The Wizard In My Shed
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- Create Date：2021-06-19 07:52:15
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Simon Farnaby
- ISBN：1444954385
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Summary
Merdyn the Wild is from the Dark Ages。 He's the world's greatest Warlock （don't call him a wizard）， banished to the 21st century for bad behaviour， and determined to wreak vengeance on his nemesis。
Rose is a totally ordinary girl， on a mission to mend her broken family。
Bubbles is Rose's guinea pig。 He just poos a lot。
When Rose bumps into Merdyn and discovers what he is， she quickly realises that he could be just what she needs。 Rose agrees to help Merdyn navigate the confusing ways of the modern world （things like: the lidded bowl in the bathroom is NOT a sink， it's a TOILET， so definitely DON'T wash your face in it） if Merdyn gives her a spell to fix her family in return。
Now they just need to hide him in the shed without Rose's mum noticing， track down Merdyn's magic staff and find a way to send Merdyn back through time to the Dark Ages。 What could possibly go wrong。。。？
Rose is a totally ordinary girl， on a mission to mend her broken family。
Bubbles is Rose's guinea pig。 He just poos a lot。
When Rose bumps into Merdyn and discovers what he is， she quickly realises that he could be just what she needs。 Rose agrees to help Merdyn navigate the confusing ways of the modern world （things like: the lidded bowl in the bathroom is NOT a sink， it's a TOILET， so definitely DON'T wash your face in it） if Merdyn gives her a spell to fix her family in return。
Now they just need to hide him in the shed without Rose's mum noticing， track down Merdyn's magic staff and find a way to send Merdyn back through time to the Dark Ages。 What could possibly go wrong。。。？
Reviews
Grace Cox
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I read this book with my niece and it was so much fun。 We both laughed out loud， grasped and cried as the story unfolded。 Highly recommend。 Cant wait for the sequel。
Claire Spurling
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Amazing， just amazing！
Charlie Watkins
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There were some inconsistencies with the space/time continuum however this is literally a book for 8 year olds so it'll probably be okay There were some inconsistencies with the space/time continuum however this is literally a book for 8 year olds so it'll probably be okay 。。。more
Jennifer Ayre
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This was a nice， funny middle grade。 I think that it is too long though， as to me it read as if it was the lower end of MG， and best part of 400 pages is far too long for an 8/9 year old， which is what I think the intended audience is。The characters were good， I liked the premise and I liked the character arcs that we see。 Atmosphere was decent， I was interested for most of the book， got a bit bored in the middle， but as I said， its at least 100 pages too long。 The writing style was OK， bit too This was a nice， funny middle grade。 I think that it is too long though， as to me it read as if it was the lower end of MG， and best part of 400 pages is far too long for an 8/9 year old， which is what I think the intended audience is。The characters were good， I liked the premise and I liked the character arcs that we see。 Atmosphere was decent， I was interested for most of the book， got a bit bored in the middle， but as I said， its at least 100 pages too long。 The writing style was OK， bit too twee for me， although I did enjoy the 5th Century insults with descriptions！ Overall it was a mid range 3*。 A solidly OK book。 I'd suggest that is better suited to a bedtime read to children， rather than a read yourself。 。。。more
Sean
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We’ve read some excellent British children’s books lately （Bad Dad， Gangsta Granny， the Mac B series）， but this might be the best。 The story more than lives up to its premise。 It’s full of humor， and heart。 The words may be too complex for some readers， so it’s a great candidate for ‘read-aloud’ time with your kiddos。
Amy
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Reading this aloud with my son （9） was a pure delight！ I would find myself coming downstairs after putting him to bed with a sore throat from literally performing a chapter or two of the book of an evening。 I would think many kids would enjoy reading this， but when reading aloud it takes on a life of its own。 Imagine our delight when discovering the second book in the series will be released later this year！ My son has already requested a copy for his birthday！ We haven't enjoyed a book together Reading this aloud with my son （9） was a pure delight！ I would find myself coming downstairs after putting him to bed with a sore throat from literally performing a chapter or two of the book of an evening。 I would think many kids would enjoy reading this， but when reading aloud it takes on a life of its own。 Imagine our delight when discovering the second book in the series will be released later this year！ My son has already requested a copy for his birthday！ We haven't enjoyed a book together this much since reading Matt Haig's Evie and the Animals， thoroughly recommend。 。。。more
