The Wizards of Once: Knock Three Times

C.S. Lewis: “No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally – and often far more – worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond.”No Spoilers. I promise.I'm a 41 year old homeschool Mama to 4 kids, 9 and under. These books are mine for now - as in, not for my kids, not just yet...but only because I am selfishly savoring them. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I promise I'll read them to the kids and they will love the adventure. Don't worry about that. There's nothing "unsuitable" about them for children.I am only saying this to reveal that this is so much more than a story for children. These books let me see and feel that brilliant spark of my own childhood - you know that giddy one that you feel in your belly? I didn't think it was possible to replace "favorite books" in my brain after all this time. I thought the " Favorite Book" trophy had been given away long ago. And then, something unexpected happened while trying out the How to Train Your Dragon series...the story itself became "important" to me. I drank those stories in. I felt as if I had literally journeyed "There and Back Again" from the first book to the very last.This series, like it's predecessor...It's just wonderful. If I were to guess, I'd say, at this point in the story, we are now approaching Rivendell on the way to Mordor, or the Beavers cottage to get out of the snow in Narnia. It feels, still, as if it is just beginning, and all the adventures so far are important, but in truth, only those first few steps on a much longer journey.If you find yourself hungry for a story, a real "yarn"... this has it, and then some. Here's what you get with a story likes this:- Ups and downs, but you knew that - Irony and witty humor,- Fear - that gut twisting kind that you might have only found yourself in a few times during your own real life. If you've lived long enough to have it, you will know it when you see it here.- Characters who are both more than they are... and sometimes less than they should be, - Mentors and guides who should know better, and probably do, but still utterly fail as a result of our age old problem - Hubris- Subtle yet powerful truths that are hidden from us in our childhood years and are only revealed after we've lived a good while... There are many of these. Your kids will miss them and will glaze right by them. You won't.- Arrogance that is strangely charming, even when it is fallible....maybe especially when it is fallible - because it's usually supported by unwavering courage and loyalty.- Kindness, heaping doses of kindness in unexpected places.- Callousness, there's that too. It's important to realize in stories, just as in life, that not everyone is going to like you, or lift a finger to help you no matter how dire the circumstances.- Jealousy...There's always a bit of that. Jealously of affection, attention, maybe a bit of foreshadowing.- Some comments about parenting...again, kids won't get this as deeply as you will. But you will hear every nuance, feel every failure, frustration, and understand every bit of urgency because as a parent, it sometimes feels like a miracle to keep these kids alive under normal circumstances, much less extraordinary ones.- What we do in our youth echoes... and echoes... and echoes... Think this story is about a few kids? Well, you'd be partly right...until you realize that there were some other "kids" who made lasting choices...they are just a bit older now.This is the third book in this series, and although I understand that it could be possible to read this as a stand alone book, I don't recommend it. Cressida Cowell does a perfect job briefly reintroducing us to the characters and this book adds in even more pictures than all of her other books. It's a visual delight and the pictures do not detract or distract in any way. However, you can't quite keep your head wrapped around all of these characters unless you know who they are from the previous two books. Again, you wouldn't want a brief cameo of the characters just 2 minutes before they walk into Rivendell, would you? Same applies here. Read books 1 and 2 first. This book starts out quickly, and grass is not growing under the feet of our heroes. Everything is moving, and moving fast.So go get that really big cup of coffee... you're going to be here a while.

A wonderful written book series with some great messages about tribalism, friendship and adventure. Third book is a little more intense and some fun new characters to boot.

My 12 yr old son loves this book. He is not a big reader and we bought this because he had read another book by same author and liked it. He gobbled this book up and we got the sequel too.

This is a story we will read again and again. Cressida Cowell transforms the reader into the world of the wild woods. She is fresh and original mixed with humor and funny caricatures. We love this series.

The book arrived on time and it was in perfect condition. a great book for fans of How to Train Your Dragon, Warriors, Harry Potter, and Percy Jackson.

The third book in Cressida Cowell's "The Wizards of Once" sees our young protagonists on an adventure to collect the rare ingredients needed to banish the terrible Witches that have recently awoken all across Ancient Britain.As difficult as it may be to find the scales of a Nuckalavee, it's even stranger to consider the team they've assembled to retrieve them. Xar is the youngest son of the Head Wizard Encanzo, while Wish is the daughter of the cold Queen Sychorax, two tribes that have been at war for generations.To make matters worse, Xar is struggling with the Witchstain on his hand (the result of his ill-fated attempt to gain magical powers) and Wish has recently found out that she has magical abilities that can work on iron (though magic is strictly forbidden among the Warrior tribes).On board their flying door, accompanied by their extensive entourage (Wish's bodyguard Bodkin, and Xar's array of sprites, wolves, snowcats and giant) the two youngsters have quite an adventure ahead of them, which involves a betrayal, an underground school, a talking bear, and a cave that holds the dreaded Nuckalavee.They've also got their parents to contend with, who have decided to temporarily put aside their enmity to track down their children - though as we found out in the last book, Encanzo and Sychorax were once in love, and there's every chance that those feelings might rekindle if they spend too much time together.I was under the assumption that this would be the final book in this series, though it's apparent by the end that there's at least one more on its way. And I can't say that I mind spending a bit more time with these characters. They're all quite lovable in their own ways, from arrogant Xar (who is improving) to compassionate Wish (still struggling with her magical eye) to Bodkin (who messes up in this book, then struggles to make amends).Cowell beautifully describes the world of Ancient Britain, in all its danger and mystery, and fills her story with songs, jokes, poignancy and her own quirky illustrations. What else can I say? I'm invested, and can't wait until the next book.

This was purchased for a granddaughter. She has read the other two books in the series and could not wait until the third book was published. What a great way to encourage reading!!!

This series is very well written I would definitely recommend this book to anyone even if they don’t like fantasy because this book is exceptional.

omg love book so much and if i hAd not bought this series would be in a grave mistake like if i said i wont read series

Great story and good for my kids

My 8 year old LOVED this book. (with mostly me reading)

Mis hijos cuentan los días para el cuarto y último libro de esta serie. Están completamente enganchados.

It took a bit of effort for our son to get into the "Dragons" series. But once he started - he read them all pretty quickly.This series from Cressida Cowell is very good. He had no troubles getting into them and read the books at least twice. My wife also read the series. "Good" is her review.