The Spell of a Story by Mariano Ilustrajo is a delightful children's book about discovering the joys of reading.
I love the little magical swirls around some books, and others with characters peeking out. Too cute, even if I do not share this child’s dislike of books. That's so sweet her mom picked what had been her own childhood favourite. I wonder how many people can recall, especially those my age 😬🤣 I do! It was Leo the Lop from Serendipity Books. Highly recommended!

***Many thanks to Netgalley & Quarto/Francis Lincoln for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thank you to the author, Quarto Publishing Group – Frances Lincoln Children's Books and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My apologies for the delay in posting this review, I am well behind and trying to catch up!

This children's book is a wonderful recounting of falling in love with reading. We meet a young girl who has a dreaded summer assignment: to read a whole entire book - awful. She hates books, but her older sister takes her to the library in search of a perfect book, and that is exactly what they find. So perfect that the young girl's attitude to reading is transformed, she becomes engrossed in the story and discovers the delight of being transported into the life of the story. And the illustrations: wonderful! So charming, to accompany this story that had me under its spell!

Reading this book makes me travelling to my old self. I am a shy kid, with my unusual interest. I like to go to library and reading books. Sometime people didn't understand but that's okay. I will recommend this book to my students, so they know the fun of reading.

This is a sweet premise of a story and resonated with my 9 near old. I think it’s an experience very common with emerging readers - not wanting to read, unable to trust that a book will be good, but then falling in love with a story. I liked how it showed how a book can really transport you out of your life and into the life of the story. It’s simply laid out, easy to follow, and easy to read. The illustrations were really lovely and were my favorite part. We really enjoyed it! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

In this charming story, a young girl faces the dreaded summer assignment: read an entire book! Shocking, right? She openly despises books, but luckily, her clever older sister understands their magic. Together, they venture to the library in search of the perfect book. And find it they do!

I thoroughly enjoyed witnessing the little girl’s transformation as she becomes engrossed in a story, discovering the sheer joy of reading. Perhaps even reluctant readers in your life will be equally captivated.

So, if you know a child who *gasp* claims to ‘hate reading,’ this book might just inspire them to give it another shot.

Thank you @netgalley and @quartokids @flcbooks for an eARC of this book, which I have read and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Who doesn’t love a children’s book about books, right? Reading this one brought back memories of when I first fell in love with reading. The story is truly enchanting.

The book follows a girl who gets an assignment from her teacher to read a whole book during the holiday, but she HATES books! Thankfully, her sister has the idea to take her to the local library to borrow one. Once she picks out a book of her own, she dives into a magical adventure with a fox who guides her on an amazing journey.

This is a wonderful book, not just for kids but also for adults. It reminds us of the joy we felt when we first fell in love with reading. With beautiful illustrations and simple dialogue, Mariajo does a fantastic job of bringing back those memories instantly.

The only reason I didn’t give this book 5 stars is because I want to read more!

Who doesn’t love a children’s book about books, right? Reading this one brought back memories of when I first fell in love with reading. The story is truly enchanting.

The book follows a girl who gets an assignment from her teacher to read a whole book during the holiday, but she HATES books! Thankfully, her sister has the idea to take her to the local library to borrow one. Once she picks out a book of her own, she dives into a magical adventure with a fox who guides her on an amazing journey.

This is a wonderful book, not just for kids but also for adults. It reminds us of the joy we felt when we first fell in love with reading. With beautiful illustrations and simple dialogue, Mariajo does a fantastic job of bringing back those memories instantly.

I really want to read more about the main character because I feel like I am the main character. Her journey feels so relatable and immersive. It's like I’m experiencing the adventures and emotions right along with her. This book is perfect for reigniting a love for reading in both kids and adults. I highly recommend it for encouraging young readers and for anyone who wants to relive the magic of discovering books for the first time.

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC!

What a precious little book to convince hesitant readers that books are wonderful! The story a little girl picks for summer reading comes to life before her eyes. I think this can help some kids learn the appreciation of a good book, starting with the genre that interests them most.

In a Nutshell: Good intent, but the execution lacks punch. Has some abstract ideas that aren’t effectively coming across on paper. Mixed feelings.

Plot Preview:
A little girl is eagerly looking forward to the summer vacation for various reasons, but the most important one is NO more reading! She hates books, you see. So when the teacher tells the kids to read a book during the holidays, she is furious. However, when she opens the library book her mom got for her, she opens it reluctantly, only to find a magical adventure awaiting her.

