This was a pretty fun book to read. These two friends found themselves on another adventure, this time to save their friends from an evil wizard. They would have to find a way inside if they had any hope of saving them. Turns out this wizard has an evil plan, and these friends may the only ones who can stop them. This story is full of tons of amazing magic, and takes readers on a magical adventure. I think most kids will really enjoy reading this book.

Wizarding for Beginners is an illustrated chapter book for the upper elementary crowd. It is the third book in a series, after Knighthood for Beginners and Royalty for Beginners.

The story revolves around a diminutive dragon named Dave and his friend Albrecht the talking goat. Albrecht can talk because of a spell cast upon him in the first book by the wizard Terrence the Terrible. Terrence is back in this book, kidnapping all the talking animals and hiding them away for nefarious purposes.

To rescue their friends, Dave and Albrecht (whose speech is peppered with German words, glossary in the back) must infiltrate the Guild of Wizards with it’s many rules. For example:

Absolutely no girls allowed
Beards required
Everything stops for meals
Hats required
No running, except on Thursdays when running is required
No shoes on the carpet unless it’s a full moon

After proving their worth as wizards and infiltrating the castle, they make their plans:

“We shall meet in the corridor at midnight to search for the animals! It shall be very sneaky, secret, and kind of like a slumber party.” – Albrecht

Well, of course nothing goes to plan. The friends get separated, Albrecht gets into trouble, Dave defeats his enemies by being kind to them, a wizard appears who is not quite what they seem, and lots of porridge is involved. In the end, all turns out well, Terrence the Terrible gets his comeuppance, and the Guild of Wizards gets a much needed overhaul.

This is a fun book, with little lessons of self-acceptance tucked away here and there, dangers that are not too scary, lots of humor, and charming pictures. It’s just the kind of thing my eight year old loves and I highly recommend this book and the entire series to kids and parents alike.

Wizarding for Beginners is written and illustrated by Elys Nolan and published by Silver Dolphin Books. It releases in paperback on May 26, 2020.

I received a free electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This review was posted to Netgalley, Amazon, Goodreads, IG, and my personal blog.

The fun never stops with Dave, who is now part of a book club, and Albrecht – Dave’s “trusty steed and life coach.”

In Wizarding for Beginners, Dave and Albrecht are at their book club when a post card is delivered to Albrecht. It is from his family, but is also a sad moment for Albrecht because ever since a wizard put a spell on him giving him the ability to talk he has never been able to communicate with his family. One thing leads to another and soon Dave and Albrecht are off to become wizards themselves, but there are so, so, so many rules about who can be a wizard and what a wizard must or must not do that it becomes a bit too much. What’s even better is when they begin to find all the ways their fellow wizards are either following or not following the rules.

As in the first book of the series, Knighthood for Beginners, there is a “Where are they now” section at the end, which is probably my favorite part because it makes me laugh at all the crazy stuff they do after the story. The end also include a German to English glossary to help with any of those phrases Albrecht says every once in a while. After all who doesn’t want to learn how to say “my bottom” in German (mein hintern).

I love all Dave and Albrecht’s sillyness and the absurd situations they find themselves in. Sometimes a little silly is what we all need. However, I also found the story didn’t connect with me as much as I wish it had, but still it’s a fun book to read through. The book is full of pictures, but the version I read was an advanced copy and so not all the picture were complete, which made me sad since I know from the previous book that they offer quite a bit to the story adding more humor and context of what is going on around Dave and Albrecht. But as I mentioned, my version is not the published version and I am completely confident that any pictures will be seen in the final version, but am noting it here to indicate what I was able to review upon.

Rating: 3.5 stars