Pure Magic,

by Elizabeth Coatsworth

Book Overview

Johnny forms a friendship with the new boy at school but is puzzled by his strangeness. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0027215008
• ISBN13: 9780027215007
• Release Date: January 1973
• Publisher: MacMillan Publishing Company
• Length: 68 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

A nice story, but has some Satanic implications

"Pure Magic" is (for the most part) a pleasant little book about a friendship between two boys, one of whom is a werefox. Johnny Dunlap is the main character, he is a country boy who has no friends. When a new family moves into the region, Johnny soon becomes friends with the new family's eldest son, Giles Dumont. Johnny notices early on that there is something strange about Giles and his mother, but can't figure out what it is. Soon, however, Johnny finds out that Giles is capable of taking on the form of a fox at will (an ability that runs in his mother's family). Johnny is concerned about Giles' relations with his father, Mr. Dumont. The book doesn't explain why Giles' father dislikes his son, but it is clear that Mr. Dumont and his son have strained relations. Johnny works to improve the relationship between father and son, and the story does have a happy ending. I think this is a fairly nice book for people who are interested in werefoxes (stories about werefoxes can be hard to find). The only thing I have a real problem with, is the fact that there seem to be Satanic implications in at least part of the story. When Giles is explaining how he first became a werefox, he says that his mother killed a black rooster and scattered it's blood on the ground, then she recited some words of initiation, and finally put a fox-skin belt on him to bring about the transformation. This strikes me as a Satanic ritual, and I feel that it is only fair to warn prospective customers (especially parents) about it.