Jennie
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Fantastic book。 Thoroughly enjoyable read with my son。
Dave McKee
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As a huge fan of Simon Parnaby from Ghosts， Yonderland and his scene stealing Paddington cameos， this was picked up as part of my eldest daughters Christmas。We have been reading it together for the last month or so and we both loved every second of it。Wizards， time travel， battles， spells， talent competitons and incontinent Guinea Pigs， what is not to love？I hope this isn't the last we have heard of Merdyn， Rose and Bubbles。Enormous fun。 As a huge fan of Simon Parnaby from Ghosts， Yonderland and his scene stealing Paddington cameos， this was picked up as part of my eldest daughters Christmas。We have been reading it together for the last month or so and we both loved every second of it。Wizards， time travel， battles， spells， talent competitons and incontinent Guinea Pigs， what is not to love？I hope this isn't the last we have heard of Merdyn， Rose and Bubbles。Enormous fun。 。。。more
Jo
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Rose is a schoolgirl who is not the most popular amongst her peers。 Merdyn is a 6th century wizard who is banished into time and finds himself in the 21st century。 When the two cross paths， hilarity and chaos ensues。 There's also a talking guinea pig。 Although I'm somewhat older than the targeted audience I was still thoroughly entertained by this charming and amusing tale。 Rose is a schoolgirl who is not the most popular amongst her peers。 Merdyn is a 6th century wizard who is banished into time and finds himself in the 21st century。 When the two cross paths， hilarity and chaos ensues。 There's also a talking guinea pig。 Although I'm somewhat older than the targeted audience I was still thoroughly entertained by this charming and amusing tale。 。。。more
Anna
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I'd give this book 10 stars if I could！ What a fabulous read！ My husband， who's great at all sorts of accents， did an awesome job speaking Merdyn's language as he read it to our daughter out loud at bedtime。 Both my daughter and I were in stitches most of the time。 The book has a lovely mixture of humour， drama， adventure， most lovable characters and even some historical facts too。 We really hope the sequel comes out soon！ Highly recommended as a read out loud！ :） I'd give this book 10 stars if I could！ What a fabulous read！ My husband， who's great at all sorts of accents， did an awesome job speaking Merdyn's language as he read it to our daughter out loud at bedtime。 Both my daughter and I were in stitches most of the time。 The book has a lovely mixture of humour， drama， adventure， most lovable characters and even some historical facts too。 We really hope the sequel comes out soon！ Highly recommended as a read out loud！ :） 。。。more
Amelia
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Form: physicalThis was such a wholesome read！ I loved the unique storyline and the little footnotes included throughout were a fun additive to the reading process - 12 year old Amelia would have LOVED them haha！ This really was just the perfect fun read and I will definitely be recommending this one in the future！
Katrina Reads
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‘Startfoams’ & ‘Instantgrannies’！ （If you have read the book you’ll know！）A charming， funny， and entertaining read。 Featuring time-travel， good vs。 evil， and magic， what more could you ask for？ A wizard （or should that be Warlock）， from 511 AD is thrown forward in time to the 21st Century with ‘caaaars’ and other confusing and mind-blowing inventions， at first he thinks he is in hell （sounds logical）， but， then he meets Rose who comes to his aid。 Together they embark on an adventure with a talki ‘Startfoams’ & ‘Instantgrannies’！ （If you have read the book you’ll know！）A charming， funny， and entertaining read。 Featuring time-travel， good vs。 evil， and magic， what more could you ask for？ A wizard （or should that be Warlock）， from 511 AD is thrown forward in time to the 21st Century with ‘caaaars’ and other confusing and mind-blowing inventions， at first he thinks he is in hell （sounds logical）， but， then he meets Rose who comes to his aid。 Together they embark on an adventure with a talking guinea pig （who happens to poo a lot） in order to get Merdyn （the Wizard/Warlock） back home。 Magic spells and potions ensue， alongside encounters with a disgruntled librarian and the magical winner of ‘Britain’s Got Talented People’！Underneath the hilarity run themes of grief， bullying， friendships， and family， which are touching inclusions。The heart-warming ending leaves you feeling joyful and satisfied。 ‘Gratium Autem Rosa Est。’Highly recommend for a bit of light-hearted escapism。 。。。more
