A Tricky Kind of Magic

In this graphic novel for children, a talented amateur magician comes to terms with the loss of his father and hopes to find the magic to bring him back to life.

Cooper’s love of magic is inherited from his dad – the Great Eduardo – and he is named after the famously funny Tommy Cooper. Cooper is talented and brave enough to perform frequently in the corridors at school for his friends: being a magician is his passion; his identity.

When Cooper’s father sadly dies, he is overtaken by sudden flashes of anger and confusion, which are largely aimed at those he loves the most. His yoga and lentil-loving mum, his attentive best friend, and his manic little brother, Fin, all face the wrath of Cooper’s furious explosions. A method for coping arrives in mysterious form when Cooper is visited by a talking, cuddly rabbit with attitude…Rabbit DeNiro.

With his wise-cracking, carrot-crunching new companion, Cooper withdraws further from his friends and family, until he finds an old magic shop that is concealing much more than just trap-doors and secret compartments.

Cooper is propelled into a world of magic-gone-wrong, where he is given hope that he’ll find his father. With Rabbit at his side, he has to navigate hoards of marauding bunnies who haven’t been pulled from hats and escape the clutches of a villainous old magician who never made the big time. This magical world is utterly bonkers and is captured in Baines’ monochrome illustrations whose details and energetic lines contribute to an atmosphere of drama and excitement.

The final act describes Cooper’s attempts to find his father and return to his real world. He learns that magic really does exist but may not be in the form he expects, and that anything is possible with the help and love of one’s friends. This enjoyable balance of comedy and emotion will appeal to many young readers, and the intricate nature of the illustrations means that children will also enjoy re-visiting the story to find all of their favourite jokes again and again.