One Jar of Magic

by Corey Ann Haydu

Overview

From the critically acclaimed author of Eventown comes a hopeful and empowering tale set in an enchanting world of magic and mysterious family secrets—perfect for fans of Anne Ursu, Rebecca Stead, and Wendy Mass.

Magic is like a dream. Delightful. Terrifying. Unreal.

Rose Alice Anders is Little Luck. Lucky to be born into the Anders family. Lucky to be just as special and magical as the most revered man in town—her father. The whole town has been waiting for Rose to turn twelve, when she can join them in their annual capturing of magic on New Year’s Day and become the person she was born to be.

But when that special day finally comes, Rose barely captures one tiny jar of magic. Now Rose’s dad won’t talk to her anymore and her friendships have gotten all twisted and wrong. So when Rose hears whispers that there are people who aren’t meant for magic at all, she begins to wonder if that’s who she belongs with.

Maybe if she’s away from all the magic, away from her dad telling her who she’s meant to be, who she has to be, Rose can begin to piece together what’s truly real in a world full of magic.

* An SLJ Best Book of the Year * A CCBC Choices Pick of the Year *

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062689870
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	08/23/2022
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	421,685
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Corey Ann Haydu is the author of Eventown and other acclaimed novels for children and young adults. She grew up in the Boston area, earned her MFA at the New School, and now lives in Brooklyn with her husband and her toddler daughter, who hasn’t yet discovered the delight of tea parties with her abuelita, but is already curious enough to make an excellent detective. Find out more at www.coreyannhaydu.com.

Editorial Reviews

"The worldbuilding and magic system are enchanting and expertly crafted. The characters are richly developed and emotionally complex. Affecting and unforgettable." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Haydu’s story is a stunner. Its magic system is inventive and imaginative, and Rose and her world are drawn with care and compassion. A carefully crafted message of hope and the sometimes-painful beauty in forging an identity all your own.” — Booklist (starred review)

“Rose’s visceral pain and her hard-earned agency will be deeply felt. ­Readers who enjoy everyday magic, friendship ­stories, and family drama will be enchanted by this magic jar of a book.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

"Taut underlying tension and a sympathetically flawed protagonist. Haydu deftly, and with startling clarity, portrays the presence and devastating effect of abuse on a family." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Gently honest and emotionally astute." — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

"Prepare to be blown away! One Jar of Magic has the power to bruise the heart, broaden the mind—and somehow, leave an astonishing glow. A wholly original tale." — Leslie Connor

“One Jar of Magic is a bittersweet tale of unmet expectations and complicated relationships, but most of all, it’s about finding magic inside yourself and trusting who you really are. A powerful and empowering story.” — Yamile Saied Méndez, author of On These Magic Shores

Praise for Eventown: “A wonderful and inventive story about being a kid in an imperfect world—beautiful, mysterious, and deeply satisfying.” — Rebecca Stead, author of When You Reach Me and Goodbye Stranger

“At once enchanting, heart-rending, and bittersweet.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“An emotionally complex and wonderfully told story.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

“[A] thought-provoking novel... [A] memorable and brave heroine.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Praise for The Someday Suitcase:
“Quietly superb prose...Haydu doesn’t romanticize illness, but she provides comfort through art, science, magic, love, and a purple suitcase.”

— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Poignant and powerful. A heartbreaking story about the healing power of friendship amid human fragility.” — Booklist (starred review)

“In this moving, exquisitely written story, Corey Ann Haydu explores the thin line between science and magic within an intense bond of friendship.” — Shelf Awareness (starred review)

Praise for Rules for Stealing Stars: “A well-crafted blend of realism and fantasy.”

— School Library Journal (starred review)

“[A] lyrical story of love and loss. The way the sisters fight and love in equal measure, as well as their basic need for one another, rings poignantly true in this touching and heartwarming story, which contains a ‘tiny bit of magic, right here in the real world.” — Booklist (starred review)

Praise for Hand-Me-Down Magic #1: “Haydu, author of OCD Love Story and other compelling works, offers a pleasing setup in this first volume of a new series. Reading is swift and accessible, broken up by copious cheerful illustrations, and youngsters will long to share in the cousins’ idyllic family life while understanding the pitfalls of propinquity.”  — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

"A nuanced look at the girls’ friendship, emotions, and motivations. A transitional chapter book with unusual depth, good pacing, and a loving, supportive Latinx family. Libraries should find space on their shelves for this new series." — Booklist

"This series debut is a sweet tale about friendship, family, and being the new kid on the block... The line-drawing illustrations throughout give a glimpse of the street where the girls live... Put this book in the hands of kids who enjoy series like Annie Barrows’s “Ivy and Bean” or  Megan McDonald’s “Judy Moody.”" — School Library Journal

From the Publisher

Haydu’s story is a stunner. Its magic system is inventive and imaginative, and Rose and her world are drawn with care and compassion. A carefully crafted message of hope and the sometimes-painful beauty in forging an identity all your own.

Booklist (starred review)

One Jar of Magic is a bittersweet tale of unmet expectations and complicated relationships, but most of all, it’s about finding magic inside yourself and trusting who you really are. A powerful and empowering story.

Yamile Saied Méndez

"Gently honest and emotionally astute."

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Praise for Eventown: “A wonderful and inventive story about being a kid in an imperfect world—beautiful, mysterious, and deeply satisfying.

