Joe and Billy start school the same day. Joe is not pleased because he has moved house and towns and is missing his friends. When he meets Billy, he thinks he is 'weird' because he announces he is a wizard, turned into a boy by a wicked witch. Billy is certainly an imaginative lad, but Joe ignores his overtures, desperate to get in with the 'cool crowd'. The cool crowd is represented by Rick and his chums, who invite Joe for a Saturday game of football, much to his satisfaction. However, before that, there is a blow-up on the playground, during which Rick shows himself to be a bully. Does Billy really have magic powers? Joe comes to believe so, only to discover the ordinariness of it all. A funny, gem of a short novel with quite superb descriptions of what it is like to be a new boy in a new school. Joe's parents are having to make adjustments too, and he must learn that he isn't the only one with problems. Black and white illustrations add to the fun.