One Jar of Magic -- new middle school novel about disappointment, dreams, friends, family and more

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review and a small compensation gift. All opinions are my own.

Today I get to share with you an amazing new middle grades novel. This post is part of the Awareness Tour hosted by The Children's Book Review which includes a giveaway!! I will start with the publishers information about the book. The book is One Jar of Magic by Corey Ann Haydu.

About the Book

One Jar of Magic

Written by Corey Ann Haydu

Publisher’s Synopsis: Magic is like a dream. Delightful. Terrifying. Unreal.

Rose Alice Anders is Little Luck. Lucky to be born into the Anders family. Lucky to be just as special and magical as the most revered man in town—her father. The whole town has been waiting for Rose to turn twelve, when she can join them in their annual capturing of magic on New Year’s Day and become the person she was born to be.

But when that special day finally comes, Rose barely captures one tiny jar of magic. Now Rose’s dad won’t talk to her anymore and her friendships have gotten all twisted and wrong. So when Rose hears whispers that there are people who aren’t meant for magic at all, she begins to wonder if that’s who she belongs with.

Maybe if she’s away from all the magic, away from her dad telling her who she’s meant to be, who she has to be, Rose can begin to piece together what’s truly real in a world full of magic.

Ages 8-12 | 352 Pages | Publisher: HarperCollins | ISBN-13: 9780062689856

PURCHASE LINKS

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3cHPUky

Audible: https://amzn.to/3oOWkjS

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/2078/9780062689856

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Corey Ann Haydu is the author of Eventown, The Someday Suitcase, and Rules for Stealing Stars and four acclaimed books for teens. She grew up in the Boston area, earned her MFA at the New School, and now lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her dog Oscar.

Find out more at www.coreyannhaydu.com.

MY REVIEW

This book hits home on so many levels. Imagine thinking you are destined for amazing things and growing up being told you are the lucky one. Everyone knows who you are and journalists want to interview you and try to get information from your friends and classmates. Your father who is known as the best in the town and possibly the world says you are going to be better than him. Talk about pressure! And when you need them the most your friends are moving away from you. After all they are a bit jealous of your image and don't want to be compared to you. When the time comes you fail and not only do you fail but you publicly embarrass yourself. This is Rose's life. 

Ok, perhaps we don't all have that kind of pressure on us but we all have those moments where the expectations are high and we don't always reach them. Yet after it all we end up ok. Rose does too. In fact her failure leads her and her family and friends down a different road and perhaps a better one. 

I love how the book is about magic. In Rose's world magic can control just about everything. You can change the weather if you don't like it. You can change how you look. You can create everything with the magic as long as you have captured it and know how to use it. But after her failure Rose makes a new friend whose family isn't magical. They in fact don't try to use magic at all. Together the girls question whether magic is real and right. The conversations are deep and perhaps will make the reader think about real things they strive for--money, fame, etc. Do those things really matter or could you be happier without them? 

This book is well written. The magic draws you in and you want to learn more about Rose's world as well as her family. There are so many ways this book could be discussed in a classroom setting or book club. The images of her "perfect" father is very different from what his family sees. What is the cost for his success? What is the reader willing to do for success? Is it worth it? I can see this book being a new classic for many teachers and having kids really enjoy the story. 

Now for the fun part--the giveaway!! You can win your own copy of One Jar of Magic and Corey Ann Haydu's other books!!

Enter for a chance to win a set of books by Corey Ann Haydu, including One Jar of Magic.

One (1) grand prize winner receives:

• A hardcover copy of One Jar of Magic
• A hardcover copy of Eventown
• A hardcover copy of The Someday Suitcase
• A hardcover copy of Rules for Stealing Stars

Four (4) winners receive:

• A hardcover copy of One Jar of Magic

The giveaway begins February 9, 2021, at 12:01 A.M. MT and ends March 8, 2021, at 11:59 P.M. MT. Enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway