Magic’s Most Wanted
byTyler Whitesides

4.5 out of 5 stars

Mason is confused when he opens up an ordinary music box and his entire class and teacher are magically transported to Antarctica. Magix agents show up to arrest him for crimes involving magic, but Mason swears that he doesn’t know anything about magic.
He learns that the world is divided into Igs and Eds (people who are Ignorant or Educated about magic). The only way to access magical power is to be Educated and have the knowledge of what different magical items are capable of doing. If you are Ignorant, you could handle magical items (like a transportation music box) and be unable to use the magic within. But Mason was able to use the music box, therefore the court argues that he must be a criminal with knowledge of magic.

To clear his name, Mason embarks on an investigation, dodging the Magix agents who are after him. Avery is a junior detective who believes that Mason is innocent, and they are joined by a wise-cracking rabbit in their search for clues to the real criminals. They unravel a long and complex plot and discover that there is danger in the very heart of the Magix headquarters.

This book was so brilliant! I loved the mystery and the adventure! I loved all the quirky characters! The writing is excellent and keeps the plot moving quickly. The world-building and the magic system are genius! I was actually amazed at how all these little details and clues in the plot came together so perfectly at the end. All the different magical objects have different powers, and they can be manipulated and used in different ways. It was so imaginative and fun!

Mason and Avery are such complex characters! I really enjoyed seeing their mystery partnership coming together. One really interesting aspect of Mason’s character was his relationship with his parents. His father was falsely accused of robbing a bank and is in jail. His mother is just trying to keep the family together and put food on the table. And Mason is convinced that his father is innocent. So when Mason is also falsely accused in the magical court of something he didn’t do, he is re-living the grief of his father’s imprisonment all over again. It gave a lot of depth to his character, and actually ended up being an important plot point in the mystery. Really brilliant character development!

Now I’m really eager to read more from this author!

This book has been screened on the Screen It First website for some mild potty humor. https://screenitfirst.com/book/magics-most-wanted-2481053