The Wizards of Once: Knock Three Times

This is the third book in the Wizards of Once series, set 3,000 years ago in an ancient magical time. Our young heroes Wish (a Warrior girl with strange and powerful magic, when Warriors famously have no magic) and Xar (a Wizard boy with a "witchstain" on his arm that threatens to turn him bad if it can’t be removed), as well as Wish’s young bodyguard Bodkin and a whole host of others of magical creatures of various sizes, continue their search for the last two ingredients of the Lovespell.

This Lovespell is the only weapon against the world-wrecking Witches who have returned to the Wildwoods, but the ingredients are almost impossible to get. Their quest leads them far away to face incredible danger – all in total defiance of their parents.

Knock Three Times is thrilling, fast-paced, funny, sad, scary and philosophical. It’s full of inspiration for children on how to find inner strength in crisis and how to work together and make difficult decisions for the greater good, which feels particulalry timely at a point when so many young children are worried about our planet.

Cressida Cowell’s beautiful, scratchy illustrations are absolutely integral to the power and pace of the story, so take the time to look carefully at them.

This book will make readers think, scream and read, read, read at a breakneck speed.  The books must be read in order, so start with The Wizards of Once and then Twice Magic, before you get to this one.

Book 3 ends on such a breathtaking cliffhanger that we just can’t WAIT until Book 4 to find out what happens – and to finally find out who is actually narrating the story.

Author Cressida Cowell is the Waterstones Children's Laureate for 2019-21