# Magic or Madness > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Magic_or_Madness > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Magic_or_Madness.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_or_Madness > Source revision: 1356489572 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) 2005 novel by Justine Larbalestier This article needs more citations. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Magic or Madness" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (September 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Magic or Madness Cover image Author Justine Larbalestier Language English Series Magic or Madness Genre Fantasy Fiction Publisher Razorbill Publication date 2005 Publication place Australia Pages 788 ISBN 978-1-59514-022-7 [1] OCLC 56386932 Followed by Magic Lessons ***Magic or Madness*** is a fantasy novel for young adults by [Justine Larbalestier](/source/Justine_Larbalestier). First published in 2005, it is the first installment in the *Magic or Madness* trilogy. The novel won the 2007 [Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy](/source/Andre_Norton_Award). ## Plot summary The three main characters are Reason Cansino, Sarafina Cansino and Esmeralda Cansino. Reason and her mother Sarafina have been on the run from her grandmother Esmeralda for fifteen years staying in one place for seldom more than a few months. Her whole life Reason has been brought up with a hate for Esmeralda who believes in the practicing of magic and horrifying ritual. Only once does she recall being within her grasp but now Sarafina has had an unexpected mental breakdown, and Reason is forced back to the one place she never thought she would go back to. But after finding a portal within Esmeralda's house she starts to question her mother's beliefs and face the truth, that magic is real. ## Characters - Reason Cansino - Esmeralda Cansino - Sarafina Cansino - Julieta (Jay-Tee) - Tom - Jason Blake ## Reception By turns a fantasy adventure and a thoughtful examination of relationships, this radiant gem stands alone, but expect readers to be impatient for the rest of the trilogy - —*[School Library Journal](/source/School_Library_Journal)* *Magic or Madness* is a breath of fresh air. The characters are unforgettable, the voice delightful, the plot tense and compelling.This is the kind of book you take in at a gulp and, having reached the last page, put it down reluctantly. More please!" - —[Karen Joy Fowler](/source/Karen_Joy_Fowler), author of *[The Jane Austen Book Club](/source/The_Jane_Austen_Book_Club)* ### Awards *Magic or Madness* won the 2007 [Andre Norton Award](/source/Andre_Norton_Award). It was shortlisted for the Ethel Turner Award, one of the [New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards](/source/New_South_Wales_Premier's_Literary_Awards) for 2006, as well as an [Aurealis Award](/source/Aurealis_Award) for [best young adult novel](/source/Aurealis_Award_for_best_young_adult_novel) and a [Ditmar Award](/source/Ditmar_Award) for Best Novel. It was also nominated for The Teen Services Division of the [Michigan Library Association](/source/Michigan_Library_Association)'s Thumbs Up Award. *Magic or Madness* was a best book of the year selection for the *[School Library Journal](/source/School_Library_Journal)*, Tayshas (the Young Adult Round Table of the [Texas Library Association](/source/Texas_Library_Association)), the Australian children’s literature magazine *Magpies*, as well as making the ALA ([American Library Association](/source/American_Library_Association)) 2006 Best Books for Young Adults list, the [*Locus*](/source/Locus_(magazine)) Recommended Reading List and the [Bank Street](/source/Bank_Street_College_of_Education) Best Teen Books of the Year list.[2] ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** [Amazon Listing](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1595140220) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** [Magic or Madness Trilogy|Justine Larbalestier](https://justinelarbalestier.com/books/magic/) ## External links v t e Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction 2000s Valiant: A Modern Tale of Faerie by Holly Black (2005) Magic or Madness by Justine Larbalestier (2006) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling (2007) Flora's Dare by Ysabeau S. Wilce (2008) The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente (2009) 2010s I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett (2010) The Freedom Maze by Delia Sherman (2011) Fair Coin by E. C. Myers (2012) Sister Mine by Nalo Hopkinson (2013) Love Is the Drug by Alaya Dawn Johnson (2014) Updraft by Fran Wilde (2015) Arabella of Mars by David D. Levine (2016) The Art of Starving by Sam J. Miller (2017) Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (2018) Riverland by Fran Wilde (2019) 2020s A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher (2020) A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger (2021) Ruby Finley vs. the Interstellar Invasion by K. Tempest Bradford (2022) To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose (2023) The Young Necromancer's Guide to Ghosts by Vanessa Ricci-Thode (2024) Into the Wild Magic by Michelle Knudsen (2025) - [Children and Young Adult Literature portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Children_and_Young_Adult_Literature) - [https://web.archive.org/web/20070606223133/http://www.justinelarbalestier.com/Magic/index.htm](https://web.archive.org/web/20070606223133/http://www.justinelarbalestier.com/Magic/index.htm) This article about a 2000s fantasy novel is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. See guidelines for writing about novels. Further suggestions might be found on the article's talk page. - [v](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:2000s-fantasy-novel-stub) - [t](/source/Template_talk%3A2000s-fantasy-novel-stub) - [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:2000s-fantasy-novel-stub) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Magic or Madness](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_or_Madness) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_or_Madness?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.