The Wizards of Once: Twice Magic
In the second instalment of Cowell’s The Wizards of Once, the adventures of Wish, a Warrior girl in possession of a powerful Magic Spelling Book, and Xar, a Wizard boy with a dangerous Witchstain on his hand, continue. Cowell masterfully creates a universe full of fearsome beasts who keep the story fast paced and firing on all cylinders.
Cowell’s characters contain a depth of personality and are multifaceted in their actions and behaviours. The two protagonists, Wish and Xar, make the story accessible to children who may prefer to read about girls and/or children who may prefer to read about boys.
When our heroes are faced with challenges that seem impossible to overcome, working together is the only way for Xar and Wish to attempt to succeed. Cowell utilises skilful language and awesome illustrations to make this piece of work utterly impossible to put down. The work also highlights the difficulties often faced by people with dyslexia. Wish struggles to spell and, while certainly featuring in her behaviour, this part of her character does not define her.
