

About the Author

Michael Dahl is the prolific author of the bestselling Goodnight, Baseball picture book and more than 200 other books for children and young adults. He has won the Association of Educational Publishers Distinguished Achievement Award three times for his nonfiction, a Teachers’ Choice Award from Learning Magazine, and a Seal of Excellence from the Creative Child Awards. Dahl currently lives in Minnesota.
Lisa K. Weber makes art for comics, kid’s books, and cartoons. Her work has included graphic-novel adaptations of classic literature, illustrated books for young and middle-grade readers, and character and storyboard design for animations. She cofounded the comic book label HexComix in 2014, cocreating and illustrating its flagship title, Hex11, which earned a nomination for the Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, raised in Wilmette, Illinois, and schooled in New York City, Lisa currently lives and works in Los Angeles, California, where she enjoys healthy doses of satire, science fiction, and classic-rock radio.

Interviews

• Perfect for Halloween promotion • The school-brain and the school-bully team up in this adventure to uncover the secrets of this mysterious hotel and its guests. • Real magic tricks are uncovered and explained throughout the story

Editorial Reviews

To know exactly how the mystery of the hotel’s final magic show is solved, readers have to read carefully, from the first page to the last, and study all the pictures in each chapter to guess who will be chosen the winning magician. There is a good possibility that readers will want to continue to read Dahl’s other books in this fun series.

Children's Literature Comprehensive

An amazing adventure for middle-graders, this book is imaginative, exciting and one of a kind. Michael Dahl weaves an awesome tale of mystery and magic as two boys become an unlikely duo to solve the strange happenings at the Abracadabra Hotel. . . .This book was a delightfully fun read and one that would be great for all middle-graders that love mysteries.

Great Minds Literary Reviews blog

This book contains two of the most fun "M"s that a children's book can have: mystery and magic. . . .what's amazing about this book is that the details, the characters and the pacing work together in such a way that even if you've already figured out what's going on, you don't really care because you're so entertained by everything else that's going on.

Second Bookshelf on the Right blog

A cute, fun book for children. The illustrations are fantastic. I loved the story.

NetGalley Review

This is a worthy successor to the Hocus Pocus Hotel and sure to captivate young readers who have an interest in magic and mystery. My child was looking forward to this since finishing the first book and quickly devoured it when given a chance. I’d highly recommend it for younger readers.

Peter's Ponderings blog

The Return of Abracadabra is cleverly written book with twists and turns at every chapter. Overall, I enjoyed reading the sequel as much as I liked the first the one. Both kids and adults will enjoy reading it.

Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer blog

This second book in the series is as much fun as the first. Ty and Charlie join forces to save the hotel and their friend and defeat the bully Theopolis. The “magic” is clearly illusion and the young sleuths combine forces to show that even very different people can become close friends. All in all a good book for middle schoolers to enjoy. The frequent pictures will encourage the slower readers and boys will be attracted to the story line, magic and very “cool” bike!

Books 1

Once again Michael Dahl delivers a truly magical story. Not only do you get to visit ones you met through The Hocus Pocus Hotel, but you get to interact with some of them a little more. All the magic and magic trick reveals that you loved from the first book are in this one, as well.

Kids Book Korner blog

What a delightful and charming story filled with beautiful illustrations. With a ghostly old hotel, mystery, a bit of magic and imaginative guests, children of all ages will enjoy this title. For a bit of magic just take a step into the “Hocus Pocus Hotel,” you will not regret the visit. A must read!

My Book Addiction Reviews blog

No longer simply the dumb bully and the bright nerd, the pair show each other—and themselves—who they really are, and that’s a kind of magic in itself.

Kids Book Central

Students in our library love, love, love graphic novels. They draw them in with their bright pictures dynamic stories. Kids who are new to reading also love graphic novels, and the series My First Graphic Novel has some wonderful titles perfectly suited for 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders who are learning to read on their own. Clues in the Attic and Bus Ride Bully have been particularly popular in our school library. Both available as paperbacks for your home library. Clues in the Attic by Cari Meister illustrated by Remy Simard My First Graphic Novel series MN: Stone Arch Books, 2010 ages 5 - 8 available on Amazon and at your local library Clues in the Attic and Bus Ride Bully are written by Cari Meister, known for her Tiny series of early readers, about Tiny the dog who is not so tiny after all (Tiny Goes to the Library, Puffin, 2000). In Clues in the Attic , Ben is worried about strange noises he hears coming from the attic. When he investigates, he is sure there are bats in the attic. Finally, his sister helps him discover that it’s really just her missing snake. In Bus Ride Bully , Gavin hates riding the bus because Max is always being mean to him. But when Max is hurt and can’t come to school, Gavin starts to worry. http://greatkidbooks.blogspot.com/2011/01/my-first-graphic-novels-great-books-for.html

Great Kids Books Blog

This second book in the series is as much fun as the first. . . .All in all a good book for middle schoolers to enjoy. The frequent pictures will encourage the slower readers and boys will be attracted to the story line, magic and very “cool” bike!

Becky Haase

The first couple of pages show how to read a graphic novel showing the direct panels and then showing how the direction text and balloons should be read. Gavin does not like the bus. Not the way it looks or the way it smells but most of all he does not like Max. He is terrified everyday going on the bus because Max always comes and sits in his seat, eats his snack, laughs at him and trips him. But one day Max is not there, nor the next. At first Max can't believe the difference but then he starts to worry what's happened to Max? Does Gavin actually miss Max? A fun story and an interesting look at one possibility for a bully's actions. Loving Simard's illustrations for these books. A great read considering the low reading level, RL 1.4. This is certainly of a much higher interest level, probably up to about 9 years old. The story is not simple or babyish in anyway. A great book for first time graphic readers and reluctant readers. 4/5 http://back-to-books.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-1st-graphic-novels-lost-lunch-bus.html

Back to Books Blog

When arrogant illusionist the Great and Powerful Theopolis performs a complex trick and then challenges retired magician Abracadabra to explain it or forfeit the Hocus Pocus Hotel, it’s up to unlikely allies Ty and Charlie—one a nerd, the other a feared bully—to save the day. Although Dahl doesn’t provide enough specific information for readers to perform their own feats of prestidigitation, his tale does involve glimpses of magicians’ techniques and some deduction. Weber’s diagrams and brightly colored cartoon-style illustrations add detail and atmosphere to this predictable but moderately suspenseful episode, second in the Hocus Pocus Hotel series.

Booklist Online

I learned about magic tricks and how to do them in this book. The book makes me want to be a magician. I think some of my friends would enjoy this book, too.

Kids Book San Francisco Book Review

...a cute book about friendship and mystery. . . .I would recommend this to middle-school and late elementary teachers for reluctant readers and young boys.

Diamonds & Coal Book Reviews blog