The Oldest Magic of All, a guest post by author Megan Reyes
Stories are as old as humankind. While there might be some debate as to when the first humans walked the earth, what we do know is that humans have been telling stories for thousands of years. Before there were art museums, there were cave paintings. Before television and telephones, stories were shared orally around the fire, passed on from one generation to the next. Eventually, humans thought to write their words down and so came the world’s first Sumarian poems and the world’s first story: The Epic of Gilgamesh, carved into clay tablets.
So what is it about stories that captivate us? I think the answer is simple, though perhaps surprising: stories are magic.
As a children’s fantasy author, I’ve had plenty of kids ask me if I believe in magic. The answer is yes. I absolutely do. Modern day magic may not look like wands and spells and calling lightning from the sky (then again, it might sometimes look exactly like that. Who am I to say?). But there is another kind of magic; an ancient power that is as old as time: the magic of storytelling.
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And the most magical stories of all can be found in children’s literature. Alas, if only all grown ups were wise enough to seek the wisdom found in children’s books. Perhaps we can hold onto hope, and it will be as C.S. Lewis said: “Someday you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.”
So what of this modern day story magic, anyway?
Think about it this way: magic makes way for the extraordinary. And what could be more extraordinary than the transformative power of words making the journey from the page and into our minds and hearts? A series of words, strung together in a particular order, and suddenly we are swept away to new worlds with magic quests and dragons or middle school spelling bees and science fairs. Where characters love and hate and ache–just like we do. Stories make us feel things. Help us escape reality, at least for a while. Stories transform us. The words become a part of us. They teach us how to be kind and brave and hold onto hope.
I also think about loved ones we’ve lost. How their memory lives as an echo in our hearts. What are memories but remembered stories? In this way, the very essence of our lost loved ones transform into stories that seep into our very souls. The magic of stories means our loved ones are never truly gone.
This, my friends, is pure magic. And what a beautiful truth. To know that we are all made of stories and stardust.
Perhaps just as incredible is the way stories help us understand one another. If we let them, stories can prod us to see each other with more love and compassion, deep down to our core. Maybe it’s the way stories act as mirrors and windows. Through fictional characters we can see ourselves, yes. But we can see others too. We can learn to understand the lives of others who are different than we are. Through characters on the page, we learn about people of diverse cultures, religions, and political beliefs (which I would argue is all the more necessary as our country heads into another heated Presidential election).
Stories teach our hearts to make space for the beautiful diversity that is the human race. They remind us of what the best of humanity looks like. And the worst. And what could be more wonderful–or more necessary–than that? This is why it’s more important than ever to make room on the shelves for diverse author voices, particularly in children’s books. It is why we fight against book bans and bigotry. Because our kids need diverse books more than ever. Diverse books offer countless windows for kids to understand, love, and accept one another in the midsts of their differences. Diverse books are the beacon, lighting the way to a more compassionate generation of humans.
Stories are the key to healing the brokenness that stems from the divide between us. We all feel this brokenness. The way that the world is not as it should be. The way humans are not as kind to one another as they ought to be. Maybe instead of digging in our heels on the things that divide us, we can seek to remember what stories teach us: that we are all connected as humans. We all share joy, and hope, and sorrow, and fear. The magic of stories offers us a path to healing. Through the words on the page, we see. We learn. We transform. We heal.
And so I leave you with this thought: the next time you’re reading a story, remember: magic is at work.
Allow it to do its work, in the way it stitches itself to your heart and becomes a part of you.
I think Matt Smith said it best when he was finishing his adventures as the Doctor:
“We’re all stories in the end. Just make it a good one, eh?”
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Megan Reyes is the author of the Heroes of Havensong series for middle grade readers and the Llama Quest early chapter book series (coming Spring 2025). Books 1 and 2 of the Heroes of Havensong series are available now wherever books are sold. Megan lives in Northern California with her husband, four sons, two dogs, and an ever-growing collection of dragon and fox figurines. When she’s not writing, she’s probably drawing, painting, going on walks, or working on her newest project: Story Haven, an online space for young writers to learn more about the craft of creating stories.
You can find her online at meganreyes.com or follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @MReyesWrites. You can explore the world of Story Haven at StoryHavenClub.com
ABOUT The Heroes of Havensong series
Book 1: Dragonboy
This timeless fantasy debut follows four unlikely heroes—a boy-turned-dragon, his reluctant dragon rider, a runaway witch, and a young soldier—bound by the Fates to save their world, and magic itself, from being destroyed.
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Blue, River, Wren, and Shenli grew up on different sides of a war they didn’t start. Their land has been torn apart over centuries of conflict, with humans taught to fear all things magical, dragons driven to near extinction, and magic under attack. But an ancient prophecy has put the four them on a collision course with destiny—and with each other—in a mission to heal the fractured realm once known as Haven.
All of them must follow the threads of Fate, leaving behind the lives and homes they know to discover the truth about the seemingly endless war—and the truth about themselves. As the barriers between them begin to crumble, can they unravel the lies they’ve been taught to believe in order to restore the balance between humans, dragons, and magic before it’s too late?
“A powerful cast of characters in an epic tale of dragons and magic.” —Lisa McMann, New York Times bestselling author of The Unwanteds and Map of Flames
Book 2: The Last Ice Phoenix
Follow the threads of the Fates into the captivating sequel in the timeless fantasy series about four unlikely heroes bound together to save their world—and magic itself.
Blue, River, Shenli, and Wren are still reeling from the discovery that they are the four heroes foretold to save their world. The weight of their destiny and the expectations that come with it is a heavy burden, but when danger once again finds them and the people they love, there’s no choice but to act.
Shenli and Wren both remain outsiders—one as a prisoner tired of being a pawn and the other banished from the home she fought to save. Meanwhile, Blue and River face a quest for a mythical creature that will take them beyond the world they know—with the fate of the Meraki people hanging in the balance. Although they just found one another, the four heroes are once again scattered across Haven—all facing new journeys, impossible choices and shocking truths. As their world prepares for war, will they be able to unravel what the Fates have in store for them and find their own path?
“A powerful cast of characters in an epic tale of dragons and magic.” —Lisa McMann, New York Times bestselling author of The Unwanteds
Filed under: Middle Grade Fiction, Mind the Middle, Mind the Middle Project
About Karen Jensen, MLS
Karen Jensen has been a Teen Services Librarian for almost 30 years. She created TLT in 2011 and is the co-editor of The Whole Library Handbook: Teen Services with Heather Booth (ALA Editions, 2014).
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