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Jessica Norrie
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The Magic Carpet Kindle Edition

by Jessica Norrie (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 out of 5 stars 30 ratings
Outer London, September 2016, and neighbouring eight-year-olds have homework: prepare a traditional story to perform with their families at a school festival. But Nathan's father thinks his son would be better off doing sums; Sky's mother's enthusiasm is as fleeting as her bank balance, and there's a threatening shadow hanging over poor Alka's family. Only Mandeep's fragile grandmother and new girl Xoriyo really understand the magical powers of storytelling. As national events and individual challenges jostle for the adults' attention, can these two bring everyone together to ensure the show will go on?
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  1. Print length
    422 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Accessibility
    Learn more
  4. Publication date
    July 22, 2019
  5. File size
    2.0 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07TXZP2S2
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 22, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.0 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 422 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars 30 ratings

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Jessica Norrie

Jessica Norrie

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
30 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Pete Springer
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Cross-Cultural Masterpiece
    Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    What a refreshingly honest portrayal of life in a London school! When a classroom of eight-year-olds is assigned homework to perform a traditional story with their families, many parents struggle with helping. Part of the difficulty comes from overcoming cultural and language barriers.

    What I most appreciated about The Magic Carpet was that Jessica Norrie dealt with the real-life issues of society in a sensitive yet realistic manner. Schools aren't immune from families with abuse, prejudice, lack of trust, or economic issues. They are a melting pot of ethnicities, cultures, religions, and socioeconomic groups. Some families accept these differences, while others live in fear of their neighbors.

    Five families tell the story through multiple points of view. That is not an easy task to pull off, but Jessica Norrie does so in an engaging manner. The relationships within the families were spot on with moments of love, conflict, and tension. Books such as this are essential educational tools in learning to accept other cultures within a society.
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  • Laurie Adair Grove
    5.0 out of 5 stars THOUGHT-PROVOKING, WONDERFULLY WRITTEN BOOK!
    Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    This is a wonderfully written, important book. When I read the first few paragraphs of a review on a book blog I happened onto, (thinking at first glance by the cover and title that it was going to be a lighthearted book, intended for young children) I thought-wow! I really like the way this author writes! I left the blog and immediately bought the eBook. And I did not want to stop reading, although I had to, for things like sleep, work, etc. Throughout, with the different vignettes set in the lives of families of various cultures, I felt warmed sometimes, and then very sad sometimes, and educated in things I didn't realize, and in the end, I finished feeling with a hopeful heart. I think many people would benefit from reading this book.
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  • Steph Warren
    5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful story about family, diversity and the importance of stories
    Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2020
    *I won a free copy of this book in an online competition. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*

    The Magic Carpet features a tapestry of different cultures, nationalities and generations, all woven together through a shared school, neighbourhood and a story-centred school project.

    We get to dip in and out of the lives and houses of a diverse cast of children, parents, siblings, grandparents and friends as they all tackle the task of reinterpreting a classic fairytale in their own unique ways.

    The themes of cultural identities and cultural integration, and the struggle for immigrants to balance their own family history and traditions with their desire to ‘fit in’ with those around them are sensitively explored from a variety of different perspectives, giving plenty of food for thought, especially in our current social context.

    The other overarching theme is that of the importance of stories and storytelling. The importance of ‘own voice’ story experiences, the unity of collaborating on stories; the way stories can be written and rewritten to shape reality into different patterns and change the way we think about the challenges we – and others – face.

    More than a morality tale, though, this story paints a warm picture of each different family environment: their individual struggles and successes, dreams and fears. The characters feel like friends and neighbours, and I was thoroughly invested in what happened to them… still thinking about them long after I turned the final page.

    This is a beautiful, skilfully-crafted tale that entertains and moves the reader (to tears on occasion!), and really makes you think about privilege, respect, diversity and what these things mean to different people. And, of course, it is perfect for anyone who loves a good story!

    On the magic carpet with Xoriyo I’m a child again, whooping with joy and laughter, swooshing, swirling, fearless of the height. We’re children together, but also wise: we know the languages of the places we see, our homeland and those of others. We can communicate with any of our fellow travellers… Xoriyo sees curving blue rivers far below and she knows they are called meanders; she sees oxbow lakes, murrains and wadis and she knows what all these are too. On the magic carpet we understand all people we meet: the goatherd, the engineer, and his toddling twins. We may choose to wear whatever we like from abayas to swimsuits. We are confident in our choices and violence and ignorance can do us no harm.
    Really there is no reason my daughter should not make friends at this school, new friends, who can take this journey with us through fresh places and new joys. We can have every passport and none, here; we can belong and invite others to belong with us.
    On the magic carpet we are free.