Book__Bonanza
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Cute little adventure book for ages 9-12
Amy Ternent
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I’m 19 years old and absolutely loved this book！ It was honestly the lighthearted and hilarious story that I needed。 I’ve been a fan of Simon for around 10 years now， and his funny personality and sense of humour really came through with this book - which made it so enjoyable！！ I think anyone could read this book， no matter how old you are， because we all need some wizard magic in our lives。
Lotte ten Hacken
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Quirky story that is suitable for advanced readers’ 8+ Combination of humorous， clever， suspenseful， realistic fantasy and adventure。Clever and sophisticated language with narrator who occasionally addresses the reader directly。My capable 8 year old daughter found it hard to follow on her own as there is a lot of ‘dark ages’ language。 She enjoyed it as a read aloud。I think it would be good for those advanced 8-11 readers who are capable of high level books but not their content。No questionable c Quirky story that is suitable for advanced readers’ 8+ Combination of humorous， clever， suspenseful， realistic fantasy and adventure。Clever and sophisticated language with narrator who occasionally addresses the reader directly。My capable 8 year old daughter found it hard to follow on her own as there is a lot of ‘dark ages’ language。 She enjoyed it as a read aloud。I think it would be good for those advanced 8-11 readers who are capable of high level books but not their content。No questionable content at all （in my opinion）。 Some clever throw away lines about sexist stereotypes。 A little violence or hints of violence， but nothing scary。As a TL， will be recommending this one to good readers in Year 3 and up （8+）。 。。。more
Kerrie Reid
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Couldn't help but read Merdyn in Simon Farnaby's voice 😂A brilliant book！ Couldn't help but read Merdyn in Simon Farnaby's voice 😂A brilliant book！ 。。。more
Helen
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I was so looking forward to reading the book。 I was so disappointed as it wasn't as enjoyable as I had hoped。The characters were really annoying I was so looking forward to reading the book。 I was so disappointed as it wasn't as enjoyable as I had hoped。The characters were really annoying 。。。more
Adam Murphy
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He chanted a song of wizardry / Of piercing， opening， of treachery / Revealing， uncovering， betraying / Then sudden Felagund there swaying / Sang in answer song of staying。 The Wizard In My Shed: The Misadventures of Merdyn the Wild by Simon Farnaby is a surprisingly heartwarming adventure that is just as bonkers as the titular character。 Most of all， though - it is hilarious！ I adored every page and laughed frequently。 I might not be quite the target audience for this book， but I loved it！ Plus He chanted a song of wizardry / Of piercing， opening， of treachery / Revealing， uncovering， betraying / Then sudden Felagund there swaying / Sang in answer song of staying。 The Wizard In My Shed: The Misadventures of Merdyn the Wild by Simon Farnaby is a surprisingly heartwarming adventure that is just as bonkers as the titular character。 Most of all， though - it is hilarious！ I adored every page and laughed frequently。 I might not be quite the target audience for this book， but I loved it！ Plus， I especially loved those gorgeous Claire Powell illustrations！For his various crimes and acts of mischief， Dark Ages warlock （& that's a bad wizard） Merdyn the Wild is sentenced to seven years in the rivers of purgatory。 Unfortunately， Merdyn's rival/arch-nemesis gets the wrong spell and sends him into the future instead， to the 21st century。 There he meets schoolgirl Rose Falvey。 Lost in a strange time without his magic staff， Merdyn needs help to get home; Rose agrees to help Merdyn get home in return for some of his magical spells。 Or will it just lead to more trouble？With its Horrible Histories vibe， we get a perfect account of historical fiction mixed with fantasy and real-life issues that are happening to children in the 21st century。 This book shows that he's successful at transferring that sense of humour to another medium， which is tricky to do。 It really pulls you in & feels you up in a heartwarming manner， which I can guarantee a child would be invested in， as well。 。。。more
