A new British Boy Wizard with his own great story.

Where does Avis Blackthorn: Is Not an Evil Wizard! (The Wizard Magic School Series, Book 1) rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I was very impressed. The narrator has great versatility and clearly loves playing all the different characters. He made the story totally come to life and I really enjoyed his performance.

What other book might you compare Avis Blackthorn: Is Not an Evil Wizard! (The Wizard Magic School Series, Book 1) to and why?

It would be impossible not to compare the series to Harry Potter... but it does a marvelous job of carving out it's own worthy niche in this genre. Avis is kind of a anti-Harry... He's kind of like the black sheep of the Malfoy family. The storyline is original and very well developed - and there is the groundwork for a very rich cast of characters. I'm looking forward to finding out a lot more about Avis' parents.

What does Joel Froomkin bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He doesn't just narrate - he brings the book to life and plays all of the characters with great specificity and a wonderful range of accents and color. It's a delightful performance.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Born to Be Bad... but failing at it.

Any additional comments?

If you enjoy books like Percy Jackson and Harry Potter - I really recommend you give this series a try. Simmonds is a strong writer and I am optomistic this series will continue to get even better and better.

18 people found this helpful

Loved it and didn't think I would!

If you could sum up Avis Blackthorn: Is Not an Evil Wizard! (The Wizard Magic School Series, Book 1) in three words, what would they be?

Hogwarts has competition :)

What was one of the most memorable moments of Avis Blackthorn: Is Not an Evil Wizard! (The Wizard Magic School Series, Book 1)?

Here's the thing... I really thought this was just going to be an unoriginal rip-off of JK Rowling... but it wan't at all. Yes it's set in a school for Wizards - but I learned it's kind of like saying Dead Poet's Society and Goodbye Mr. Chips are the same because they are set in a boarding school. These characters are original and engaging and the story arc had me totally engaged. It's a great set up to a series that might just fill a magical void in my life since Potter finished.

Which character – as performed by Joel Froomkin – was your favorite?

I really liked Ernie the ghost - but Froomkin does a fabulous job voicing all of the characters. He's incredibly versatile and he truly performs the story, bringing all of the characters to life.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I was pretty caught up in the climax of the story - and I was delighted to learn that book two is on it's way!

Any additional comments?

If you're a Potter fan I really encourage you to give these characters a try. I'll bet you'll be pleasantly surprised at how much you enjoy. I had great reservations - and I'm so happy that I've discovered Avis.

18 people found this helpful

Great narration for a great new wizard.

Would you consider the audio edition of Avis Blackthorn: Is Not an Evil Wizard! (The Wizard Magic School Series, Book 1) to be better than the print version?

I really enjoyed the audio book... the narrator did a great job of creating a whole cast of characters and bringing out the whimsical quality of the writing. Definitely enhanced the story for me.

What other book might you compare Avis Blackthorn: Is Not an Evil Wizard! (The Wizard Magic School Series, Book 1) to and why?

Obviously the Harry Potter series... and that's not bad. It was really entertaining on it's own merit and this first book introduced a lot of engaging characters and relationships that I'm interesting to see develop. I bet there is something really surprising that is going on with Avis' Dad, but I'm not sure what it is.

What does Joel Froomkin bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Totally brings it to life with great versatility. Theatrical, fun and full of life.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The climax of the book really surprised me - it's a nail biter. :)

14 people found this helpful

Its no potter but its not crap eather

Have to say that the start was crap. But after an hour it already made me smile. It has the pontial to become a great series. Not as great as potter but i think Avis will also have its place on the genre.

High recomdation to all who are having the potter hangover

1 person found this helpful

FANTASTIC!!

l just loved this book and you will too. l loved the book and the audio is fantasic, so much going on all the time. The author has other book you will want to check out. Suitable for 10 year olds and 70 year olds.
RECOMMENDED Narration was brilliant.

Wizards and Ghost and Evil

I enjoyed this book very much. I actually listened to the audio book and the narrator was great! I laugh quite a bit at the characters because the narrator's voices were exactly how I thought they should sound. Great read or listen.

Awesome Fantasy for all ages

What did you love best about Avis Blackthorn: Is Not an Evil Wizard! (The Wizard Magic School Series, Book 1)?

There were several twists and turns in this story that I did not expect. I love a story that is unpredictable.

What does Joel Froomkin bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I have had to read the next books as they are not yet on audible. As I read I can hear the characters voices in my head. Makes the story more real to me.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This story made me want to go to the healers room and stay there. It made me wishful

Any additional comments?

The Author is amazing. He is very willing to discuss his books with his fans and share other authors he likes. We have emailed several times and I find him to be a dear. If you want a good story and to be able to have an honest conversation with the author this is the series for you.

Uninspired with a whining main character

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I did listen to the whole book, but I sometimes questioned whether it was worth it. The story had many thinly veiled parallels to Harry Potter - the unloved child going to wizard school, groups of students in forms, a 'sport' in which the forms compete and which the whole school comes to watch, a device for performing magic (though not wands), and a nasty professor who gives unfair homework to the hero. There were some creative ideas, though... enough to keep me listening.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The reader was good at evoking characters, but the whole story was told from the voice of a whiny adolescent. It was told as stream of consciousness and the whining became tiresome after a while. It might have worked better in text than audio. As an audio book, it would have been better to not hear the main character's voice so much.