    – Jessica Norrie, The Magic Carpet

    Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
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  • Darlene Foster
    5.0 out of 5 stars Diversity and cooperation through a school project
    Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2019
    I really enjoyed this book about a diverse neighborhood brought together through a school project. The author does a great job of depicting each family from different cultural backgrounds without being stereotypical. The difference between the children and adults is well portrayed as well. The story is told from multiple points of view, much of it through internal dialogue, which is not easy to do. The story centers around a class project of retelling a classic fairy tale by putting a cultural twist to it. The families have to work together on this project as well as other classmates assist each other. I love how the project brings people together and how misunderstandings are dealt with. This contemporary story portrays very real families that are far from perfect. But in the end, love wins as everyone wants what's best for their children and grandchildren. I highly recommend this great read which gives food for thought.
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  • Camilla Downs
    5.0 out of 5 stars Heartwarming! Different cultures come together, friendships form, and the magic of childhood tales
    Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2020
    I very much enjoyed getting to know the characters, following each of their journeys as current local and world wide events were introduced. Loved how the children brought together these different families, from different backgrounds and cultures. I didn't want the story to end and hope that their friendships continued to grow!
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Julie Morris
    5.0 out of 5 stars A thought-provoking, beautiful, sad, difficult but uplifting story
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 3, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    This is one of those books that make you glad to be a blogger. You know the ones. The quiet, under-the-radar books that don’t really register on the ‘must-read’ radar. They aren’t the ones that everyone is fighting for a review spot for. The ones with month long tours of five bloggers a day that no one can find anything new to say about it by the end of the tour. This is one of the ones that you volunteer for because it sounds interesting and you have a gap in your schedule. You want to help out the organiser. You pop it in your diary and pretty much forget about it until it comes round in your reading rotation. Then – boom – you realise that you have stumbled on a beautiful gem of a book, a nugget of gold that dropped into your palm unexpectedly and you are so, so glad that you are a book blogger and that has allowed you to discover THIS book, this book that changes the way you think about things, that makes you see the world differently after you’ve read it. This is what makes book blogging such a privilege and a joy.

    This book is unassumingly beautiful in so many ways. The construction, following the stories of a community through the alternating voices of different members from different backgrounds and different generations as they work on a school project, works perfectly to give clear voices to the characters. The author makes them all so distinct and believable, by the end I felt like I really knew these people; they were MY friends, MY neighbours, and I just wanted every one of them to get that happy ending. I thought she did such an amazing job of making each voice so authentic, really capturing the difference in the thought processes and speech of the children, parents and grandparents. It’s obvious that she has spent a lot of time observing characters and understanding them.

    This is the story of our changing society. Of how we are trying to assimilate different cultures, backgrounds and faiths and re-weaving the tapestry of our country to accommodate the changes they bring. It reflects the difficulties this can bring, the misunderstanding and isolation this can cause for people of all backgrounds, how sometimes we fail, how some people resist but, underlying it all there is a strong vein of kindness and compassion in most people. This book is so relevant to these difficult and turbulent times in which we currently find ourselves, when it is so easy to believe the world has become a dark and unfriendly place. This book, with its message of hope is a welcome beacon, and I do firmly believe that, for the most part, the majority of us are these kind, compassionate, empathetic and tolerant people portrayed, despite the volume of protest we often hear. For the sake of my children, I so desperately want this to be true.

    Throughout the book, the author gives light to a range of difficulties facing these families, which are sometimes hard to read. Domestic violence, racism and prejudice, abuse, isolation, bereavement. Unpleasant topics, but ones that people struggle with daily, often in silence, and these are things that can be affecting children in school, regardless of whether people know about them or not. One of the issues explored is how problems that parents are struggling with but believe they are hiding from their children can have a profound effect on the child. Children are acutely aware and sensitive and, regardless of whether adults speak openly about their problems or not, they cannot fail to be affected. The book illustrates this beautifully and, I hope, it will make more adults think about how they address problems with their children. It is difficult to know how much children should be exposed to, and the book acknowledges and explores that dilemma, but it is impossible to shield them completely.

