“Nick didn’t believe in wizards, evil or otherwise.  Not in the real world, and certainly not in Maine.  Even when he was a little kid Nick had known that fairies and wishes and heroes who overcame dragons and evil wizards were all just make-believe and day-dreaming.  However, if there was such a thing as an evil wizard, Nick thought he’d have a coat like Zachariah Smallbone’s.  He might even have two black dogs, although they probably wouldn’t sit with their tongues hanging out, begging for bites of sausage.  They probably wouldn’t be called Mutt and Jeff, either.” pg. 12 The Evil Wizard Smallbone by Delia Sherman
 
When Nick runs away from his Uncle’s house and ends up being chased through the Maine woods, in a blizzard, by a pack of howling creatures, the only safe place he can find is Evil Wizard Books, owned by the Evil Wizard, Zachariah Smallbone.  However, Nick isn’t quite sure what to think of the Evil Wizard himself, sure he’s grumpy, but the kitchen is cozy and the food is good and anyways, Nick doesn’t really believe in magic.  However, everything changes when Evil Wizard Smallbone announces that Nick (whom he calls Foxkin because Nick won’t tell him his real name) is going to stay and be his apprentice.  An apprentice you’re thinking, Nick is so lucky, he’ll learn magic just like in Harry, Ron & Hermione … wrong!  Nick’s jobs include cooking, cleaning and taking care of the farm animals, and as far as learning magic, Evil Wizard Smallbone barely talks to him.  But after Nick is turned into a spider, and discovers that there are magical boundaries keeping him from leaving, he takes matters into his own hands and with the help of the book shop, starts to teach himself magic.  What Nick doesn’t know is that all of this magic will be very useful when the Evil Wizard Fidelou, who is also a werewolf, threatens Evil Wizard Smallbone and the small coastal town he protects.  Nick must work with Evil Wizard Smallbone and he must learn that things are not always what they seem.
 
Have you read all seven Harry Potter books?  Are you looking for some more magical books?  Try The Evil Wizard Smallbone by Delia Sherman or one of these:
 
*The Magic Thief by Sarah Prineas
Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee
*Upside-Down Magic by Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle & Emily Jenkins
*Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo
The Real Boy by Anne Ursu
Monstrous by MarcyKate Connolly
*first book in a series