New Book: The Magic Misfits by Neil Patrick Harris

The Magic Misfits is a Light Delightful Read

Actor Neil Patrick Harris’s middle-grade debut is as sweet and airy as a paper cone of cotton candy. In storybook fashion, “The Magic Misfits”, features an orphaned boy named Carter. With special abilities that make him extraordinary in a life awash in dull ordinaryness Carter falls into a new world, leaving his old life and what he thought he knew behind him.

Our young hero is a scrappy underdog and a streetsmart kid under the care of his “Uncle” Sly. Uncle Sly is a hustler who gets his kicks using trickery for personal gain. He often tries to use Carter’s knack for stage magic-- like sleight of hand-- to swipe unsuspecting customers wallets, jewelry and other valuables. Finally, Carter has enough of being a passive participant in Uncle Sly’s shtick-- one morning at the break of dawn he skedaddles. With Uncle Sly hot on his heels, Carter hops a train, stowing away to anywhere.

Hours later he wakes up to the setting sun as the train pulls in to the town of Mineral Wells and the fairgrounds of an enormous travelling circus. Under the iron rule of a cigar-chomping, pudgy and fake-smiling ringmaster B. B. Bosso, his carnies pull out every dirty trick in the book to get as much from the quaint town as possible. Cautious as he is, roaming around the luminous and colourful carnival grounds, Bosso instantly hones in on Carter who despite his youth is already a promising young magician. Bosso knows Carter is just the thing to give his act more pizazz. But Carter refuses to be used again by greedy men and women fixated on personal gain.

It’s at this moment that Carter crosses paths with Dante Vernon, a cape-wearing, nimble-fingered, and enigmatic illusionist. His journey hasn’t ended with this interaction, but instead as we see, it just begins. Mr. Vernon (he may be a muggle, but he’s no Dursley) lives above a fanciful shop with his partner, “The Other Mr. Vernon” and his daughter Leila. Leila is a spunky escape artist: literally.

Aiming to be the first female Houdini, Leila has a knack for getting out of binds! Straight jackets, ropes and chains don’t stand a chance! Leila and Carter get along together like peanut butter and jelly: they complement one another and instantly connect.

Friendship is at the heart of “The Magic Misfits”. For the first time Carter has kids his age to hang out with! Leila introduces Carter to her BFFS Ridley and Theo. Ridley is wheel-chair bound and avidly keeps a notebook about inventions and magic history, and Theo has an uncanny ability: whenever he plays his violin he can make objects move!

As if the audience weren’t already moved enough by his beautiful playing! Theo and Carter actually meet earlier, once again by chance. In the middle of a park, a thieving barbershop quartet: The Pock-Pickets, uses their harmonious singing as a distraction to snatch valuables from their audience- something the tuxedo wearing young Theo notices. He and Carter team up to return the stolen goods to the oblivious audience-- and for one of the first times in the novel, Carter sees that magic can be used for good.

Leila, Carter, Theo and Ridley, and joining the gang later on: twins Izzy and Ollie, are a plucky bunch who are bright but still come across as children. They have a realness about them, and don’t feel like merely words on a page. Neil Patrick Harris deftly incorporates diversity into “The Magic Misfits”. Leila and Theo are both described as “brown-skinned”, Leila is adopted by two fathers, and while Ridley is in a wheel-chair and differently-abled, she’s not deficient in any way.

As a writer, Neil Patrick Harris proves he can tell a darn good story. His writing is absolutely brimming with personality-- it’s descriptive and electric and just so much fun. “The Magic Misfits” is a stellar book to read aloud, and I can picture he himself doing so to his twins!

It’s short and sweet, but not without some perilous moments. The big baddie in “The Magic Misfits” B. B. Bosso is a little intimidating. With dozens of Frown Clowns at his disposal and some sideshow “freaks” with sinister talents on his side, Bosso concocts a plan-- he’ll host the show of a lifetime, and while doing so, get away with the heist of a lifetime. His “carnival spectacular” is nothing but a front to rob the town and townsfolk blind.

In true middle-grade fashion: think Harry Potter or A Series of Unfortunate Events, Carter and his friends spring into action to stop them and save the day. Is “The Magic Misfits” a touch predictable? Maybe.

Is some of the dialog a bit sugary and typical? Yeeees at times-- there’s even a moment where Leila’s quip about life and risks sounds awfully familiar to Sirius Black in the Harry Potter series.

But ultimately this story has such a fun and fanciful tone with playful writing and characters that it’s a truly joyful experience! It’s easily one of the most unputdownable middle grades I’ve read in 2017.

This novel doesn’t feature magic in the most literal sense of the word. There’s no spell casting. No witches or wizards, or supernatural goings on. No enchantments or hexes or fantastic beasts. Instead, the focus is on magic as an illusion, as a craft, as an art-- magic as stage magicians not who use their abilities for manipulation and trickery but to mystify and inspire glee and awe in their audience.

As a kiddo, little Vicky would have loved this book. As young twenty-something, #adulting reader I was absolutely enchanted by Carter and this charming cast of characters and town from the very first chapter. Don’t let the genre deter you from tumbling into this story! The last page of “The Magic Misfits” ends with a teaser-- the image of a card with the number 2 in the middle-- and whether this is set to be a multi volume series or just a trilogy, I am so on board for more adventures with Carter and his “misfit” besties!

All photos taken by me.