From time to time, characters from Magic Trix like to drop by and share activies and ideas with readers.  

• Trix's best friend Holly loves magic tricks. She wants to be a magician someday. Click here to find out Holly's secret to performing her magically appearing coin from The Witching Hour.

•  Jinx -- Trix's magical black & white kitten -- loves sweets! Jinx has a few ideas for how to make some super-duper fun treats for your family. Click here for a few fun and yummy ideas from Jinx!

• Pippa is a genuis at concocting potions. Click here for a quick lesson on how you can have fun imagining potions of your own.

Trix, Pippa, Stella, Cara and Becka are hard at work training to become  fairy godmothers. Why not join them?

In each Magic Trix book, Trix helps someone. In The Witching Hour, Trix must help her best friend Holly overcome her shyness. In Flying High, Trix helps Pippa learn how to be herself – and fly.

Like Trix we can all preform good deeds. We don’t need magic to help others. Why not act as a fairy godmother or father to someone you know? And if you follow Trix's lead and help someone, ask your parents to send me an email and you can become an official Magic Trix fairy godmother or father in training! Send details of your good deeds to sara (at) sara-grant.com!

Not everyone can become a fairy godmother, but anyone – with a little patience and practice – can perform magic. Here’s a simple trick that you can use to amaze your friends and family. All you need is a coin and quick flick of the fingers. I call it the Magically Appearing Coin.

             I suggest using a twenty pence coin. When no one is watching, slip the tip of the coin between your index and middle fingers – near the middle knuckle. Face the back of your open hand to your audience and try to relax so it looks natural. Only you should be able to see the coin pinched between your fingers on the palm-side of your hand.

            Use your thumb to flip the coin up, draw your index and middle fingers back, and then pinch the coin between your index finger and thumb. The motion is similar to the one you use when you click your fingers. That’s all there is to it. Practice in front of a mirror until your coin flip is quick and appears effortless.

           This trick works best with an audience of one. Make sure the person is standing in front of you. Quickly show her the back of your hand, being carefully not to let her see the coin pinched between your fingers on the palm-side of your hand. It’s best if you reach to the side the person’s face and appear to pull the coin from her ear. This way she can’t watch you as closely. You might want to say a magic word, such as abracadabra.

            You will need to practice this trick over and over. Try it on your best friend first and then have her help you fine tune it until it’s perfect.

Magically yours,

Holly

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The kitchen can be a magical – and in my case a messy – place! It’s boring to always follow recipes. Well, sometimes it’s good, but what’s even more fun is adding your own personal touches to your family’s favourite recipes.

Trix’s Aunt Belle believes in experimental cooking. She thinks of foods she likes to eat – jalapenos and macaroni and cheese, for example. She tries to imagine eating them together before she actually cooks the dish. When you think about them first, you will know immediately that some combinations don’t go together – Brussels sprouts and chocolate. Major super yuck! It takes some practice and not every new potion will be a success. But the important thing is to try new things!

I like to stick to improving desserts. (Leave the meat and potatoes to your mum or dad.) Here are a few simple ideas to get you started:

• Fairy cakes – Have your mum help you whip up a batch of your basic chocolate or vanilla fairy cakes. (Or make both and swirl them together –yum!) Try adding pieces of a chocolate bar, nuts, or dried fruit to the mix – not a lot, maybe only a few bits per fairy cake. Then make frosting and add colour or more sweets to that mixture too.
• Ice cream – Get a carton of your favourite plain flavour of ice cream – vanilla, chocolate or strawberry for example. Then get a bag or bar of your favourite sweets. With help from an adult, dump the ice cream in a big bowl. You may need to let it thaw for a few minutes. Then crush up the sweets and mix it with the ice cream. Re-freeze your concoction and serve it a few hours later.

And before for you serve your new creation to your family, you’ve got to come up with a unique name – Trix’s Tasteriffic Taffy or Belle’s Hot and Sassy Mac ‘n’ cheez. You get the idea!

Oh, and you better ask one of your parents for permission before you experiment. Grown-ups can be funny about things like this. Take the time Trix made her mum’s birthday cake with wintergreen flavouring and green food colour – but I’ll save that disastrous story for another time!

Magically yours,

Jinx

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I love creating potions. In Birthday Wishes, Lulu teaches me and all the new witches-in-training about potions. Happy Potions. Laughing Potions. Forgivnesss Potions. It's great fun! 

Can you use your imagination to come up with an idea for a potion? How about a Lucky Potion or a Stinky Potion? The options are endless! 

Once you have your idea, now think of a list of ingredients. The wackier the better. What would you include in your Happiness Potion? Fluffy white clouds? The sounds of laughter? A funny picture that always makes you laugh? Trix included all of the things that made her happy. What makes you happy?

Now ask your friends or family what kind of potion they wish they could make? What would they include in it? 

Hope you have great fun creating magical and imaginary potions!

Magically Yours,

Pippa

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