    The underlying message of this story is that, underneath colour and nationality and religion, we have so much more in common that we have differences and the exercise of having the children retell fairy stories, using their own words, demonstrates how our stories have so many overlaps and common themes. People are people the world over and, going back, have the same fears and problems, joys and successes and have used stories to record these. I thought this was such a clever and success motif to get across the point. If we allow ourselves to see it, there is more that binds us than divides us and as a society we need to highlight these similarities, rather than focus on our differences.

    I am so happy that this book crossed my path. It is a thought-provoking, beautiful, sad, difficult but uplifting story and I would urge everyone to read it. It deserves a huge audience.
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  • Keith Crawford
    5.0 out of 5 stars Feared it would be preachy and shallow, delighted to discover depth, joy and community.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 26, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    London, 2016, and a community primary school sets its eight-year olds a project: to adapt a traditional fairy tale for the school festival. But this is not a united community. Adults and children with different ethnicities and backgrounds are struggling with all the problems with family life in an England that seems to be becoming increasingly hostile to anything they define as “foreign” (be they born in England or not.) Will the story of The Magic Carpet draw these families together or will the strands fall apart?

    I would not normally have read this book. First, the subject is just so damned worthy. Multi-ethnicity families struggling around the time that Brexit kicks off? I was bracing myself for 500 pages of shallow "racism is bad m'kay" doing more harm that good. Second, chapter by chapter change between the many different character's PoV is an invitation to confusion, stereotype, and people you cannot even remember never mind follow.

    Happily, I was wrong on every count. These are real families, with normal, family problems. You will recognise them. Each character has their own distinct voice – the children in particularly are superb. Their lives are riddled with conflict: performance at school, making friends, having a personal life as a single parent. You cannot help but empathise with and care about them because so much is what you have been through or known others go through.

    The title is perfect, because each chapter reads like a particularly well-constructed short story that weaves together occasionally radically different perspectives of the same events. The author has drawn magnificently on her own experiences as a teacher to create real people, with realistic ethnic influences but for whom the fact that they are Punjabi or Somalian or whatever is in the background to whatever is actually going on in their lives. That is brilliant and true: the first step to overcoming racism is seeing more than ethnicity. The Magic Carpet is a wonderful story about real people struggling with how hard it is to be a family. You will be gripped by every page.
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  • Su
    5.0 out of 5 stars The magical powers of storytelling
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 16, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    What an absolute delight to find this intriguing story. At first I thought it was going to be a children's book about them coming together in school to hold a festival of fairy stories. However, it is clearly not a children's book.

    It is a collection of lives of a multicultural community, families brought together by a school project. Each individuals story intricately woven into the bigger picture. The characters so real as if they could be your own neighbours. Some with tragic tales of war and abuse. Heartbreaking decisions to pull young children to safety away from cultural traditions, yet always fearing the worse. Never knowing what the future will hold or if they would fit in.

    Children are so resilient and bounce back so easily after an upset, and in this story it is the children that pull the families together with their versions of some traditional fairy tales. This is a beautiful book that will give you a small glimpse into the lives of a group of people from different cultural backgrounds. Very highly recommended.
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  • Gee
    4.0 out of 5 stars lovely book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 4, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book. At the start I wondered if I could keep all the families - who are largely introduced by chapter - in my head but it soon became clear that the author had thought of this and structured accordingly. I know little about modern teaching or the age group covered but I learnt about both simply through the story and the nuances that allowed me time to do this . Written in " Brexit times " it nods to immigration concerns and political climate but only nods. A good idea. With a satisfying ending which I knew I was heading for but no idea how it would be . An easy and engaging read I'd say, from someone who clearly wishes to put her years of teaching into magical words
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  • Gail Aldwin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Stories of a community
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 7, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    I admire Jessica Norrie’s skill in creating a novel with so many wonderful characters and viewpoints. (I had my favourite, Mr Chan, a widower from Hong Kong.) Using a light touch, Norrie explores issues of racism, domestic violence, belonging, isolation, identity and much more. Her ability to keep the voices distinct allowed me to tune into a range of personal histories and experiences. The Magic Carpet provides the opportunity to celebrate cultural differences and at the same time it draws upon the shared experiences of families from a range of backgrounds. An entertaining, informative and worthy novel.
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