about the book
Robbie Darko is an old-school magician. He pulls rabbits out of hats, but most of his performances end in disaster or embarrassment. No matter how much he practices, no matter how much he prepares and works at his routine, something goes wrong. Always.
In his personal life, Robbie has a new challenge: Grandma Melvyn is moving in with him and his parents. Crotchety, grouchy Grandma Melvyn—who nicknames everyone “Trixie” and can’t seem to stop from complaining about anything and everything.
But what if Grandma Melvyn is a magician herself?
Robbie learns that Grandma was once internationally renowned for her magic tricks. How is that possible? And will she teach him?
Robbie and Grandma Melvyn decide to perform one last magic show together at Hobson Elementary, and then Grandma pulls a disappearing act to end all disappearing acts.
about the author
Andrea Beaty grew up in a big family in a tiny town called Benton, Illinois. The family ran a little grocery store. With not much to do in town, Andrea and her siblings roamed the woods and fields, made up games, and pretended to be spies, detectives, world explorers, and movie stars.
She also spent a lot of time sitting in a maple tree, reading Nancy Drew novels. Since the jobs of being Nancy Drew and the head of the FBI were already taken, Andrea studied biology in college. After graduating, she became a professional computer nerd, technical writer, and mom.
And then the voices started! In the middle of the night, Andrea would hear stories in her head. In the morning, she just had to write them down!
After receiving way too many rejections, Andrea submitted a story to the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). She won a grant and at a SCBWI conference, she met an agent who got two of her books published. The voices still wake her at night, and she tries to write three hours each day. The nice part about being a writer is that she can still be a detective, movie star, world explorer, or spy!
Andrea lives with her family near Chicago in Naperville, Illinois.
Sources:
Author website
Author biography : The Prairie Wind
Author biography : Illinois Authors
Author page : Simon & Schuster
Also by Andrea Beaty:
Attack of the Fluffy Bunnies. Amulet Books. 2010.
Secrets of the Cicada Summer. Amulet Books. 2010.
read more!
Attack of the Fluffy Bunnies (Fluffy Bunnies, Book 1) by Andrea Beaty
Twins Joules and Kevin expected their summer to be full of marshmallows, canoe trips, and camp fires at Camp Whatsitooya. Instead they find that Earth is being invaded by giant, sugar-addicted Fluffy Bunnies! Thankfully Joules and Kevin have been prepared for fighting off aliens by all the TV shows they like to watch.
The Flint Heart by Katherine Paterson
A Stone Age man had his tribe’s magic man create the Flint Heart, with the power to harden people’s hearts so they can make tough decisions and control others. The tribe was destroyed, and now, thousands of years later, the Flint Heart resurfaces to corrupt a farmer, a fairy, and a badger—all friends of Charles and Unity. Now they must find a way to stop the Flint Heart from harming anyone else.
Jinx (Book 1) by Sage Blackwood
Jinx and all the other humans he knows live in clearings in the dark magical Urwald, connected by paths that have to be constantly guarded against the trees, trolls, werewolves, and the odd witch and wizard. Jinx has always been taught to fear wizards, but when circumstance force him into Simon Magus’ company, Jinx has to wonder if magic is really as bad as it seems.