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A review by toad_maiden
Like Magic by Elaine Vickers
3.0
This is a sweet little middle-grade book with a lot of heart. I loved certain elements--of course, the nearly magical librarian and secret treasure box in the library. Some of the girls' emotions and, especially, their relationships with their parents were well rendered and complex. However, the girls themselves--especially Jada--felt a little crudely characterized. There's also not a whole little plot to float on, an aspect I don't mind, but may bother other readers.
I also wouldn't have minded a little heavier-hitting treatment of some of the social issues that Vickers skirts around. For example, although Jada (who is black) is clearly unhappy with moving across the country from NYC to Utah, we never see her deal with any of the racial implications of moving to one of the whitest states in America. Vickers avoids this by treating it as an urban/suburban cultural divide, rather than addressing some of the harder (but probably more relatable) problems of race. I understand that she's going for more of a sweet friendship story, but Jada's character ended up feeling a little watered down as a result.
I also wouldn't have minded a little heavier-hitting treatment of some of the social issues that Vickers skirts around. For example, although Jada (who is black) is clearly unhappy with moving across the country from NYC to Utah, we never see her deal with any of the racial implications of moving to one of the whitest states in America. Vickers avoids this by treating it as an urban/suburban cultural divide, rather than addressing some of the harder (but probably more relatable) problems of race. I understand that she's going for more of a sweet friendship story, but Jada's character ended up feeling a little watered down as a result.