nora rechel
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Simon Farnaby is a legend what can I say
Laura
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This was such fun: Merdyn the Wild is sent， via the Rivers of TIme， to modern day England where is tries to fit in。 Of course it doesn't go well， from the misunderstanding over smartphones to getting seriously car sick。 Plus there's the fact that in 511 people don't bathe anywhere near as often as people do in 2020！ Will he manage to get back to 511？ He meets Rose， who tries to help him with his problems， and slowly draws her brother， his boss/crush and others in to the quest。 Will Rose ever fin This was such fun: Merdyn the Wild is sent， via the Rivers of TIme， to modern day England where is tries to fit in。 Of course it doesn't go well， from the misunderstanding over smartphones to getting seriously car sick。 Plus there's the fact that in 511 people don't bathe anywhere near as often as people do in 2020！ Will he manage to get back to 511？ He meets Rose， who tries to help him with his problems， and slowly draws her brother， his boss/crush and others in to the quest。 Will Rose ever find friends （beyond Bubble， her guinea pig）？ And what about Jerabo？ or the missing stone from Stonehenge？I'm crossing my fingers that this is available in the US soon！ 。。。more
Carolyn
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For his various crimes and acts of mischief， Dark Ages warlock （that's a bad wizard ;D） Merdyn the Wild is sentenced to seven years in the rivers of purgatory。 Unfortunately， Merdyn's rival/archnemesis gets the wrong spell and sends him into the future instead， to the 21st century。 There he meets schoolgirl Rose Falvey。 Lost in a strange time without his magic staff， Merdyn needs help to get home; Rose's family hasn't been in a great place as of late and a bit of magic may be just what she needs For his various crimes and acts of mischief， Dark Ages warlock （that's a bad wizard ;D） Merdyn the Wild is sentenced to seven years in the rivers of purgatory。 Unfortunately， Merdyn's rival/archnemesis gets the wrong spell and sends him into the future instead， to the 21st century。 There he meets schoolgirl Rose Falvey。 Lost in a strange time without his magic staff， Merdyn needs help to get home; Rose's family hasn't been in a great place as of late and a bit of magic may be just what she needs。 Or will it just lead to more trouble？A good thumbnail description for the debut novel from Simon Farnaby （comic actor & writer who， amongst other things， is part of the team that gave us 'Horrible Histories'， 'Yonderland' and （one of programmes of recent years） 'Ghosts） would be an uproarious Catweazel for the 21st century （a childhood favourite of my Mum's and what the premise & tittle immediately reminded me of）， but it is also， of course， it's own original thing too。 Farnaby's authorial voice is strong throughout （and thankfully he also narrates the audiobook - it would be a criminally missed opportunity if he didn't）， and you can tell it's been written by someone with a love of language -especially very old-fashioned insults XD - with a few turns of phrase worthy of Dahl， enchanced by occasional very humourous footnote and great book design （different fonts for onomatopeoic words for instance）。The story is both funny and warm-hearted， with a little surprise at the end。 Thoroughly recommended！Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for review。 。。。more
Benjamin
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What every kid/24-year-old adult needs this year: it's silly， it's fun， it's educational， it's heart-warming and it has Bubbles （a talking guinea pig who poos too much） who genuinely had me cry-laughing。 It's SO much fun。 What every kid/24-year-old adult needs this year: it's silly， it's fun， it's educational， it's heart-warming and it has Bubbles （a talking guinea pig who poos too much） who genuinely had me cry-laughing。 It's SO much fun。 。。。more
WhatBookNext 。com
