Monday, March 13, 2017

Like Magic by Elaine Vickers - ESSENTIAL

Vickers, Elaine Like Magic, 261 pgs. Harper, 2016. $17. Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G; Violence: G.
Grace’s best friend, Kate, is moving and she doesn’t know how she’ll cope, especially since school is starting soon and the thought of trying to make friends leaves Grace anxious.  On the day Kate moves away, Grace hops on the bus and heads to the library.  Jada and her dad, Patrick, are moving from New Jersey to Salt Lake City, a place that seems as foreign as any place Jada could imagine.  What Jada needs is to get her mind off the move and the new school, and immerse herself in her latest art project.  Sounds like a trip to the library is in order.  It’s Malia’s birthday and her mom is in the hospital due to complications with her pregnancy.  It will be the first time she hasn’t been there for Malia’s birthday.  After visiting her mom, Malia knows she should head home, but doesn’t think she can face a house full of aunts and cousins so heads to the library instead.  Grace, Jada, and Malia have never met, but each end up at the library where they discover a locked treasure box and set about trying to open it and discover what is inside.  

I really enjoyed this story about friendship and growing up.  The characters were engaging and realistic and found solutions to their problems.  It might be a good recommendation for a student embarking on new experiences to know good things might just be around the corner. 

EL – ESSENTIAL, MS – OPTIONAL. Reviewer: RB 

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