So You Want to Be a Wizard facts for kids
Cover art for So You Want to Be a Wizard
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| Author | Diane Duane |
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| Cover artist | Cliff Nielsen |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Young Wizards |
| Genre | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Harcourt Trade Publishers |
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Publication date
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1983 (first printing by Delacorte Press, reprinted 1996 by Harcourt) |
| Media type | Print (Mass market paperback) |
| Pages | 400 |
| ISBN | 0-15-216250-X |
| OCLC | 45835466 |
| LC Class | PZ7.D84915 So 1983 |
| Preceded by | None |
| Followed by | Deep Wizardry |
So You Want to Be a Wizard is the first exciting book in the Young Wizards series. Written by Diane Duane, it was first published in 1983. Later, in 2012, a special "New Millennium Edition" came out. This story is about Nita Callahan, a thirteen-year-old girl. She finds a mysterious book called So You Want to Be a Wizard while hiding from bullies in a library.
Nita takes the book home and learns it's all about how to become a wizard! She's not sure if it's real, but she decides to take the Wizard Oath anyway. The very next day, while trying her first spell, she meets Kit Rodriguez. He's another new wizard! After they successfully do a spell together, Nita knows for sure: she really is a wizard.
Contents
The Story of the Wizards
Nita and Kit's First Spell
Nita Callahan is hiding from bullies in the library. She finds a book called So You Want To Be a Wizard. On her way home, the bullies catch her. They beat her up and take her special space pen. That night, Nita takes the Wizard's Oath from the book. The next morning, she sees her name on the wizards list in the manual.
She goes to a quiet spot to try a spell. She wants to get her pen back. There, she meets Christopher "Kit" Rodriguez. He is also a new wizard. Kit is trying a spell to make himself feel brave. They combine their magic. This creates a strange vision of a dark, scary New York City. A terrible being made of pure desire tries to grab them. To escape, they open their minds to the universe. This brings a smart white hole from space. Its name, simplified, is "Fred."
Fred's Hiccups and a Missing Book
The next day at school, Fred and Nita try to get Nita's pen back. But Fred makes a mistake. He accidentally swallows the pen! This makes Fred hiccup out random objects. Things like a television, a blue Mercedes car, and a Learjet airplane pop out. After school, they ask older wizards for help. Fred's problem is fixed, but Nita's pen is still gone. To get it back, they must connect Fred to a worldgate. This special gate is in Grand Central Station.
Fred also shares some bad news. A very important book is missing. It's called the Naming of Lights. This book has information about everything that exists. It's also known as The Book of Night with Moon. You can only read it by moonlight. There's also a shadow version of it. This one is called The Book Which is Not Named. It contains twisted, wrong descriptions. If the Lone Power reads the dark book without the bright one, the universe will be ruined.
Into Another World
At Grand Central, Nita and Kit find the worldgate. It's floating high above the station. Nita uses her magic to make the air solid. This creates a walkway to the gate. It stretches from the roof of the Pan Am Building. But before Nita can get her pen, wolf-like creatures attack. Nita, Kit, and Fred fall through the worldgate.
They land in a different New York City. This place is cold, dark, and lifeless. It's filled with dangerous creatures. Some look like cars. Others are glowing-eyed mice or bat-like "skinwings." There are also dragon-like "fireworms." This world belongs to the Lone Power. This being is much worse than any devil. It is older than Earth itself.
Nita, Kit, and Fred learn that both books are here. To get home, they must read from the bright Book. To find the bright Book, they decide to steal the dark Book. They need the bright Book's power. It will help them find the worldgate. The Lone Power has hidden it in the darkness.
Meeting the Lotus Esprit
On their way to the Lone Power's office, Kit finds a racing car. It's a Lotus Esprit. The car is next to a "dead" sedan. It was hurt by a piece of metal. Kit removes the metal. The Lotus roars away, now free.
Inside the building, Nita, Kit, and Fred listen in. The Lone Power is on the phone with the Archangel Michael. Michael thinks his brother stole the bright Book. The Lone Power thinks Michael sent Nita and Kit to steal it back. Nita and Kit hadn't thought of this before. But it starts to make sense.
Finding the Bright Book
Nita steals the dark Book. She uses it to find the bright Book. It's hidden in the tunnels under City Hall. The Lotus Esprit returns to help them. It's showing its thanks. They go to the tunnels. There, they find the bright Book. It's guarded by the Eldest of the fireworms. This Eldest is a huge, fire-breathing dragon. It lies on a giant pile of stolen treasures. This includes gold, jewels, silver, toys, coins, and bones. The wizards make a deal with the Eldest. They give it the dark Book for the bright Book. They also protect the treasure with a magic shield.
The Final Battle
The Lone Power gets very angry. It chases them on an eight-legged, skull-faced beast. They escape through the worldgate. They return to their own world. But the Lone Power is right behind them. To stop it from destroying their universe, Kit and Nita act fast. They create a wall of magic trees and statues. This protects a safe spot in Central Park. They begin to read from the bright Book by moonlight. They want to undo the bad changes the Lone Power has made.
Then, the Lone Power puts out the Sun! This stops the moonlight needed to read the Book. Fred makes a huge sacrifice. He "blows his quanta." This means he releases all his energy as light. This light reflects off the moon. It becomes moonlight. The wizards can keep reading. As Kit and Nita say the Lone Power's true name, Nita changes the text slightly. She adds a special symbol (⎋). This gives the Lone Power a choice. It can become a positive energy instead of a negative one.
The Lone Power is renamed and defeated. Nita and Kit go home. Their amazing adventure is complete.
Main Characters in the Story
Nita Callahan
Juanita "Nita" Louise Callahan is one of the main heroes. Nita is thirteen years old. She often feels lonely and doesn't have many friends. When she finds the wizardry book, her life changes completely. She becomes good friends with Kit Rodriguez. Together, they get caught up in a big wizard challenge. Nita is very good at using magic with living things.
Kit Rodriguez
Christopher "Kit" K. Rodriguez is the other main hero. He is Nita's wizard partner. Kit is small for his age. He sometimes gets picked on for his Spanish accent. He finds his wizard's manual in a used book store. Soon after taking his Wizard's Oath, he meets Nita. They are thrown into their big adventure. They must complete it to become full wizards. Kit is often more grown-up than Nita, even though he is younger. His special skill is working magic with machines and objects.
Fred
Fred is a white hole. Nita and Kit accidentally bring him to Earth. This happens during their first spell together. His full name is very long. But he agrees to be called "Fred." When he swallows Nita's pen, he gets the "hiccups." Instead of normal energy, he hiccups out things like TVs and airplanes! Fred joins Nita and Kit on their adventure. He gives them important information, like who the Lone Power is. Near the end, Fred sacrifices himself. He gives Nita and Kit moonlight. This lets them keep reading the bright Book. It saves their lives and everyone on Earth.
The Lone Power
The Lone Power, also called "The Lone One," is the main bad guy. Nita and Kit must defeat him. If they fail, they could die. The Lone One is one of the powerful beings that created the universe. But he chose a path of evil. He created death and destruction. The dark "Other Manhattan" is his world.
Awards for the Book
So You Want to Be a Wizard won the "ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers" award.