Rebecca Stead

"Prepare to be blown away! One Jar of Magic has the power to bruise the heart, broaden the mind—and somehow, leave an astonishing glow. A wholly original tale."

Leslie Connor

"A nuanced look at the girls’ friendship, emotions, and motivations. A transitional chapter book with unusual depth, good pacing, and a loving, supportive Latinx family. Libraries should find space on their shelves for this new series."

Booklist

★ 12/07/2020

With taut underlying tension and a sympathetically flawed protagonist, Haydu’s (Ever Cursed) middle grade novel literalizes magic’s effects on a family and community. Rose Alice Anders has looked forward to this upcoming New Year’s Eve, her 12th birthday, for as long as she can remember. In Belling Bright, the anniversary means she’s old enough to join her family at TooBlue Lake, catching magic on New Year’s Day. To Rose’s father, the town’s most celebrated magic-catcher, it means that she—his “Little Luck”—will finally follow in his footsteps. But despite encouragement from her less magically inclined brother, who takes after their mother, Rose catches only one jar of magic—angering their volatile father, leading her to question her destiny, and resulting in social fallout. Using insightful flashbacks to reveal Rose’s conflicted feelings about her dad and her desire to fulfill his dream, Haydu deftly, and with startling clarity, portrays the presence and devastating effect of abuse on a family. The sweet protectiveness of older brother Lyle, Rose’s gradual awareness and acceptance of herself, and the hope that families and people can heal offer further thoughtfully rendered touches. Ages 8–12. Agent: Victoria Marini, Irene Goodman Literary. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

"A nuanced look at the girls’ friendship, emotions, and motivations. A transitional chapter book with unusual depth, good pacing, and a loving, supportive Latinx family. Libraries should find space on their shelves for this new series."

Booklist

In this moving, exquisitely written story, Corey Ann Haydu explores the thin line between science and magic within an intense bond of friendship.

Shelf Awareness (starred review)

Praise for Hand-Me-Down Magic #1: “Haydu, author of OCD Love Story and other compelling works, offers a pleasing setup in this first volume of a new series. Reading is swift and accessible, broken up by copious cheerful illustrations, and youngsters will long to share in the cousins’ idyllic family life while understanding the pitfalls of propinquity.” 

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Praise for Hand-Me-Down Magic #1: “Haydu, author of OCD Love Story and other compelling works, offers a pleasing setup in this first volume of a new series. Reading is swift and accessible, broken up by copious cheerful illustrations, and youngsters will long to share in the cousins’ idyllic family life while understanding the pitfalls of propinquity.” 

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

One Jar of Magic is a bittersweet tale of unmet expectations and complicated relationships, but most of all, it’s about finding magic inside yourself and trusting who you really are. A powerful and empowering story.

Yamile Said Méndez

★ 02/01/2021

Gr 4–7—Expectation runs high for 12-year-old Rose Anders, whose father, Wendell, is the most successful magic-catcher in Belling Bright. His jars of trapped magic fill every closet. Rose, described as having blue eyes and brown curly hair, awaits her first magic-catching day with rising dread. Her friends Maddy, with blonde braids, and Ginger, whose appearance is not described, seem to be tiring of Rose's incessant proclamations of her heir apparent status, while at home her father's dodgy advice becomes overbearing, even as her brother Lyle and passive mother try to still its contentious waves. Magic-catching day does not go as planned for Rose, and she suffers an embarrassing letdown. Meeting a family who is "Not Meant for Magic" and dealing with her father's ominous mood swings, Rose confronts the effect magic has on her family and community. Haydu's work of magical realism evokes fraught emotions boiling just below the surface of Rose's "perfect" life. Her first-person narration begins with a confident arrogance that slowly dissipates along with her father's public geniality. The quirky joys a jar of magic can provide, like pink hair, rainbows, and bad weather, delicately balance against Rose's descent from popularity into a near pariah. Rose's visceral pain and her hard-earned agency will be deeply felt. While age appropriate, the story does contain possible triggers for domestic abuse survivors. VERDICT Readers who enjoy everyday magic, friendship stories, and family drama will be enchanted by this magic jar of a book.—Caitlin Augusta, Stratford Lib. Assoc., CT

School Library Journal

★ 2020-11-17
Rose Alice Anders learns magic can’t fix everything, despite what her father has always told her.

The daughter of the most magical man in town, Rose is destined to follow in his footsteps. When she turns 12, she can finally join the rest of her community and participate in the annual capturing of magic on New Year’s Day. But when the day arrives, she only manages to catch one measly jar of magic. Her father is furious, and to make things worse, her relationship with her best friend is falling apart. Rose feels like an utter failure until she learns that some people are “Not Meant for Magic,” an option she never knew existed. As she begins to question who she’s truly meant to be, she also starts to acknowledge the painful truth about her father. The worldbuilding and magic system are enchanting and expertly crafted, but the core of this gorgeously written story isn’t magic at all: It’s abuse—and it’s absolutely heartbreaking and completely realistic. While the abuse is never downplayed, this heavy subject is approached through Rose’s first-person narration in a way that is fitting for its intended audience. The characters are richly developed and emotionally complex; a beautiful, tender sibling relationship stands out, showing mutual understanding and emotional support in ways both large and small. The ending is empowering and plausibly hopeful. Characters are White by default.

Affecting and unforgettable. (author's note, resources) (Fiction. 9-13)

Kirkus Reviews