Magic Story Series: Choosing Between The Defender, The Dream Carriers and Theo

Some kids are already wearing a towel as a cape. Some ask who built the city they live in, and then ask why. Some like a quiet prayer before the light goes off.

Magic Story's three series are made for those three kinds of evenings. Each one puts your child inside a world that carries on from book to book: a superhero town, a museum with a glowing map, a gentle run of faith stories at bedtime. Here is how they differ, and how a series fits into a Magic Story+ membership.

The Defender: a superhero town with everyday villains

Six books. Your child befriends Mr. Whackadoodle, the old man who feeds the park birds, and inherits his Suit, his Cape, a Ring that flashes blue when a villain tricks the hero into acting like them, and three toy helpers called the Bambareenoes.

The villains are everyday trouble with capital letters: Tantrum Man, TV Man, Selfish Man, Messy Man and Picky Eater. They are beaten with calm and cleverness, never fists, and your child gets fooled along the way before setting things right.

A good fit for kids who play pretend, love a cliffhanger and enjoy a funny villain. Read our guide to The Defender.

The Dream Carriers: Black history in six cities

Six books. On a field trip, your child touches a glowing wooden map at the Dream Carriers Museum and lands in Chicago, New York, New Orleans, Washington, D.C., Atlanta or Los Angeles. In each city they meet three Black Americans, from Mae Jemison to Louis Armstrong to Octavia E. Butler, then return to school ready to try the thing that felt hard that morning.

A good fit for curious kids, families who want Black history on the shelf all year, and grandparents with stories of their own to add. Read our guide to The Dream Carriers.

Theo: twelve Christian stories and bedtime blessings

Twelve books, inspired by Theo's mission and illustrated in the collection's own soft gouache storybook style. Some are bedtime blessings and prayers spoken to your child by name, like God Dreamed You Up, Then Created You. Others are stories. In Cookies, your child stops to pray before reacting to what looks like a stolen snack, and ends up sharing with a new classmate. In The Tickles of God, Grandma explains under a lemon tree where laughter comes from. The collection also includes the Footprints parable, Proverbs 6:6 in The Wisdom of the Ant, and Psalm 23.

A good fit for Christian families who want faith-centered reading at bedtime. Read our guide to Theo.

Which world fits your child?

• They narrate their own action scenes: start with The Defender.
• They want to know who, where and why: start with The Dream Carriers.
• Bedtime is a quiet, prayerful time in your home: start with Theo.
• You cannot decide: make a free preview of more than one, with no credit card required, and let your child choose the cover they want to step into.

A series is a track inside Magic Story+

Magic Story+ is the membership. On magicstory.com, it sends a personalized hardcover every month. In the US that costs $24.99 a month plus shipping and tax, compared with $44.99 for a standard one-time hardcover, and there is no long-term contract.

A series is the reading list your membership follows. Choose The Defender, The Dream Carriers or Theo, and the membership sends that series first, one book at a time, skipping any your child already has. The price stays the same.

When the series ends, the membership keeps going. After the last book, Magic Story+ continues with more personalized stories from the wider Magic Story library until you cancel.

Changing course along the way

Plans change. From Account > Subscriptions on magicstory.com, you can:

• Swap one book. Pick a title outside the series for your next delivery, and the series picks up where it left off. See how to choose a different story.
• Leave the series. Switch to a standard subscription for books from the full library. You can rejoin the series later.
• Slow down. Get books every one, two or three months without changing your price per book or your place. See how often books arrive.
• Take a break. Skip one month, or pause for one, two or three months.
• Cancel. Cancel at least 24 hours before renewal to avoid the next charge. See how to cancel.

These controls apply to website subscriptions. Memberships billed through the App Store, Google Play or Amazon earn monthly credits instead.

Prefer to buy outright?

Dream Carriers and Theo books can each be bought as a one-time hardcover for $44.99 in the US. Defender books are not sold singly. Instead, The Defender Complete Series delivers all six hardcovers at once, with no subscription and one photo for every book. Check the current complete-set price before ordering.

Why a series is worth starting

A single personalized book is a lovely moment. A series becomes part of the household. Your child learns the names Tyrod and Sallie, looks forward to seeing the museum keeper again, or settles in for a blessing that says their name. Older books come back off the shelf when a new one arrives. And there is a small, specific joy in a child running to the door because the next one is here.

Pick the world your child would step into tonight, make a free preview, and choose the subscription option on the book page to follow the series:

• The Defender: The Beginning
• The Dream Carriers: Belief
• God Dreamed You Up, Then Created You

You can also explore The Defender, The Dream Carriers and Theo on their own pages, or read how Magic Story+ works.