Hubert and the Magic Glasses

Hubert and the Magic Glasses by Candice Lemon-Scott, illustrated by Joe Spellman (New Frontier Publishing)

PB RRP $12.95

ISBN – 9781921928246

Reviewed by Emma Cameron

When the story opens, a nervous eleven year old Hubert is in the change room taking his time to put on his soccer gear. He loves soccer but for some reason he seems to play worse each week, not better like his team mates. When it becomes apparent that he needs glasses, Hubert instantly goes into denial. He doesn’t want to let his team down but he doesn’t want to be different either.

Readers will understand his dilemma but will also be pleased to see that he gets no say in whether he will or won’t wear glasses to play. They’ll also delight in seeing how stunned he is to discover that the glasses help. His vastly improved play takes the Able Ants to the grand final. When his glasses smash before the big game the optometrist fixes them with magic but stresses to Hubert that it is he who much control the magic, not the other way around.

Hubert is surrounded by helpful and caring family and friends but the story also shows how it is he who is really able to help himself the most by overcoming his own low self-confidence. It’s a great lesson in how skill will only develop if you keep at it and that simply giving it all you can is sometimes the best magic there is.

Like other titles in the Little Rockets series this book contains well-spaced text and colourful illustrations to help break up the nine chapters, thereby encouraging young readers finding their feet in the world of chapter books to give it a go. The high quality paper used in production of this series, for readers aged 7+, will prove excellent for very likely repeated library borrowing.