Septimus Similon, Practising Wizard
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Cover Story
The anarchic hero of many daring adventures, William, as depicted on our cover by Thomas Henry in one of his effective, humorous pen and ink illustrations, is now a period piece. A William de nos jours illustrated by Tony Ross and aimed at a younger audience stands alongside him. This new William will be featured in adaptations of the stories by Martin Jarvis. Richmal Crompton, author of the William books, is the subject of this issue's Authorgraph. Thanks to Macmillan Children’s Books for their help with this November cover.
Septimus Similon, Practising Wizard
Chris Riddell
What do you do when an entire term's worth of history notes get stolen from your locker, and you have a test the next day? Alison leaves a note for Kevin, a boy whom she does not know, asking him for help. Kevin tries to help, and all would be well but for the fact that Septimus Similon, Alison's lodger, is just about to cast a spell that goes gloriously wrong. As a result, the magical world of Theromantia becomes enmeshed with the real world for a brief while, with chaotically amusing results. Told in a style reminiscent of Terry Pratchett, this book is an amusing blend of fantasy and the real world, and could serve as an introduction to fantasy books general.