The book

Beloved by children (and the parents lucky enough to share it with them) since it was first published in 1954, Half Magic is the uproarious tale of four siblings who discover a charm that grants exactly half of whatever they wish for--with results that are twice as predictable (and hilarious) as you might expect.

Sixth-grader Simon Bloom has found the Teacher's Edition of Physics, a magical reference book containing the very formulas that control the laws that govern the universe! By reciting the formulas out loud, he's able to do the impossible - like reverse the force of gravity to float weightlessly, and reduce friction to zoom across any surface! But before he knows it, he is being pursued by evil forces bent on gaining control of the formulas, and they'll do anything to retrieve them.