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The Time of Green Magic

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The Time of Green Magic

By: Hilary McKay
Narrated by: Saffron Coomber
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About this listen

From acclaimed author and Costa winner Hilary McKay comes The Time of Green Magic: a beautiful, spell-binding novel about a new families, a magical old house and a mysterious cat . . .

When Tom and Polly marry, blending their single parent families together, their children find it hard to relinquish their old lives. Max realizes his birth dad will never come home now, while Abi suddenly finds herself a middle child, expected to share far too much – especially with grubby little Louis. The family start over together, stretching their finances to the limit and renting an eerie, ivy-covered house, big enough for all of them.

But when the children are alone there, strange things start to happen. Worried, Louis summons comfort from outdoors, and a startling guest arrives – is it a cat, or an owl, or something else? Abi reads alone, tumbling deep into books. Max loses his best friend and falls in love.

Meanwhile, Louis' secret visitor is becoming much too real. And when Max and Abi too start to see the great spotted cat-thing that arrives in the night, it becomes a problem the three of them must find a way to solve – together. But where has the creature come from, and how will he get back?

 Action & Adventure Animals Animals & Nature Fantasy Fiction Growing Up Growing Up & Facts of Life Literature & Fiction Science Fiction & Fantasy Friendship Cats Magic

Critic reviews

Picking up a book by Hilary McKay is like slipping on bed socks on a chilly night. She knows how to look after her readers by ensuring that her characters are interesting and loveable from the start . . . (The Times on The Skylarks' War, selected as Children's Book of the Year)
Hilary McKay is one of the great writers of children’s fiction (Sarah Hughes)
McKay couples warmth and grace with wry humour like nobody else out there (Katherine Rundell)
McKay is a superb writer (Sally Morris)
wise and kind and utterly heart-wrenching and full of characters you will give your whole heart to (Anna James)
Vivid, hilarious, and heartbreaking, Hilary McKay’s radiant characters touch my heart like real people, friends and loved ones I know well. Possibly the finest writer of our time. (Elizabeth Wein)
Hilary McKay has a rare gift for novels about families and their interplay. (LoveReading4Kids)
All stars
Most relevant
Good story that has a grate messages about how books can bring your imagination to life however it take a while to get into the plot

imaginative

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Domestic family story with a touch of magical realism/fantasy.

Blended family, children each with their own story, and a slightly magic house/occupants. It's quite a brief one, but did make me think of Robert Westall and The House of Green Knowe.

I'm not a huge fan of fantasy that seems to envelop a real-world story, but like A Monster Calls, it can sometime be relevant.

Abi, a reader, finds her life change quite dramatically when her dad falls for a single mum, and she is made to share a house with no only a stepmother, but two step-brothers. Who can't seem to leave her her own space and things. The house they rent is old, a little spooky, and little Louis starts seeing a cat around the place. Or is it?

It's really not what I would have chosen as a child, though I can see that both the domestic/family issues of blended families raised and the fantastical elements will play well with the intended audience.

The siblings' rivalries, arguments, conversations and bonding are all pretty realistic. I definitely wanted more of this side of things, but the narrator captured Abi's young voice and those of the boys convincingly on audiobook.

For ages 8-11.

With thanks to Nudge Books for providing a sample Audible copy.

Domestic story with a touch of magical realism

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This was a great little quick read with love and wonder. Loved the base story and the performance for this book was great.

Loved this kiddie tale

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Struggled to get through this audio book, though I did make it to the end somehow hoping the story would improve. Unfortunately it didn't for me. Too drawn out, the narration slow & I found the constant change in the narrator's tone annoying...dipping down to whisper levels so I could barely hear.

Disappointing

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