This book has been on my TBR for over 8 years; I can’t remember how I came to have a copy, a widget, I think? I think maybe I waited so long because the cover doesn’t appeal to me and I was worried it would be overtly religious and preachy.

It is a little bit preachy but less overtly Christian than I expected. The story wasn’t too cookie cutter, like I feared, but had a little depth to it. It really wasn’t my sort of book but it might appeal to those who like a heavy spiritual message in their middle grade stories.

My ten year old grandson and I read this together. It was an interesting read and we enjoyed it.
Many thanks to Larson Publications and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Jerry is a 10 year old boy who lives with his mom. His dad died 5 years ago in World War II. In an attempt to earn some money, he gets “magical” items from the Wonderworker who lives at the dump and then charges his friends to use them. When they get suspicious and demand their money back, Jerry is in trouble because he’s already spent it. The Wonderworker presents him with the Doubler, a machine that will double his money each night, but he has to use it honestly and learn to rely on his Higher Self.

This book was ok. Not terrible, but not great, either. It’s a bit slow, especially about halfway through when the Wonderworker starts teaching Jerry about meditation and his Higher Self. I feel like that part was also a bit too deep and abstract for the target audience to understand. The lessons Jerry learns are great, but it just was not a super interesting book for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free ebook.

This is a cute coming-of-age book for a boy between 8-12 years old, I'd say. Jerry learns about agency to choose between good or less-good things and about the responsibility that comes with power and choices. I was really irritated by descriptions of his mother's words and actions, but that got cleared up by the end. Also, this book was almost a fantasy, but not quite mystical enough to really move out of fiction. Too many things (like anything to do with the bank) were just too unrealistic for the otherwise real world feel of most events in the story. It reminded me a bit of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer without getting around to any adventures. I'll keep reading the series, but it just hasn't grabbed or enchanted me like many children's books have.

Sorry, never got around to reading. Will try again at a later date.

Jerry's Magic by W. W. Rowe is a fast moving children's story set in the 1950s. The well drawn setting feels natural and contemporary. The characters are simple yet compelling. They have the innocence we expect from the characters in a Rockwell painting and, like those characters, they are inherently lovable. Don't let the bucolic setting fool you, however. There are bullies in this paradise and Jerry must find a way to deal with them.

Jerry is a 10 year old boy whose father died in World War II. Jerry has cultivated a reputation at school of being a magician. He uses this reputation to protect himself and his friend Monty from bullies. He also uses this reputation to swindle his classmates. When his classmates, including the bullies, demand their money back from one of his swindles, Jerry seeks out the advice of the Wonder Worker, a vagrant named Wilcox. Wilcox provides Jerry with a magic box that will double his money each night so that Jerry will be able to pay back the bullies after 3 nights. The box does not come without strings attached, however. Jerry's motives must be pure and he must learn to contact his higher self in order for the box to work.

This book is fast moving with a level of drama and a moral appropriate for tweens and preteens. It was very enjoyable.

I received this ARC from Larson Publications via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was really disappointed. I had expected it to be a fun book but actually I mainly found it very boring. The mother was particularly irritating & Jerry wasn't likeable.

Nope. This middle grade reader falls apart on just about every level.

Jerry Shore is ten years old and is now the man of the house after his father is killed in the Big War. As such, he finds the need to start bringing home money, but instead of going out to get a job, he finds it easier to make money by selling magic items to the locals.

What I discovered was that Jerry was a ten-year old con artist. For more than half the book Jerry convinced some of his friends to put money in to a device he promises will enable the viewer to see through walls - specifically "for peeks into the girls' locker room at the gym". Of course all his friends want to be able to do this (which by itself is kind of creepy!). But the device doesn't actually work and Jerry has to keep putting them off and promising that it soon will, even when he knows it won't work. It isn't until the school bully threatens Jerry to get a working device or give the money back, does Jerry start to worry. He's already spent the money. What will he do?

Author W.W. Rowe might think that the message being delivered is one of "believe in yourself and your abilities" by summing it up for the reader, but the actions of the character speak volumes more. Preying on the peeping-tom creep in an individual and conning people to give money for the promise of something is the stronger message that comes through.

The narrative style of third person, present tense is awkward at best, often clumsy: "One hot, humid afternoon, Jerry weeds until he's drenched with sweat, so the tipping lady will be extra generous." "One hot, humid afternoon" comes across as past tense. Is this not '<em>today</em>, a hot humid afternoon?' "Jerry weeds" - present tense or past tense? Earlier we read "Jerry laughs" and "Jerry makes good money" and someone's "hobby is" - all present tense. "...the tipping lady will be extra generous" future expectation. We have past, present and future tense all in one brief sentence. Note: I picked this sentence completely at random.

I really just feel kind of icky after reading this. I would never be able to recommend this to anyone.

Looking for a good book? It's not <em>Jerry's Magic</em> by W. W. Rowe, that's for sure!

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.