Waiting for the Magic

Waiting for the Magic

by Patricia MacLachlan and illustrated by Amy June Bates

Will and Elinor’s father has decided to leave to think about things for a while. Will and Elinor’s mother is very unhappy with him, and so she decides to take Will and Elinor to the animal shelter to pick out a dog and a cat. There are four dogs there: fierce Bryn who takes to their mother right away, excited little Bitty who starts to jump up and down, regal greyhound Grace, and a large puppy Neo. Will, Elinor, and their mother have a difficult time deciding on which dog, so their mother decides to take them all home. Elinor also picks out a cat named Lula. When the dogs get to the house, they seem to be just like family members. Bryn is very protective of their mother, Grace follows Elinor around wherever she goes, and Neo and Bitty enjoy hanging out with Will. Will is having a hard time forgiving his father and being very brave. He also notices that Elinor seems to know what the dogs are saying. Even his grandmother seems to understand Grace whenever she decides to knit her a sweater. Will’s grandmother tells him that young and older people have the magic to understand animals. Will is not sure he believes this, until the morning that his mother tells them that she is going to have a baby. That is the first time that Will understands the dogs, too. Will tells his mother that it is important for her to tell their father about the baby. After their father comes home, Will has a hard time forgiving him for leaving. The dogs take time to warm up to him, too. Soon, though, everyone feels a little bit more like a family, and their dad begins to hear the dogs, too. Will wonders why his mother does not hear them, but the dogs think it is because she is so focused on the baby. Will everyone feel the same way they used to feel about being a family? Will their mother have to “wait for the magic” a long time?

T he beginning of the book is a very tough beginning for them members of the family. However, once the dogs arrive, they help all of the members of the family with all of the emotions and difficulties of the situation. Patricia MacLachlan helps you get a feel for the personalities of each dog, and you get to see how strong everyone in the family is (especially ten-year-old Will who feels he has to be the “man” of the house). Patricia MacLachlan writes about a family and the magic that each member feels inside, especially when it comes to those four dogs that they have. The book will definitely have you smiling at the dog’s comments and antics, and it will make you feel good when everything turns out all right for the family.The drawings will also have you smiling (especially those of the dogs).