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Rose’s dream of being a famous singer like Beyonce has just been trashed after her performance at a The Wizard in my Shed: The Misadventures of Merdyn the Wildschool talent quest。 She thought she sounded brilliant in her practice sessions in front of her mirror at home， but the online clip of her turn on stage tells another story。 Now the clip is going viral。Rose decides to run away from the shame heaped upon her。 Travelling through a wood， she runs straight into a man dressed in robes made out Rose’s dream of being a famous singer like Beyonce has just been trashed after her performance at a The Wizard in my Shed: The Misadventures of Merdyn the Wildschool talent quest。 She thought she sounded brilliant in her practice sessions in front of her mirror at home， but the online clip of her turn on stage tells another story。 Now the clip is going viral。Rose decides to run away from the shame heaped upon her。 Travelling through a wood， she runs straight into a man dressed in robes made out of rags， with a long， messy beard and a strange pointed hat。This man is Merdyn， a powerful warlock from the year 511。 Back in his time during the Dark Ages， he was on trial for all sorts of mischief。 He has been sent forward in time by mistake and now finds himself in the 21st century facing a girl with fuzzy red hair， tons of freckles and glasses。 They are both very confused。Merdyn speaks funny， with lots of thous and thees， and the girl， he learns is named Rose; is using some small， black， magic box for talking to。 （Her cellphone）。 The cellphone doesn’t survive Merdyn， but Rose does。 A deal is made。 She will help him get back to the Dark Ages， and he will give her a singing spell。Meanwhile， back in 511， Merdyn’s arch enemy Jerabo the Great is just pleased the troublesome Merdyn is finally out of his hair。 But the king’s daughter demands that Merdyn be found and returned。Chaos and mayhem are the result。 Rose is trying to teach Merdyn about the 21st Century， recover from her terrible talent show performance， and keep her very distracted mum believing that Merdyn is actually their Uncle Martin。Merdyn has a temper and a tendency to break things， turn people to stone or encase them in ice。 Will he ever get home？This magical， madcap adventure is hilarious， full of action and set between two times in history – Now and 511AD。 It is a tale of a young girl called Rose whose life is crumbling after her dad passed away and her mum won’t leave the couch。An explosive rivalry between two wizards is suddenly thrust upon Rose， not only changing her life but also those around her。 Themes of self-belief， motivation， magic， and family are woven through the story along with a touch of bullying， friend choice， and tons of laughs。Written by UK actor Simon Farnaby， The Wizard in my Shed is chock full of funny footnotes， rhyming chapter headings and a poem that follows the story’s progress。 Any David Walliams’ fans looking for a fun but more substantial read will love this story as much as I did！Author – Simon FarnabyIllustrator – Claire PowellAge – 9+ 。。。more
Maura MozReads
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What a delight of a book， had me snorting with laughter and a bit teary eyed by the end！We follow Rose， a young girl with great optimism trying to keep her family together but it's not easy。 Her mum stays on the couch all day， her brother only cares about his looks and Rose has been having trouble making friends at her new school。 With only her guinea pig， Bubbles， by her side she tries to think of schemes that will bring her family together and during one of these she finds Merdyn the Wild！Merd What a delight of a book， had me snorting with laughter and a bit teary eyed by the end！We follow Rose， a young girl with great optimism trying to keep her family together but it's not easy。 Her mum stays on the couch all day， her brother only cares about his looks and Rose has been having trouble making friends at her new school。 With only her guinea pig， Bubbles， by her side she tries to think of schemes that will bring her family together and during one of these she finds Merdyn the Wild！Merdyn the Wild is a Warlock from the 6th century who was banished because of his bad deeds。 Together they hatch a plan to help each other。 What ensues is as hilarious fish out of water story as Rose tries to help Merdyn understand new technology while Merdyn shows Rose some amazing spells。 But an enemy from Merdyns past is closer then they think and both will have to figure out what is more important in the end。 Rose is such a great character to follow， though she has had some tough breaks， she never gives up and just wants to help her mam。 I love how she sees the good in everyone， even Merdyn。 Merdyn is a hoot in this book， his reactions to smartphones and new clothes had me snorting with laughter， especially his reaction to the toilet。This book was so full of comedic moments that when the heartfelt moments happened， it just hit you all the harder as these characters were so easy to fall in love with！ I also listened to this as an audio book and the author Simon Farnaby narrates it himself and it just adds so much to the already magical book！ Thank you to Hachette's Children's Books and Netgalley for an early eArc of the book！ 。。。more