I love the intent of this book. As bibliophiles, we cannot fathom the idea that someone can dislike the hobby of reading. So the concept of a book that aims to motivate children towards reading is great. Then again, book-hating children will still need to be motivated towards this book – a self-defeating task.

While the intention is wonderful, the execution left me somewhat unimpressed. (I grabbed my two not-so-little-anymore inhouse readers to share their opinion about this book, and they felt the same.) The main problem is that the story isn’t gripping.

The book is a crossover between a picture book and a comic, with some pages containing full-page art with a couple of lines of text, and some pages like a comic book, with multiple panels and text-bubble conversations. The book is aimed at readers aged 3-6, but the content might work only for the upper of that age range.

The plot is focussed only towards adventure books but there are so many other types of wonderful books for kids. Not every child likes adventure stories, after all. There is also a little belittling of fairy tales. Every genre has a role to play, and many children enjoy fairy tales, so I would have appreciated a more open-minded approach. Any book that seeks to encourage reading shouldn’t look down upon any type of good content.

The adventurous journey that the unnamed main character undertakes in the book has its moments of fun and danger, with talking animals and dragons and a magical spell popping in. But it also is too rushed, covering multiple events within just a few lines. The titular “spell” is not that impressive, with barely any magic in it. The animal accompanying the girl on her bookish adventure is never introduced. (I am still trying to figure out what creature it was – a fox or a rabbit or something else altogether?)

The colour-pencil illustrations are good. They are in a somewhat monochromatic palette outside the book world, while inside the book is full of colours – a great artistic choice. I also loved the illustrations of the books in the library and the wonders pouring out of them.

The typeface is quite interesting. There are three distinct scripts used: a CAPS scribble-styled lettering for the dialogues outside the book, the same scribble in proper case when the girl speaks inside the book adventure, and a third sans-serif typeface for the animal’s dialogues. I am not sure how I feel about the variety of fonts in a single story, and I wonder how many children will even realise the existence of the varied styles, forget about realising why.

The ending does not go the typical way. The girl doesn’t convert into an instant book lover, but goes to the library to check out another book to see if her experience was a one-off. An unusual writing choice, and much more believable than seeing a reluctant reader convert into an instant book lover.

All in all, I hope this story aims to motivate reluctant readers towards the wonder of books, but it could have done much better. With no WOW factor, it did not hold the attention of my two daughters and myself, which is so ironic considering we love books and everything about books. I am not sure how effective it would be to make readers out of hesitant book pickers. Full points for the intent, though.

2.75 stars.

My thanks to Quarto Publishing Group and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Spell of a Story”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

The Spell Of A Story by Mariajo Ilustrajo is a wonderful beautifully illustrated story that had me hooked to the point where I read this multiple times. I too remember when I originally fell under the power of a book and become a life long reader all because my dad recommended a book to me. The life cycle of a reader continued when I handed my nephew his first book and when I, my dad & my nephew get together we swap book recommendations or even the books themselves.

A super sweet story about discovering the magic of a story and the joy of reading, although it felt like the text was lacking a bit more oomph. I think it needed to flesh out the journey into the book a little more and make that side of the story more clear to get the message across better. The illustrations were gorgeous though!

As a child, I wasn't allowed to watch TV on school nights. Playing with my siblings and reading a book were often my only two choices. While I resented my mom for this completely UNFAIR rule, it's what actually started my absolute love of reading. The same is mostly true for the girl in this book. In "The Spell of a Story", it's finally summer and the teacher has just reminded them to read over the summer. But she hates reading. Her mom decides to take her to the library but none of the books are worth her time. Her mom suggests one she read as a kid and though she's reluctant, the girl agrees to check the book out. Once home and a bit into the book she starts to realize the magic of a story; it can take you to new places, make you feel things, and help you learn.

The illustrations in this book were colorful, creative, and detailed. Though there were lots of colors used, they were all relatively muted, which made me think about some of my current students who have a difficult time with the amount of stimulation throughout the day. Often, bright colors are a trigger for them, so the book could be a great option for students who commonly feel overwhelmed with stimuli in the school setting.

This book spoke to my childhood heart because of the similarities it presented between my life and the main character's life. You know it's a well written book when it makes you feel are warm inside, and this book did just that! I highly recommend this book and can't wait to get my own copy to put on my classroom bookshelf!

"Even the grayscale world starts to fill with color as she is carried away in the story. A little fennec fox leads her to meet fairytale witches and creatures as they find ingredients to cast a special spell at the end of her book."

This is a beautiful book with beautiful story. Recommended for kids and adult as well.

