Tales of Magic
#4094.00 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 7 books Status Complete 1954–1962 Reading commitment High Edward Eager Last reviewed 2026-10-06
Overview
Edward Eager's seven novels (1954-1962) bring capricious magic into the lives of ordinary American children, in open homage to E. Nesbit, whom his characters read and quote. Half Magic and Magic by the Lake follow four siblings in a 1920s Midwestern town and a coin that grants wishes by halves; Knight's Castle and The Time Garden follow their children and cousins into the England of Ivanhoe and into time itself; Magic or Not? and The Well-Wishers turn on a wishing well that may or may not be magic; and Seven-Day Magic, the last, brings the children of the earlier books together. Illustrated by N. M. Bodecker and continuously in print, the series is one of the classics of American children's fantasy.
Portal fantasy, Comic fantasy · For Middle grade
Core Canon: Reading Order (7 works) counts toward ranking
Tales of Magic Edward Eager
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Half Magic | 1954 | 1 | core | 3.95 (38,503 ratings) |
 | Knight's Castle | 1956 | 2 | core | 4.04 (5,584 ratings) |
 | Magic by the Lake | 1957 | 3 | core | 4.08 (5,469 ratings) |
 | The Time Garden | 1958 | 4 | core | 4.13 (4,461 ratings) |
 | Magic or Not? | 1959 | 5 | core | 4.00 (2,729 ratings) |
 | The Well-Wishers | 1960 | 6 | core | 4.01 (2,170 ratings) |
 | Seven-Day Magic | 1962 | 7 | core | 4.13 (5,043 ratings) |
Edward Eager's seven novels of magic breaking into the lives of ordinary American children, written in open homage to E. Nesbit: two linked pairs (Half Magic and Magic by the Lake; Knight's Castle and The Time Garden, whose children are the first pair's children and cousins), two about a possibly magic wishing well, and Seven-Day Magic, in which the children meet characters from the earlier books.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Tales of Magic? Tales of Magic's Core Canon is 7 books.
- What is the reading order for Tales of Magic? Publication order, starting with Half Magic. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Tales of Magic finished? Complete (1954–1962).
- How much reading does Tales of Magic take? High reading commitment (estimated from 7 Core Canon books · ~993 pages).
- How is Tales of Magic ranked? #409 in this site's official ranking, based on 63,959 reader ratings across 7 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #409?
Ranked #409 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.00 across 7 core books.
- A smaller readership (63,959 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- 0.02 behind #408, Dragon Sword and Wind Child.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 7 books · Complete · 64k ratings · Ranks #409 overall
Good choice if you want a long-running portal fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (7 Core Canon books)
- Half Magic (1954)
- Knight's Castle (1956)
- Magic by the Lake (1957)
- The Time Garden (1958)
- Magic or Not? (1959)
- The Well-Wishers (1960)
- Seven-Day Magic (1962)
Documented internal/story chronology is recorded for every Core Canon book here, and matches publication order exactly, with no divergence to show separately.
Awards (verified)
- No award applies; the books predate the field's children's-fantasy awards.
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Suggestions computed from what Tales of Magic and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- The Chronicles of Narnia Portal fantasy · Complete · High commitment · 4.14
- Chrestomanci Portal fantasy / Comic fantasy · Complete · High commitment · 4.03
- Emily Windsnap Portal fantasy · Ongoing · High commitment · 4.02
- Septimus Heap Comic fantasy · Complete · High commitment · 4.01
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.00 across 63,959 ratings on 7 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon extension: Tales of Magic (Edward Eager) accepted 2026-10-06
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-10-06
Rule: Core Canon = the seven novels, Half Magic (1954) to Seven-Day Magic (1962), in publication order.