Sami
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I loved this story so much。 The writing was incredibly hilarious， while the story discussed some really important concepts and ideas such as identity， self belief， family issues and friendships。 This was such a fun read and I would really recommend this book to any child or adult alike。
Rachel
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I was very lucky to receive a proof copy of The Wizard In My Shed from the publisher in return for an honest review。I am obsessed with the tv show Ghosts and Horrible Histories which Simon writes and co-stars in， so I absolutely jumped at the chance to get to read this exciting new kids book！！I had high expectations for this book， I was hoping for a very funny book， and this book delivered！ It has a very funny narrator who makes lots of jokes which are accessible to kids， but there is a lot of j I was very lucky to receive a proof copy of The Wizard In My Shed from the publisher in return for an honest review。I am obsessed with the tv show Ghosts and Horrible Histories which Simon writes and co-stars in， so I absolutely jumped at the chance to get to read this exciting new kids book！！I had high expectations for this book， I was hoping for a very funny book， and this book delivered！ It has a very funny narrator who makes lots of jokes which are accessible to kids， but there is a lot of jokes in the book for older readers too， which I always enjoy。The book tells the story of Rose， who runs into Merdyn， a Wizard from the Dark Ages who has been banished to the 21st Century as punishment。 Rose agrees to help Merdyn get home in return for some of his magical spells。This is a very funny and quirky kids book。 It is told by a narrator who is a character in themselves， which I always love， who gives the story a very chatty conversational tone and which makes the book very enjoyable to read。 I also find that these kind of chatty books can be excellent for reluctant readers or those who lack a wee bit of confidence， as the casual narrative can be easier for them to read and a lot less intimidating！The book is crammed full of magic， from spells to make you travel through time， fly， and even allow you to talk to animals， there is magic on every page， and Farnaby make the magic flow with such a fun style。Overall I really enjoyed The Wizard In My Shed， its a very funny and clever kids book， the first of a series I hope！！ 。。。more
Novelle Novels
，
5 out of 5 starsWhen rose who is an ordinary girl from our time meets Merdyn who is a powerful warlock from the dark ages her life takes a very exciting turn。 Merdyn has been sent to our time by his arch nemesis Jeremiah jerabo and wants to find his way home。 Rose is a very unhappy girl with only her pet Guinea pig bubbles for a friend。 She wants to mend her broken family。 Together they want to fix things but will they be able to。。。So the author of this is part of horrible history’s which is one 5 out of 5 starsWhen rose who is an ordinary girl from our time meets Merdyn who is a powerful warlock from the dark ages her life takes a very exciting turn。 Merdyn has been sent to our time by his arch nemesis Jeremiah jerabo and wants to find his way home。 Rose is a very unhappy girl with only her pet Guinea pig bubbles for a friend。 She wants to mend her broken family。 Together they want to fix things but will they be able to。。。So the author of this is part of horrible history’s which is one of my daughter favourite programs and mine bringing history to life and this book really does that too。 We get historical fiction mixed with fantasy and real life issues that are happening to children in the 21st century。 Read as a family we all laughter led so much and learnt loads too which is really important。 Our favourite character was definitely bubbles the guinea pig and I loved it when he was talking。 There is so much In this book that keeps you on your toes and at no point did we get bored。 Loved the illustrations too and look forward to more books from the author。 。。。more
Karen Andrew
