YMMV / Half Magic

• Fair for Its Day: The depiction of the Arabian trader, Achmed, is a little racist by modern standards, given that he wants to kidnap the main characters. However, he is no longer treated as an antagonist when they find out he was the original owner of the charm, because they recognize that it wasn't fair for him to have lost it (however that happened), and use it to wish that he gets "whatever he deserves." The charm recognizes that he deserves to be happy, and grants his heart's desire of rich trading goods and a loving family.
• Genius Bonus:
  • When Jane wishes to belong to another family, her new name is Iphigenia. In Greek mythology, Iphigenia was a famous child sacrificial victim.
  • The film the children see (Barbara LaMarr in Sandra) is a real silent film notable for being an early serious, realistic (albeit dramatized) screen depiction of schizophrenia. Particularly interesting is that the film is now considered lost, something the author could not have predicted when he wrote the book in 1954.
  • The two unusual soda-fountain offerings Mark can never bring himself to order (malted marrow and celery soda) were, at the time, real, and exactly what they said on the tin: the first was a health drink made from calves' bone marrow mixed with malt, the other a sweet celery-flavored soda, which was a surprisingly popular flavor in the early days of commercial carbonated drinks. One of these sodas, Cel-Ray, exists as a canned drink to this day. Likewise Katharine's Moonbeam Sundae was a popular soda fountain treat consisting of a slice of cake smothered in ice cream and crushed orange, though Katharine prefers hers with pineapple.