Magic Cat spellbound by Amanda Wood's The Wizard’s Guide to Magical Experiments

Publisher Amanda Wood, author of the Ology titles, has penned the first in a series of illustrated books due to be published by Magic Cat.

The Wizard’s Guide to Magical Experiments will be published under A J Wood in a novelty handbook format with illustrations from Jo Rioux in autumn 2025.

Rachel Williams, co-founder, acquired world rights directly from the author. Illustration rights were acquired from Jennie Dunham at Dunham Literary.

Written for "wizards-in-training", The Wizard’s Guide to Magical Experiments not only takes readers through more than 50 science experiments, but also shows them how to perform each of the experiments for a live audience. As the book progresses, the real science behind each trick is revealed and readers will "discover that every experiment is not actually magic, but has to do with a subject known as chemistry". 

Wood is a former-founder director and later m.d. of Templar, who wrote the bestselling Ology series for the company. She has published nearly 30 books, including the Curiositree non-fiction range for Wide Eyed Editons and the recent Baby Animal Tales series for Magic Cat; she is a partner in the Magic Cat business.     

Wood said: “I hope this will inspire readers to find the magic in everyday science and rediscover the simple joy of performing an experiment that makes people say: ’Well, would you just look at that!’"

Williams added: “For many years, we have been schooled by the books that Mandy has made – most of all from the Ology books. Her ability to instil real-world subjects with magic, wonder and fun are supreme, and with her, we are delighted to don our wizard’s hats in the name of science.”