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Type of bind: Paperback
EAN num: 9780152020859
ISBN number: 0152020853
Label: Magic Carpet Books
Manufacturer: Magic Carpet Books
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 144
Printing Date: April 12, 1999
Publishing house: Magic Carpet Books
Age index: Young Adult
Sale Popularity Level: 217136
Studio: Magic Carpet Books
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
Poor Henry. It’s not enough that his mother has sent him away from home to learn magic. It’s not enough that everyone at his new school calls him Thornmallow because he’s “prickly on the outside, squishy within.” It’s not enough that the only talent he shows at Wizard’s Hall is an ability to make messes of even the simplest spells. Now, when Wizard’s Hall is threatened by a cruel sorcerer’s fearsome beast, it is up to Henry--er, Thornmallow--to figure out how to save not only his new friends but also the entire school for wizards.
Amazon.com Review:
Henry is a small fellow, thin as a reed, without much talent for magic. But he tries. He really, really tries. And, as it turns out, that's the most important thing. Upon entering Wizard's Hall, the school for young wizards in training, Henry is promptly given a new name: Thornmallow--prickly on the outside, squishy within. And although his curses tend to 'splatter or dribble around the edges,' and he's not quite mastered his changes or spells, and he simply cannot chant on the dominant, Thornmallow is bound and determined to do the best he can. As the 113th student to arrive at Wizard's Hall, he quickly learns that he has a mysterious extra burden of responsibility that no one will explain. The horrifying secret? The future of Wizard's Hall depends on him, regardless of his magical bumbling.
Prolific, award-winning author Jane Yolen has a delightfully witty and dynamic way with words. This touching, funny, and exciting tale reminds maladroit magicians and mortals alike of the wisdom of an old adage: If at very first you don't succeed, try, try again. Yolen's other magical adventures include Passager and The Dragon's Boy. (Ages 8 to 12) --Emilie Coulter
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
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I can agree, there are some very questionable similarities to Wizard's Hall and Harry potter. However, to those who say that this book is a more succinct, thought-out book, I have to disagree. I have read and re-read the Harry Potter series in my spare time, and the intricate weaving that simple minded people classify as an "overly complicated plot," dominates the fantasy genre over Yolen's novel. The story in Wizard's hall is choppy at best. It cuts from one thing to another with the illusion that it is moving the story along well. However, so many questions are left un-answered by the end of the story that for me, it was impossible to really enjoy. Furthermore, the character development only goes as far as Thornmallow, who is the only character in the story who we feel we as the readers know and can identify with. Tansy, Will, and Gorse are simply there. They have no real purpose, no real dedication, not even real friendship in relation to Thornmallow. The biggest flaw in this book, is the story line itself. The 113 students, and 13 teachers--if anything is overly complicated, it's this! The HP series is fantasy at its best. Whether or not Ms. Rowling was inspired by this book or not, it does not matter. The bottom line is these stories are completely different, and HP comes out on top--even if it was written 8 years after this novel.
Rated by buyers 
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The plot seems to be pretty much the same as the first
Harry Potter: young boy enters magic school and saves the world from an evil wizard. Much of the vocabulary is the same.
Characterizations of the friends are even parallel.
It is an fairly well written book
and the details are different,
but it is recognizable as "derivative".
But who was first? this one it appears...
My original one didn't say it was a "reprint"
of a much older printing.
Rated by buyers 
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I read this book long before the HP books ... and seriously thought there was copyright infringement going on. Nevertheless, I happened to like this a lot, as a sweet, happy, little book. But there were some weird parts...Quilt monster, anyone?
Rated by buyers -
I read this book when I was in 4th grade in 1993 and 14 years later, I was searching for this book for my classroom because I remember how much I loved it. This book pre-dates Harry Potter by several years, and I've been trying to find this particular book because it enchanted me when I read it in my teacher's library. I would definitely suggest this book because it has everything the HP series has (if you like that), but is unique and well written. Certainly worth a try.
Rated by buyers -
All of us have been told by a parent, "Try your best!" Young Henry was told the same thing by his mother as she packed him a change of clothes and sent him off to Wizard's Hall to learn magic, spells, incantations and more.
Henry arrives at Wizard's Hall, and is dubbed Thornmallow- squishy on the inside, prickly on the outside. Thornmallow however is not very good at magic. He tries his hardest though, because his mother told him to.
As the 113th student to arrive at Wizard's Hall, he has been given a strange destiny, though no one will tell him what it is, and talented he is not.
Follow Thornmallow on his journey through Wizarding School, and watch as he amazes even himself with what he can do when he tries. Wizard's Hall is a quick, enjoyable read, one that young readers ages 8-11 will enjoy.
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