The Wizards of Once: Twice Magic

The Wizards of Once has been translated into 38 languages and also signed by DreamWorks.

Nick’s Review

“It was a long, long time ago, in a British Isles so old that it did not know it was the British Isles yet…..” At the urging of my two younger children, we embarked on and finished the second book in the Wizards of Once series and were pleasantly surprised. In fact, I believe the second book surpasses the first. So, I stepped back into that realm of nightly readings with my two youngsters - with wizards, warriors, snowcats, giants, mythical creatures, and potent magic - this time to find that the witches are not as dead as once thought and are wreaking havoc in the Wildwoods. Not only that, but Wish has been locked up by her mother inside the Punishment Cupboard. Now mothers are portrayed as stricter these days in children's' books - gone are the days of Disney's simpering stereotypes like "Darling". However, Wish’s “Mother” dearest, Queen Sychorax, takes this to a new level. Xar has also hit a spot of trouble. Xar’s father doesn’t know what to do with Xar - he is kind and loves his son; however, he appears to agree with the Drood Commander and all-round bad guy that Xar should stay in the Gormincrag Prison.

Our heroes Wish and Xar find themselves not only battling their parents but a brood of new bad guys. The Witchsmeller would have to be one of my favourite bad guys in the book. He is the “Terror of the Empire” - the Elon Musk of the day - pointing fingers and culling so-called witches inside the empire for the emperor. Other notable and interesting bad guys are the Drood Commander, who I imagine would look something like one of Darth Vader’s Imperial Commanders from Star Wars; and of course the Kingwitch - however, I won’t say too much about him other than he is back.... 

Do Wish with her Magic Spelling Book and spoon in hand, and Xar with his dangerous Witchstain - have what it takes to save the Wildwoods from the witches? Time is running out...and the Witchstain is looking worse than ever… who knows if Xar will ever be able to get rid of it or control it...

Cressida Cowell’s second book in this series is very well written and her sense of humour flows through this fantastical sequel, complemented by stunning artwork and a plot thick with magic and adventure. The book will take you and your children into another world - not soon forgotten. Highly recommended for the 8 - 14+ and 30+ age groups. Note my daughter loves this series and she is now 6. 

About Cressida Cowell

Cressida was the Waterstones Children's Laureate (2019-2022). She is an ambassador for the National Literacy Trust and the Reading Agency and a founder patron of the Children's Media Foundation. She has won numerous prizes for her books, including the Gold Award in the Nestle Children's Book Prize, the Hay Festival Medal for Fiction, and Philosophy Now' magazine's 2015 Award for Contributions in the Fight Against Stupidity.