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Mervyn the Wild is being brought to trial for being The Worst Warlock ever He is sentenced to The Rivers of Time， he is lost forever。Rose lives in the present day。 She has dreams of being a singer， she's obsessed with Beyonce。 Her mother， Suzy is a retired singer and doesn't believe that Rose has the talent。 Suzy is mostly happy in front of the tv。Mervyn is transported to the present day。 His version of Hell。 Here he meets Rose and her guinea pig Bubbles。 She doesn't believe Mervyn is a warlock Mervyn the Wild is being brought to trial for being The Worst Warlock ever He is sentenced to The Rivers of Time， he is lost forever。Rose lives in the present day。 She has dreams of being a singer， she's obsessed with Beyonce。 Her mother， Suzy is a retired singer and doesn't believe that Rose has the talent。 Suzy is mostly happy in front of the tv。Mervyn is transported to the present day。 His version of Hell。 Here he meets Rose and her guinea pig Bubbles。 She doesn't believe Mervyn is a warlock until he makes Bubbles speak。The two set on a journey to help each other， one to be famous and one to go home each learning lessons along the way。This is a fantastic book。 My son loved it， he loved wanting to know what happened next and what they all got up to。 He enjoyed answering the questions and we both laughed a lot。It will definitely be a book he will read over and over。⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 。。。more
Bee Jay
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What a fantastic read。I loved Simon in Horrible Histories and Yonderland; his goofy， hippy Elder was one of my favourite characters， along with Death。 This book shows that he's successful at transferring that sense of humour to another medium， which is tricky to do。Merdyn is wonderful。 Perfectly pitched and confused about what's going on around him; swayed， but a good guy underneath it all。 （Is that a spoiler？ Sorry。） I know that some of his curses were authentic - a childhood reading every vers What a fantastic read。I loved Simon in Horrible Histories and Yonderland; his goofy， hippy Elder was one of my favourite characters， along with Death。 This book shows that he's successful at transferring that sense of humour to another medium， which is tricky to do。Merdyn is wonderful。 Perfectly pitched and confused about what's going on around him; swayed， but a good guy underneath it all。 （Is that a spoiler？ Sorry。） I know that some of his curses were authentic - a childhood reading every version of Robin Hood I could find pays off！ - so I assume they all were。 I like to imagine that Simon had a copy of Horrible Histories; Wicked Words beside him for reference。What a great read。 I wish there could be a series， but I don't see how it would work 。。。 although if anyone can figure it out， it's Simon。 Take my advice; buy this book this Christmas and gift it to anyone who loves Roald Dahl or David Walliams。 They'll love it。 。。。more
Stephanie
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I liked the opening of The Wizard in my Shed when I read it silently， to myself。 Then I started again from the beginning， reading it out loud to my kids - and the book absolutely TOOK LIFE。 This is such a brilliant read-aloud！ The kids were in hysterics for so much of it， and so was I along with them。 Simon Farnaby was one of the writers for Horrible Histories， and the kids and I loved many of the HH-esque jokes and running gags in this adventure of a transplanted warlock in the 21st century， in I liked the opening of The Wizard in my Shed when I read it silently， to myself。 Then I started again from the beginning， reading it out loud to my kids - and the book absolutely TOOK LIFE。 This is such a brilliant read-aloud！ The kids were in hysterics for so much of it， and so was I along with them。 Simon Farnaby was one of the writers for Horrible Histories， and the kids and I loved many of the HH-esque jokes and running gags in this adventure of a transplanted warlock in the 21st century， interacting with the fabulous young heroine Rose and her also-fabulous guinea pig， Bubbles。 （We've also now adopted， as a family， many of the most entertaining historical insults included in this book， brought along with Merdyn the Wild from the year 511！） The humor is fantastic， the magic is so much fun， and by the end I really， really loved all of the main characters。I also just loved how every piece of this book fit together by the end like the most satisfying kind of jigsaw， every bit of the overarching character and plot arcs coming together in the most delightful way possible。 And although side characters are often drawn in broad strokes， I was really pleased by the kindness in the treatment of every one of them by the close of the novel。 It just ended SO well in every way。This would be a perfect read-aloud book for any classroom or family。 My kids are 7 and 11 and both adored it; I'm 43 and loved reading it with them。 And we're all looking forward to listening to the audiobook edition， too！ 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Wizard In My Shed
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Wizard In My Shed&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Wizard In My Shed&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0