A fun story about Elijah Muddle, the son of a bad tempered and abusive manure farmer, who in an act desperation, becomes the hapless apprentice of the King's warlock. The problem is every one of Elijah's spells go awry and according to Caliban, the warlock, it's because the channel through which Elijah's magic flows is twisted and full of kinks.

Elijah works out a spell to fix his magic, only to cause more havoc and accidentally kills his teacher in the process. Our young hero isn't one to give up, however, and with help of his friends, Marcus and Tori, Elijah sets out to make things right.

While not a laugh out loud funny story, this has just the right amount of humor, absurd situations, and Tori's unique worldview to keep the story from getting too bogged down by the genuine issues it covers: growing up, accepting responsibility for actions taken, and being able to ask for help, among other things. ( )