What Is The Opening Chapter Of The Magic Misfits

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In the opening chapter of The Magic Misfits, Neil Patrick Harris creates an opening ominous scene by using words like darkness, abandoned, and shadowy that sets up the scene for the reader. These words provide a visual representation of what the character is going through and their current environment he is experiencing. He continues to use clever words like run, stumbled and chasing to build a sense of fear and danger to entice the reader to continue on with the story and spark their interest to see what happens next. The author’s description of how the antagonist sense of dread and fear of the man catching him creates a scene that reminds one of a horror movie where the character is placed in an intense situation that they are desperate …show more content…

For example when the author uses this sentence; “Thankfully Carter Knew it” this creates a personal relationship between the reader and Carter's character it’s like the author is talking to the reader. The author Neil Partick Harris uses a lot of humor in his writing which is a reflection of his real life personality and livelihood. The humor is used to lighten the mood from the heavy issues in the book like family troubles and running away from home. For example; after the run away scene he writes, “I promise we’ll get back to Carter’s escape soon enough. And if we don’t, I’ll let you lock me up in a tight straitjacket with no key. Oh, the horror!” which lets the reader take a brief break from the seriousness of the situation. This style of writing encourages the reader to stay engaged and embark on a unique writing style that is …show more content…

I can relate to some of the scenarios that have been highlighted in this book. This past year, I have experienced my own conflict with friends that didn’t end well and like Carter I realized that we did not share the same ideals of what a friend should be and decided that I should move on. Carter's adventure to discover what "magic" really is helped him battle self-doubt and make new friends, which is what I had to do for myself. The Magic Misfits is not your typical middle school book, the book discusses some heavy issues that some kids go through that others don’t realize like, traumatic family issues, being different, the struggles of trying to fit in but I found the author’s choice of including humor helps soften these hard topics. At first the book made me feel heartbroken for Carter and all the misfortune incidents he was placed in. I don’t think that I could even imagine living with someone who deliberately used me for their own benefit. I think Carter is a hero for knowing he could be and live better and went out to search for his dream of being loved and being part of a