The Imaginary Wizard by Phillip Vaira in an Italian library

the imaginary wizard italian libraryDear readers, today I am glad to announce that last Monday I added another book in English to an Italian library. As usual, I took my car and brought the book to the library. This time I added the children’s book titled The Imaginary Wizard and written by American author Phillip Vaira. When I handed the book to the librarians, they were very happy to have also a book for children in English among their bookshelves.

I must admit this is the first children’s book in English added to the Municipal Library of Grammichele, my country in Sicily. When I told author about the name of this library, he was delighted to know that the library is Sicilian, as the author’s great grandmother was indeed Sicilian. On my side, moreover, I have really been very thrilled for adding The Imaginary Wizard to the Italian, or rather, Sicilian library.

The book is suitable for 9 – 12 years children and tells about the story of Alex, an eleven year old child who spends his days to clean chimneys in his village. He lives along with his grandfather because her father abandoned him for seeking a better future for his family. Alex’s mother, in turn, missed some years ago just to look for her husband. Hence, Alex is an orphan who should go to the school and play with his friends, but sometimes, life can be very hard also for children and I have greatly appreciated the meaning the author wanted to give to his story.

Alex is like a child of our epoch, he could be the son of a couple of migrants escaping war, misery and starvation and who is forced to live as they should never live: poor and without dreams! But Alex is a brave child and has also courage to dream. Sometimes, while he does his heavy load of work, he sneaks off to play the game of an imaginary wizard. He runs away along the river and mirrors his face over the glimmering waters along with his dog.

Then, suddenly, a wand appears and with this magic tool and a cloak, Alex becomes unbeatable. It will be just him to save his village destroyed by the brutal Lord Mallis and to find courage and hope to survive among the ashes of the tragedy. Yes, this is a meaningful children’s book suitable for adults, also. I read the book and remained very touched. The narration of Phillip Vaira is poignant and goes straight to your heart.

In the story, sinister traders and sellers start a sort of auction to provide low pay for the ones who clean chimneys such as Alex. Who are these sinister personages, if not the perfect metaphor of some modern employers? The plot, seasoned with the background of a dictatorship and the risk to lose our dreams and to be forced to accept bad jobs, is very clear in the brilliant writing of Phillip Vaira, well described by amazing pictures.

But this talented author conveys an important message in his book, namely none must give up his dreams! As Martin Luther Kind said: I have a dream! I have a dream, also, that the Imaginary Wizard will be the best book for the little readers of the Italian library. The book is already available for reading in the library and today I have come back to the same library to tell the librarians to put the book near Harry Potter. The plot is magic like the latter, but I believe The Imaginary Wizard is much more: it is the right book for all children of the world.

About the author: Phillip Vaira’s passion for storytelling has led him to directing films and writing books. The Sandwich Days, an independent family short film he directed and co-wrote, was awarded “Best Comedy Short for a Northwest Film Maker” at Eugene International Film Festival in 2010. It has since been contracted for film distribution, and is used to raise awareness about school bullying. The light-hearted humor and drama from his earlier works carried over to his new children’s book: The Imaginary Wizard. Phillip is currently in his fourth year of teacher certification with a literacy endorsement.

Read about the author and the book in Italian: https://advicesbooks.com/index.php/the-imaginary-wizard-by-phillip-vaira/

The Imaginary Wizard is also on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/imaginarywizard/

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