Silver the silly sorcerer by Candice Lemon Scott

Ill. by Janet Wolf. Little Rockets series. New Frontier Publishing, 2013. ISBN 9781921928499.
(Age: 6-8) Wizards, Magic, Individuality, Fantasy. Silver comes from a family who are skilled magicians; even his younger sister is ahead of him at Spell School. Unfortunately the young magician does not live up to the family reputation and he is sent off to be a circus magician after failing his Eggs exam - the basic spells test. He desperately wants to be as successful as the famous magician Merlin however his magic tricks always seem to go wrong. His family tearfully leave him at the circus accompanied by his pet snake Slither.
The circus is rather run down and luckily Silver's magic tricks save the day. They bring surprising unplanned results that make the young magician famous. The chase through the circus, Silver's stumbles with spells, and his problems with changing creatures into other animals all add fun to the story. Luckily Star had given him a special help card to use in times of danger.
Candice Lemon-Scott uses humour to bring the message of self-acceptance. We need to follow our own life journey and it may not be that of the rest of your family. Janet Wolf's colourful illustrations add interest to the story, showing some of the situations Silver experiences.
Silver the silly sorcerer is part of the Little Rockets chapter book series written for emergent readers from six to eight years of age.
Rhyllis Bignell