6 h 55 minAudiobook7 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if the city you build from household odds and ends comes alive—and needs you to save it?
Philip feels lonely in an unfamiliar home. His older sister Helen looks after him, but he needs somewhere to belong. So he builds a city from everyday things. Then play becomes something far stranger: he discovers that he can step inside the world he has made.
The city has people, troubles, and hopes of its own. Its citizens see Philip as their long-awaited Deliverer, the person who will set things right. Lucy, a girl from the house, joins his adventure. Together they share its dangers and wonder, while Philip faces a question: what does a maker owe his creation?
What you’ll discover
- Magic in ordinary things Watch household odds and ends become a living city that Philip can enter.
- A place to belong Follow a lonely boy whose imagined world gives him more than an escape.
- A world with demands Meet citizens who look to their maker for help with troubles of their own.
- Wonder shared with Lucy Join Philip and Lucy as they face the dangers and marvels of his creation.
- Warmth beneath the adventure Enjoy Nesbit's teasing narrator, with jokes for adults and real feeling beneath the fun.
Is it for you?
This book suits readers who love old-fashioned children's fantasy, parents looking for a story to read aloud, and anyone who remembers building a world out of odds and ends. If you want fast modern action, the pace may feel gentle.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A lonely boy in an unfamiliar house
- Play becomes a city of everyday things
- The city comes alive around him
- The people of the city need a Deliverer
- What the story is really about
- How Nesbit tells it
Who’s who
- PhilipA lonely boy in a new home who builds a city from everyday objects and discovers he can enter it.
- HelenPhilip's older sister, who looks after him while her own life changes around them both.
- LucyA girl from the house who joins Philip's adventure and shares its dangers and its wonder.
- The people of the cityThe citizens of Philip's creation, who look to him as the Deliverer they have long awaited.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
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- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 6 h 55 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 7 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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Language: English
“She had an economy of phrase and an unparalleled talent for evoking hot summer days in the English countryside.”
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 6
A lonely boy in an unfamiliar house
The story begins with Philip, a boy who has lost the settled life he knew. He lives with his sister Helen, who is much older than he is and who takes care of him. Their circumstances change, and Philip finds himself in a new home where he is not sure of his place.
Nesbit is good at the small unhappiness of a child in this position. Philip is not mistreated in any dramatic way. He is simply surrounded by adults and their plans, and nobody has much time to ask what he thinks. The reader feels how large a house can seem to a small person with nothing to do.
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The author
E. Nesbit
1858–1924 · English children's writer and poet
Edith Nesbit (1858–1924) was an English author and poet who published as E. Nesbit. She was born in London and later lived in Kent. Her children’s books include The Story of the Treasure Seekers (1899), Five Children and It (1902), The Phoenix and the Carpet (1904), and The Railway Children (1906).
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What is The Magic City about?
It follows Philip, a lonely boy who builds a city from household objects and then finds he can enter it. The people there treat him as their Deliverer, and he faces trials alongside a friend.
Who wrote The Magic City and when?
E. Nesbit wrote it, and it was first published in 1910. She was already known for children's stories in which magic appears in everyday settings.
Is The Magic City hard to read?
No. The language is clear, the chapters are lively, and the narrator is chatty and funny. Some old-fashioned turns of phrase appear, but it reads well aloud to children.
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