HALF MAGIC

HALF MAGIC has been a childhood favorite for 50 years, with its absorbing tale of four children-Jane, Mark, Katharine and Martha-who discover a magic coin that grants wishes by halves. Wishing a cat could talk will net you a feline who "fitzsputters" out a few words. Wishing you could be whisked away to a desert island is likely to land you in the middle of the Sahara. Unfortunately, narrator Lee Dreamer has a bland voice that provides no support for the eager, young voices of the children in the cast. Gently funny, HALF MAGIC is a wonderful fantasy, but this well-intentioned production doesn't do it justice. When I read it as a tyke, it sounded better in my head. M.C. (c) AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC/JAN 00]