March 27, 2009
Jane Yolen's Wizard's Hall is a delightful and fun foray into the world of wizardry, complete with a school for up and coming wizards, wacky professors of witchcraft, a lurking and evil master of the dark side, a tiny magical creature that gives the young wizards new names, true and false tricks of spelling and enchanting, and a wonderful old mum who is keeping the home fires burning.
There is really nothing frightening at all in this story of one hapless young wanna-be wizard who by virtue of really trying can save everyone, and there is very much to enjoy. I hate to make comparisons to Harry Potter but I will: Wizard's Hall is Harry Potter-light, suitable for those kids who might find the Rowling version too scary, too long, and too difficult.
The main lesson taught in this book and incidentally in this academy of wizardry, Wizard's Hall, is that there are those who enchant and those who enhance the enchantment, and nothing can go right in the academy or in the world without both types of wizards (and people): "every community needs its enhancers. Even more than it needs its enchanters. They are the ones who appreciate us and understand us and even save us from ourselves." Or is it that an enhancer enhances the enchanted and not the enchantment, thereby just making someone look good, when in fact he is not that good; in other words, a kind of spin doctor? Nope, nothing that complicated or twisted here: the lesson is that no one makes it alone, that people need people to help them be good people. Nice message, without nuance or complexity, and therefore just right for the just under ten year-old reader.
Wizard's Hall is straightforward and sweet and a good read for the younger set of wizard fans. Harry Potter awaits...
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