Being the youngest in the family, most of my books growing up were well-loved hand-me-downs that were sometimes held together with a rubber band. That didn’t really matter to me — if a book is showing that much wear and tear, it must be a good one. But several times a year, I brought home one of those newspaper-y order forms from Scholastic Books, and I knew a NEW book was in my future.

That’s how Half Magic by Edward Eager first made its way into my library. I don’t remember how old I was when I first received it, but I know that for a good many years, it shared a special status with Little Women (Alcott) as my favorite books, worthy of reading…and re-reading…and re-re-reading….

I know it’s a goofy title for a blog. I tried to think of other titles, taking into consideration my son’s warning that I would be one-upped when someone named their book blog “Entirely Magic.” But Half Magic was a really important book to me. You see, it was “below” my reading level when I got it, but I read it repeatedly simply because I enjoyed it, and that experience is probably why I have become a life-long reader. As a bookseller, I have frequently heard adults telling a child that they can’t have this book or that because it’s below their reading level — they have to challenge themselves. And you know what? That’s exactly what I said to my son when he brought home Captain Underpants from the Scholastic Book Fair. But then I remembered — can’t we read just for fun? Isn’t that half the magic?