Do you remember your very first book? The first you read on your own? I'd like to say I do but I honestly don't. I'm pretty sure it probably had a horse on the cover, though. Let's just say there was a reason I went through my grandfather's stash of Louis L'Amour books at an early age and spent my make-believe time pretending to be a horse. Grin.

This book is absolutely adorable. Magical even, with the illustrations gradually becoming more and more colorful as the little girl becomes more and more immersed in the book her big sister helps her choose. Reluctantly choose, I'll note, as she's sure she hates reading. And, don't forget to check out the book shelves in the photos. I'm just saying....

Bottom line, this one should be a must on any parent or teacher's shelf. The words flow and the artwork is well-done, capturing the spirit of the story as it goes along. I liked the simple yet distinctive artwork and use of expressions and color to convey what we gain from reading. Pay attention to the font/script, too, as it adds to the fun. Lucky for me, I don't recall a time when books weren't a part of my life, even when I was of an age to hold them upside-down, so I'm all for more books about books and how they can change our outlook and worlds. Thanks #NetGalley and #QuartoPublishingGroup - #FrancesLincolnChildren'sBooks for reminding me of the delightful gift my book loving family gifted me.

I loved this book from start to finish. It was such a nice little read, full of quirky pictures that reminded me of Roald Dahl's work - aaaaahhh, there you are, signs of a blessed childhood.

It's perfect for kids who haven't found their "it" book yet, but also for parents or preschool teachers who want to read it to their kids. Funny, cute, short, and full of action and adventures in just a few pages, it shows exactly what we as readers know: there's not a person alive that hates reading, or is just not into it. It's just that they haven't found the book that will enchant them enough to get started on such a magnificent journey, and introduce them to what is honestly the best hobby there is.

Books are like soulmates - there's one for everyone, that perfect story that will bewitch you and turn you into a reader. No matter the genre. No matter the story. That's how their magic works.

This one is definitely getting into my TOP '24 READS LIST!

***I was given an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinion stated in this review is solely mine, and no compensation was given or taken to alter it.***

This book is absolutely adorable and will resonate with all readers no matter your age. The illustrations were beautiful and really enhanced the story. I liked that although this book is very short, the story and message were both clear and easy to understand. There isn't much text on each page which allows you to really immerse yourself in the illustrations.

Overall this is a great book and would be the perfect way to get children into reading!

No wonder this book got an award! I enjoyed the story at the premise. How cool that someone can slide to another worldd just by reading a book. I think that's what happens to kids who reads books. The book is very engaging and encouraging to children who are not readers.

Mariajo Illustrajo is immensely talented and her third book could very well be her best yet, although I have to admit I get the same feeling every time I finish any of her books.

The fact that she also illustrates her stories just allows us to immerse ourselves in her incredible story building abilities and enjoy her vision fully. This book is now published as I Hate (crossed out) Love Books and the children in my library have absolutely adored it since it arrived. And it's not very often you get such enthusiastic reactions for both story and pictures, we have all become huge fan of hers.

The story is about a girl who has been told by her teacher that she needs to read a book over the summer holidays. Initially she is flat out negative and in despair so follows her mother to the local library and very reluctantly follows her mother's advice and chooses a book to take home. And then gets absolutely hooked by the story and cannot put the book down. Through crazy adventures and beautiful pictures, Illustrajo highlights the magic that awaits us all when we lose ourselves in the pages of a book and how we can create whole worlds in our heads without ever moving from where we are.

Mariajo Illustrajo deserves all the praise and I can't wait what else she has in store for us in the future. This book is definitely librarian approved!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my review copy, all opinions are my own.

I was initially a bit put off by the muted style of the first few pages of illustrations, but I liked the main character's personality and then the magic happens; it's a great book about learning to love books and reading. A whole new world of adventures to experience. Great message and enchanting visuals after all!

Reminded me of why I love to read. Dynamic typography and colouring. Engaging artwork. Well-paced. Creative writing flows nicely. Subtly magical. Relatable characters. Overall, a great read.

What a cute, beautiful book! “The Spell of a Story” was an excellent. You witness the transformation of a reluctant reader who falls under the spell of reading a good book. As a book lover, perhaps it may be difficult to relate to someone who doesn’t yet enjoy reading, but wait for it! Because you’ll love witnessing how mesmerized she becomes due to the magic of reading. I honestly feel like reading is a magical experience and absolutely love seeing the literary world through our protagonists eyes.

I hope that this will engage many new readers!

Five stars. Simply enchanting!

[Note: full review to come at time of publication.]