This multiethnic take on J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books revolves around the Russo family's three siblings, Justin (David Henrie), Alex (Selena Gomez), and Max (Jake T. Austin), all of whom have magical powers inherited from their Italian-American father, Jerry (David DeLuise), a former wizard. Their Mexican-American mother, Theresa (María Canals Barrera), is powerless, so to speak, and after the siblings complete their wizard training and face off in a competition to see who will become the family wizard of their generation, the two losing siblings will no longer be able to perform magic.
Unlike Miley Cyrus and company on Hannah Montana, the cast of Wizards of Waverly Place don't stomp on every punchline to get a laugh, making the show more palatable for parents who may want to watch alongside their children. (I also enjoyed the no-big-deal aspect of the family's multiculturalism.) It's easy to imagine Gomez and Henrie moving on to successful acting careers as adults in the near future.
Wizards provides important lessons about being honest with your friends while not giving away secrets about your family that could damage their reputations, and it teaches tweens to appreciate what they have—in this case, magical powers—because one day it might not be there anymore, e.g., childhood. As an educational tie-in, teachers could ask students to do without their "magic" cell phones for a day and see what problems they encounter without them in the real world. —Robert Cass
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