The Vanishing Coin

By Kate Egan, Mike Lane and Eric Wight

Want to see something cool?
I can make that quarter vanish.
All it takes is a little magic…

Fourth grade was supposed to be a fresh start, but Mike's already back in the principal's office. He's not a bad kid. He just can't sit still. And now, his parents won't let him play soccer anymore; instead he has to hang out with his new neighbor Nora, who is good at everything!

Then, Mike and Nora discover the White Rabbit. It's an odd shop—with a special secret inside. Its owner, Mr. Zerlin, is a magician, and, amazingly, he believes Mike could be a magician, too. Has Mike finally found something he's good at? Author Kate Egan and Magician Mike Lane's The Vanishing Coin features illustrations by Eric Wight.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
• Release date: Apr 22, 2014
• ISBN: 9781250058874

Kate Egan

Kate Egan’s gifts and talents all involve words. She is the author of a picture book, Kate and Nate Are Running Late!, and a chapter book series, The Magic Shop, both published by Feiwel and Friends. Her work has been named to many state reading lists, selected by the Junior Library Guild, and recognized as “Best of the Year” by Amazon. She is also a freelance editor, a prolific ghostwriter, and an occasional book reviewer. Kate lives with her family on the coast of Maine.

Book preview

Chapter 1

IN TROUBLE AGAIN

Nine-year-old Mike Weiss slumped in a hard chair outside the principal’s office. Fourth grade was supposed to be a fresh start, but he was right back where he always was. Every year since kindergarten, at least once a week. In trouble.

He wasn’t a bad kid. He wasn’t mean. He didn’t hurt anyone. He just couldn’t sit still. Sometimes he did things without meaning to. When he had gotten up and walked around during the math test, he really wasn’t looking at anybody’s paper. He just had to move! But that was against the rules, and he had ignored his teacher’s warning, so here he was.

Over the summer, he’d been working on ways to cope. Strategies, his parents called them. Sometimes they worked, and sometimes they didn’t. It looked like the strategies weren’t going to change things at school, though. It just wasn’t fair.

The principal was on the phone, behind a closed door. Any minute that door would fly open and the same routine would start all over again. Calling his parents. Talking about consequences. Making a plan.

Mike kicked the bottom rung of his chair until Mrs. Warren, the school secretary, glanced up. Then he stared at the floor. There was a bare spot in the rug beneath his feet. Was he the one wearing it thin?

Mrs. Warren had a jar of candy on her desk. Mike wasn’t supposed to eat sugar, but one little piece couldn’t hurt, right? He got up and helped himself to a chocolate kiss. It made him feel a little better, and Mrs. Warren never minded. She usually left the discipline to the principal.

Who’s your teacher this year, Mike? she asked kindly.

Mrs. Canfield, he answered. She seems nice. He really meant it, too. Until a few minutes ago, he’d thought that maybe Mrs. Canfield would understand him.

You’re going to love her! said Mrs. Warren. She started putting flyers in the teachers’ mailboxes. She just needs to get to know you, she added. Mrs. Warren knew all about Mike’s problems. She had a son just like him, she said. Right down to the brown eyes and the messy hair.

Some first graders walked in with an attendance sheet, staring at him like he was some kind of criminal. That was bad enough. Then Mike heard a class coming down the hall. One of the other fourth-grade teachers was at the front of the line, reminding the kids to be quiet as they made their way to the art room. Before they passed, Mike ducked behind a file cabinet in the office. But it was too late.

Mike! a girl called, her ponytail bouncing.

Hey, Nora, Mike muttered. Her family had recently moved next door to his, and she was just his age. Just his luck.

Going home sick? Nora asked. She would never be in the office for any other reason. Nora was gifted, his mom had told him. She needed special classes and extra-challenging homework. She could handle sitting quietly at a desk.

Mike didn’t think Nora seemed any different from most kids. She was friendly, and she liked to play four-square. He might have liked her if he didn’t know she was good at everything she tried. They definitely didn’t have that in

Reviews for The Vanishing Coin

[sunshinealma · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

TTeachers always send Mike to the principal because he can’t sit still or focus on work. He needs to be moving and, when he’s not, he gets upset. His parents have been working with him on coping strategies, but they don’t seem to work. The fresh start he’d hoped for in fourth grade seems to be gone. On top of everything else, he’s being bullied again by Jackson, a neighborhood bully and his parents are making him hang out with Nora, a gifted kid, every day after school.Just when things seem to be at their worst, Mike discovers magic. Suddenly he finds something he’s good at, and is ready to do what it takes to be the best magician he can be.I enjoyed this book, and know my fourth graders will too.Book review link:

[laurenaileen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Cute book! The main characters (Mike and Nora) are in 4th grade, and Amazon lists this book as grades 2 - 4, but I think it will resonate more soundly with those in the 2 & 3 level. There are plenty of issues at hand, but none of them delve very deeply. For example, the bully Jackson is more of a pain in the butt than a true bully. Mike has what readers will recognize as ADHD (it's never stated) so he has trouble in school - but not so much trouble that his teachers don't believe in him. He also has issues with friendships - but not issues that are so blatant that he doesn't have three good friends. Overall, I think the book was solidly written and interesting without making kids feel like they're delving into another character's black hole of issues.

[ronrose1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is not just about learning magic, but about the magic of learning. Mike and Nora are in fourth grade. Nora is an exceptional student. She has no problem studying and always seems to give the right answers. Mike on the other hand can't seem to stay focused. He is constantly fidgeting in class. His attention seems to wander when reading a book or trying to listen in the classroom. His grades are only borderline passing. He is always under the teacher's thumb for some small infraction. Don't get me wrong. Mike isn't a bad kid, nor is he incapable of learning. He just can't seem to focus on the job at hand. Nothing holds his attention. That is until he and Nora discover a magic shop that they have never noticed before right in their hometown. Can hocus pocus help Mike focus? You'll have a lot of fun learning the power of magic along with Mike and Nora. Book provided by Feiwel and Friends publishers for review.