Magic or Madness
Encyclopedia
Magic or Madness is the first installment in Justine Larbalestier's
Magic or Madness trilogy. The three main characters are Reason Cansino, Sarafina Cansino and Esmeralda Cansino.
Reason and her mother Sarafina have been on the run from her grandmother Esmeralda for fifteen years staying in one place for seldom more than a few months. Her whole life Reason has been brought up with a hate for Esmeralda who believes in the practicing of magic and horrifying ritual. Only once does she recall being within her grasp but now Sarafina has had an unexpected mental breakdown, and Reason is forced back to the one place she never thought she would go back to. But after finding a portal within Esmeralda's house she starts to question her mothers beliefs and face the truth, that magic is real.
Esmeralda Cansino
Sarafina Cansino
Julieta (Jay-Tee)
Tom
Jason Blake
-School Library Journal
"Magic or Madness is a breath of fresh air. The characters are unforgettable, the voice delightful, the plot tense and compelling.This is the kind of book you take in at a gulp and, having reached the last page, put it down reluctlantly. More please!"
-Karen Joy Fowler, author of the jane austen book club
. It was shortlisted for the Ethel Turner Award, one of the New South Wales Premier’s Literary Awards for 2006, as well as an Aurealis Award
for best Australian YA book and a Ditmar Award
for best Science Fiction or Fantasy novel. It was also nominated for The Teen Services Division of the Michigan Library Association’s Thumbs Up Award. Magic or Madness was a best book of the year selection for School Library Journal, Tayshas (the Young Adult Round Table of the Texas Library Association), the Australian children’s literature magazine, Magpies, as well as making the ALA (American Library Association) 2006 Best Books for Young Adults list, the Locus Recommended Reading List and the Bank Street best teen books of the year list.
Justine Larbalestier
Justine Larbalestier is an Australian young-adult fiction author. She is best known for the Magic or Madness trilogy: Magic or Madness, Magic Lessons and Magic's Child...
Magic or Madness trilogy. The three main characters are Reason Cansino, Sarafina Cansino and Esmeralda Cansino.
Reason and her mother Sarafina have been on the run from her grandmother Esmeralda for fifteen years staying in one place for seldom more than a few months. Her whole life Reason has been brought up with a hate for Esmeralda who believes in the practicing of magic and horrifying ritual. Only once does she recall being within her grasp but now Sarafina has had an unexpected mental breakdown, and Reason is forced back to the one place she never thought she would go back to. But after finding a portal within Esmeralda's house she starts to question her mothers beliefs and face the truth, that magic is real.
Characters
Reason CansinoEsmeralda Cansino
Sarafina Cansino
Julieta (Jay-Tee)
Tom
Jason Blake
Reception
"By turns a fantasy adventure and a thoughtful examination of relationships, this radiant gem stands alone, but expect readers to be impatient for the rest of the trilogy"-School Library Journal
"Magic or Madness is a breath of fresh air. The characters are unforgettable, the voice delightful, the plot tense and compelling.This is the kind of book you take in at a gulp and, having reached the last page, put it down reluctlantly. More please!"
-Karen Joy Fowler, author of the jane austen book club
Awards
Magic or Madness won the 2007 Andre Norton AwardAndre Norton Award
The Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy, named to honor prolific science fiction and fantasy author Andre Norton , is a yearly juried award presented by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America to the author of an outstanding young adult science fiction or...
. It was shortlisted for the Ethel Turner Award, one of the New South Wales Premier’s Literary Awards for 2006, as well as an Aurealis Award
Aurealis Award
Aurealis Award for Excellence in Speculative Fiction is an annual literary award for Australian science fiction, fantasy and horror fiction. Only Australians are eligible for the award.-History:...
for best Australian YA book and a Ditmar Award
Ditmar Award
The Ditmar Award has been awarded annually since 1969 at the Australian National Science Fiction Convention to recognise achievement in Australian science fiction and science fiction fandom...
for best Science Fiction or Fantasy novel. It was also nominated for The Teen Services Division of the Michigan Library Association’s Thumbs Up Award. Magic or Madness was a best book of the year selection for School Library Journal, Tayshas (the Young Adult Round Table of the Texas Library Association), the Australian children’s literature magazine, Magpies, as well as making the ALA (American Library Association) 2006 Best Books for Young Adults list, the Locus Recommended Reading List and the Bank Street best teen books of the year list.