If your kid is mixing magic potions in the kitchen sink and they make all the dish soap mysteriously disappear, maybe he/she is ready for a real textbook on the art of potions and elixirs from a longtime professor at one of the best magic schools in Middle Earth. I wrote this book for my course at the North Landing Academy of Magic Arts, and it's been recommended for kids ages 7-12 at-home magic training.

These potions and spells are not based on any witchcraft, New Age, or esoteric religion lore or rituals. This book is fantasy-fiction-style educational activity material for the young fans of Harry Potter, Descendants, and other books and films of the magic fantasy genre.

It helps kids

- engage in fantasy play where they are the main character;

- develop their independent reading habit and grow reading fluency with an easy, 1st-2nd grade core vocabulary (about reading level 4)

- learn to organize and plan their own activities in advance by collecting and preparing potion ingredients (such as drying flowers, or orange peel, or collecting rocks).

The potion recipes and magic spells in this book use only safe everyday objects and substances you have at home or outside (like twigs, rocks, milk, sugar, salt, leaves, etc.), or common fruits and vegetables, like cucumber, apple, or orange. Absolutely no use of fire, household chemicals, or any items you can't purchase at a local grocery.

In this course we create potions which are not drinks: You sprinkle them around the house or outside. The only exceptions are a couple recipes from the Kitchen Magic genre (for example, fresh cucumber and basil enchanted water).

Along with magic, we'll learn a few facts of history and science, such as:

What is the oldest tree in the world?

Who invented glass windows, and what were windows like before glass?

What is the Archimedes Principle? Why don't big heavy ships sink?

What do salad and salary have in common?

What is the meaning of Mon in Monday, Tues in Tuesday, Wednes in Wednesday, and so on?

Who invented paper, and what did people write on before paper?

What is the origin of the words 'paper, ' 'book' and 'library'?

What is the alchemical symbol for salt?

Where do cinnamon and cloves come from?

What is the Ogham alphabet?

Who caught the Midgard Serpent?

...And more!

I will also address the two questions my Magic Academy students ask me most often:

'Are love potions real?' and 'Are fairies real?'

I'd like to warn you, that at the risk of disappointing your child, I have to be honest answering these questions, since this is a school textbook, not a fantasy fiction novel like Harry Potter.