The Magicians Convention: The Magicians: Book 1 is an action and adventure fantasy novel for children and preteens written by Elena Paige. Sunday mornings were usually quite predictable and boring for Toby, a twelve-year-old living with his grandfather. So, seeing the lines of people waiting outside Mrs. Inkwell’s house early that Sunday morning both amazed and excited him. He was marveling at the long black cloaks and fancy top hats they were all wearing, and wondering if, perhaps, there was actually a magic portal inside Mrs. Inkwell’s house, when his grandfather walked into his room. It all made absolutely no sense at all, especially since no one ever came to visit the elderly woman except her granddaughter. Grandpa had heard his musings about a magic portal, and he figured Toby was reading yet another fantasy novel. When Grandpa looked out the window, he looked back at his grandson and reported that he saw nothing out of the ordinary. But how could that be? Toby looked again, and there were still scores of people lined up and waiting. Toby decided the only thing to do was to go out and investigate for himself.

Elena Paige’s action and adventure fantasy novel for children and preteens, The Magicians Convention: The Magicians: Book 1, follows Toby as he discovers an entirely different world than the rather humdrum one he was familiar with. Paige’s plot is fresh and imaginative, and her characters soon felt like old friends. The Magicians Convention is brilliantly conceived and a lot of fun to experience through Toby’s eyes, and his delight at having, for the first time, friends and companions, is a joy to share in. While written for children and preteens, Paige’s book is also suitable for young adults and any adults who still have the capacity to see lines of people waiting outside an elderly woman’s home and have the desire to find out what exactly is going on out there. It’s grand fun from start to finish. The Magicians Convention: The Magicians: Book 1 is most highly recommended.