Rating: 
Summary: Didn't finish the book -- but...
Review: I chose to purchase this book for its low price and its very interesting premise -- I also love fantasy, and was looking forward to starting a new series. I was extremely disappointed. The author shows very little originality in her work; but lifts entire concepts and plotlines from other well known children's stories; A Wrinkle in Time, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe and The Neverending Story for a start -- Even the completely original bits aren't satisfying, because the characters other than Nita are very shallow, the descriptions are poor, and the magic and premises are taken too lightly. Good fantasy is written so you believe the magic and situations are real -- they are described, and given substance in the text. This author takes the magic for granted, and gives only the slightest preparation of the premise or explanation of what is happening; trusting the history of the fantasy genre to substantiate her writing. I also disliked this author's tendency to repeat herself. Most annoying to me is the cheap looking typeface on each page. Some day I might actually go back and finish this book, but I would much rather re-read something that is actually good.
Rating: 
Summary: Not my type
Review: If you are an avid reader but not into fantasy, don't read thisbook. I'm a reader who doesn't particularly like fantasy, but I'veread many fantasy books which people have said are very good. Most of those I liked, but not this one. So you want to be a Wizard is good in the first couple chapters, but as the magic gets more intense, I found it hard to follow. My friends who are into fantasy and sci-fi loved this book, so if you are like them, go ahead, read this book. But if you are like me, and want to try a fantasy book, don't read this. I recommend Harry Potter and Ender's Game instead.
Rating: 
Summary: A magical mystery tour through a wildly imagined Manhattan..
Review: I read this novel originally when I was 13. Geeky,bespectacled, and female, I found a lot to love about the plucky protagonist of this novel, Nita. Ten years later, I still love this novel as one of the best fantasies ever written for young adults. It doesn't talk down to them in the least, and it presents a true-to-form view of the day-to-day life of a teenage girl...that is, until the magic slowly creeps into her life.Diane Duane's magical vistas of the alternate Manhattan have to be read to do them justice - they pulse with life, they taunt us with a world just out of our reach and view. She provides a richly populated world in which even the trees hold philosphical debates, and where each bit of life is precious. Her villians are grounded firmly in the best mythology but illustrated with such freshness that you may just forget that you've seen this kind of villian in many types of literature. Every act, every breath carries a magical resonance that will haunt the reader for years to come after reading this novel. I look forward to sharing this novel with the young people in my life, and with my children in the future. Give Diane Duane a chance - you'll never see the mundane world as so drab again.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinates at many levels; repays rereading
Review: Thirteen-year-old Nita's discovery of the book "So You Want to Be a Wizard" in her local library speaks to every avid reader's desire to find something magical in a book. Nita, of course, with her newfound friend Kit (Christopher), also a novice wizard, goes much further than just finding the book: she's able to do the spells in it, too. The pair is soon involved in a classic test that involves outwitting the prince of evil himself. I read the 350+ pages of this book in a single sitting, and I know I didn't take it all in. It's satisfying at the Harry Potter level, with spells and whatnot, and also at the C. S. Lewis or Charles Williams level, where eschatological catastrophe looms. I'm waiting with great impatience for my eight-year-old to finish the book so that I can reread it. The plot is probably too complex for an eight-year-old, but the details keep his head firmly in the book. The author's inclusion of both a boy and a girl as protagonists helps the book to escape gender stereotyping, and the fact that they have separate strengths and must work together is good for role modeling.
Rating: 
Summary: And there goes my birthday money....
Review: I love this book. It is a great: a little like Harry Potter only has more of an adult plot a.k.a. more complicated. I feel in love with this book and immediatly bought Deep Wizardry, High Wizardry, and A Wizard Abroad (All contiuations of the series, which gets better as you go). And if you love cats, check out Book of Night With Moon, which fetures Wizarding Cats and all your favorite characters from the other books....
Rating:
Summary: TOO COOL
Review: This book is very educational and I myself Head Master of Harverd University highly recommend it.Not I think it is an awesome book and everyone should read it.If you don't read it than that is to bad because you are missing out on such an awesome book and awesome deal!
Rating:
Summary: Really different, scary in its own way. Very funny!
Review: I think it is very funny. A lot of the characters said things that were funny. I only read one book that gave me nightmares this one didn't. The more the main characters tried to get out of trouble the more they get in it. One thing leads to another. This is a good book for kids 10 and older.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing!
Review: Diane Duane is one of the best writers out there. I most defintly recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy or even thinks they'd like fantasy. If you have read any of her other books, you will love this one!
Rating:
Summary: Only the Best
Review: Diane Duane has the gift of writing. In all her books, she captures the imaginations and minds of all readers. As a reader, I've found her books fulfilling to my book appetite and they always leave me with more to digest. Even I, who hate most Science fiction books, was drawn into her Harbringer Trilogy, and, as I love fantasy, Totally immersed in her Wizardry Series and in her Feline Wizards Series. I'm proud to be one of her fans, and would find I needed much more interesting books if I wasn't. My Personal Favorite book was "The Book of Night with Moon." However, I recomend all her books with five stars, and more, if it was possible!
Rating:
Summary: Very Good Book
Review: I liked this book. It kept me reading at any spare moment I had. It was a page turner and I couldn't predict what would happen next. I would recomend this book to anyone who love adventure/fantasy books.
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