The Incredible Crew

If you’ve been waiting for a new Magic Nation Tales book, get ready! The Magic Nation Incredible Crew should launch in a few weeks.

Mrs. Wright becomes a member of the Falls City Council; the Magic Nation Freshmen begin high school; Erik the Red takes the field in Cincinnati; Bruce, Donald, and Clara face a dinosaur; and Mr. Charlie becomes the father of eight puppies!

In this book, the short stories stand alone, but they also combine to form a unit. Events and characters from early stories reappear in the last chapters. Debbie meets a World War II spy in the fifth story, and recognizes her at the Reds game in the tenth one. “I must have déjà vu,” Debbie says.

(Did I forget to mention that the Reds game is a trip to the past? The Magic Nation Crew attends the first major league night baseball game in Cincinnati on May 24, 1935.)

There’s a hint of a future story in the final chapter, when Holly mentions she babysits for a little boy named Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt Rushmore.

Gabrielle says, “I heard you watch little Teddy Rushmore. He owns a pair of pince-nez glasses. He told me that he sees unicorns and dragons when he wears them.”

“I’m not surprised,” says Holly with a smile.

Mr. Charlie and Scarlet now have eight puppies. It becomes quite a chore to name them all, especially when seven were expected! When Mr. Wright suggests the puppies be named after the Eight Wonders of the Natural World, Joey says, “Grand Canyon isn’t a good name for a dog!” (There’s a personal irony here. We have a family dog named Everest. She’s big and she’s snow-white!)

A few new characters appear. Mr. McDuffy, who claims nobody ever uses his first name, manages some real magic. Nicole, a college woman, devises Magic Math; Mrs. Ferguson provides the recipe for invisibility; and 50-Mile-Mary, the school bus driver, experiences more magic than the entire Crew put together.

Yep! This Crew is Incredible.