The Disenchanted Wizard: (3 Grimhilderness)

Della wants her missing father back. Pity about that. Evan Hoyle, the renegade wizard, wants him kept in prison. The prison, inconveniently, is located inside an old map. With the help of an old man who’s apparently losing his marbles, Della breaks through into a magical world...where time runs to a different clock. The task of rescuing her father seems straightforward enough. But Hoyle is there to foil her at every step. And then Della discovers he has other, bigger plans. He wants control of her city. Now she not only has to fight to save her father, but she also has to stop Hoyle from destroying everyone she knows and loves. Which may be difficult, because Della’s best skill is with a soccer ball, not with magic. THIS IS A STANDALONE STORY

Table of Contents:
A face in the frame 1 Archie in a panic 7 Mrs Farquharson is not pleased 13 Dr Rover 19 Meeting Mr Crinch 27 A narrow escape 33 The Antiquarian Bookshop 38 Not everything goes according to Hoyle 43 Keeper of Exits and Entrances 49 Boggsy 56 Flight from the Folly 62 Trapped! 68 Betrayed! 74 Face to face again 79 Under attack! 84 Up and out 89 Muidat Snot Law 94 A muddle Mascot 101 The gizmo goes to work 106 Pandemonium! 112 A race against time 117 Hoyle’s last stand 122

About the Author :
Mike is the author of three standalone fantasies for children, and one non-fiction book for adults. His first piece of fiction was written at school when he was very small, and surprised his family with its unexpected inventiveness! Mike has written for various magazines and newspapers. He spent five years writing a weekly column, until he was summarily dismissed for penning something the editor didn't agree with. He has been a blogger on up to seven blogs at one time since 2006. His first children's book, Grimhilda!, is based on a musical he co-wrote and produced in 2012. He is also a composer of songs and piano pieces, and has acted as musical director for a number of productions over the last twenty-five years. Mike's non-fiction book, Diary of a Prostate Wimp, started life as a series of blog posts, and is based on his own experience. He has been happily married for nearly forty-five years, has five grown-up children and twelve grandchildren. Though born in Melbourne, Australia, he has lived most of his life in the vibrantly literary city of Dunedin, in New Zealand.

Review :
Mike says this fantasy is part of a 3-book series that began with Grimhilda! in 2014. This third story is the best of all of them. It can certainly be read as a stand-alone.;The heroine, Della, is about to play in a very important football game – the opener before the top local premier team (the Wizards) plays against the All Stars. She’s dying to meet her hero football player, Xanadu Whitworth. But her cousin Harold interrupts her preparations with a newly-acquired old map – and when the two of them study the map they see some strange and spooky pictures, one of which seems to move. When they show Archie, Della’s father, his reaction is frightening - he turns white and rushes out of the house. Della and Harold try to track him down, but soon find themselves thrust into a nightmare of horrifying events involving people being folded up into the magic map, an old wizard who keeps on losing his memory at the crucial time, and a wicked wizard who can shapeshift into a wolf and is determined to use a magical talisman to take over the minds of all the spectators at the big football game.;Non-stop action and a strong focus on the child protagonists are combined to create a satisfying fantasy for readers (probably girls) of about 9 to 12.