What an amazing little book for children who don't like to read and those who love it, showing them the magical worlds we can explore in fictitious stories. The illustrations are utterly charming and and colours that are a little dull at first and then literally explode once that little main characters opens up a book gave me so much nostalgia remembering how I dove into stories from a young age, I had tears in my eyes. I will definitely buy this book for all the children I know.

I loved this story of a reluctant reader who learns to love what stories can do. The palette of the illustrations communicated the power, emotion, and possibility of stories that engage readers. I appreciate how the adults in this book encourage a reader to find what interests her instead of pushing "should-read" books, modeling a helpful way to build a love of reading.

A young girl who dislikes reading is assigned on the last day of school to read a book. Her mother takes her to the library and helps her select the beginning of an adventure that changes her reading outlook. I love how the illustrations go from a few tones to more color as she falls into the spell of reading. This would be a fun book to read to all my students in my elementary school library at the end of the year. I’m always encouraging them to read over the summer. Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group and Frances Lincoln Children’s Books for the temporary ARC via NetGalley and I am leaving a voluntary review.

OMG, I loved this story! It’s about this girl who hates reading but when she finds the ultimate book for her she becomes a bookdragon herself. I love this so much and really think that every one who doesn’t like reading just hasn’t found his or her book yet. Inalso really liked the accompanying pictures. ♥️

This beautiful book by Klaus Flugge Prize winner Mariajo Illustrajo is full of magic and will bring you and your little ones joy to read.

At a time when reading for pleasure is at an all time low and the Book Trust and Children's Laureates are joining forces in order to tackle the issue at the grass roots, this book breathes hope and joy into the heart of any parent with a reluctant reader in their house.

The story begins with a young girl finding out that she must read a book over her school holidays. Why on earth would she ever want to do that? She HATES books. Why can't she just have fun and relax? Her mum takes her off to the library and chooses a book for her and the rest , as they say, is history. The dull sketches on the pages transform into vibrant illustrations packed with a spectrum of wonderful colours and the girl gets totally drawn in the the magic of her book. She is taken on an adventure full of witches, piranhas and dragons and she can not put her book down. When she finishes, she heads straight back to the library to find another story to cast it's spell on her.

Mariajo Illustrajo uses her beautiful illustrations and transition from muted to bright colours to bring the story to life in the way that a great book captures our imagination and fills us full of emotion whilst engaging our imagination. A good book can make us laugh, cry, love and all of the emotions in between and somehow, employing her drawings, Mariajo captures all of that and pops it onto the pages of this fabulous picture book. We loved it and can't think of a better tool to entice those children who think that books are boring and a chore into changing their outlook.

We read this book with children age 4-6.

Thank you to NetGalley and FLC/Quarto for sending this eBook for review consideration. All opinions are our own.

This picture book has charming illustrations, and the story shows a reluctant reader getting swept away into a good book for the first time. The dialogue in the story feels honest and natural, and the illustrations depict the main character's experience of feeling immersed in an imaginary story after being so resistant to reading. This is really sweet, and even though the message could have felt forced or demanding, I think that this book is more encouraging and empowering than preachy.

This was a cute and endearing book about learning to love reading. I enjoyed the art and think kids will, too.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read the ARC for this book. A wonderful tale of a reluctant reader discovering the joy of books. The illustrations add to the enjoyment of this experience!

The little girl at the centre of this story definitely does not like reading and she is not impressed when her teacher tells the class that they are expected to read a book over the school holiday. The situation worsens when she is taken to the library to choose the book. She turns down all recommendations (in one case, out of disgust at reading a book where a mermaid wants to become human because of a handsome prince, which I rather liked!) but eventually leaves with one that her sister enjoyed when she was younger. When she starts the book, she finds that it really isn't that bad, as she is transported to another world. The illustrations, at this point, become bold and bright and colourful, compared with the muted pastels of the previous pages. The little girl meets new characters and discovers new places on her adventure and eventually falls under the magic spell of books and stories. A lovely, stunningly illustrated book that would be an excellent addition to a school or class library, particularly to show those children who dislike books, that it's ok to dislike something but that maybe they just haven't yet found the right "spell" for them.

The Spell of a Story
By Mariajo Ilustrajo
Frances LIncoln Children's Books

The Cover drew me into this little tale and the graphics/illustrations tugged at my sight. Sometimes I wish I was a kid who could give a kid point of view. I liked the illustrations the story was okay and predictable and I wonder if kids need a book that addresses non readers and the magic of a story to draw them in. I will give it a 4 out of 5 as a picture book it was very good, and I can't answer the question of the storyline.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ebook.

Oh my gosh, this will be PERFECT to promote summer reading to elementary classes! (Which is good, because I am completely sick of the one I used last year) It’s about a girl who is assigned to read a WHOLE book over summer vacation. Clearly the worst punishment ever. But her mother takes her to the library and she finds a book she actually likes, and falls into the story. The illustrations do a great job of getting this across - becoming more vivid and detailed as she falls deeper into the fantasy world. My only (small) gripe is with the font, which is all caps and a little tough to read. Hopefully something that plays better on the actual page than on my screen. (Ever since I started researching materials for the dyslexia collection, I’ve started to rebel against all-caps fonts, which are tough for struggling readers) But that’s a minor gripe - this is really great.

When she discovers she must read one full book over vacation, a young girl discovers the power of reading - and that she loves it.

This book has a beautiful illustration style and depicts the power of reading artfully. The reader is shown how you can be drawn into a a world just from opening a book. As a librarian I'm appreciative that the child and her mother went to a library to find a book, and showed how a bookshelf might look to a reluctant reader, and later to someone who's discovered the power of books.

This book is great for any child in their elementary career.

This book was meant to foster a love of reading. The characters are purposely made in two tone colours at the beginning.

Reading on summer vacation sounds like a bore to the main character and so do libraries.

When she reads a book her mom read as a child, she's skeptical, and then suddenly, her life is in bright colour.

The girl goes through all kinds of adventure themes found in novels and goes along a quest with a masked mouse.

Suddenly, she cant get enough of reading and speeds through her routine just so she can get back to her book.

Its so true of how us readers feel when we are taken over by a great book. This is a great story for kids!

“The Spell of a Story” is a book that even should have in their classroom when it releases. So many students nowadays either struggle with reading or have a dislike for it due to our education system and how reading is presented. Mariajo Ilustrajo does an amazing job encouraging readers to find books that captivate them and take them to another world in their minds. The character is never criticized for their dislike in reading, but instead is taken to the library to find the perfect book for them. To watch them fall in love with reading reminds me the first time I found a book I could not put down.

This book is so good! It made me laugh. It filled me with joy. And it left a very satisfied smile on my face.

This book is perfect for young readers who like to read, as well as those who would rather not. Both will find something to relate to in the book. I also encourage adult readers to give this one a try. It will remind you of the joy of reading.

A real celebration of the transformative power of reading.

OMG! HONESTLY IM REALLY REALLY REALLY LIKE THIS BOOK!

Its reminds me how I start reading and make this as a hobby. Since I was a kid, i hate reading, same as the story told inside this book. Until finally I found one book that makes me fall in love with reading. Hopefully same thing goes to my kids when she found the right book and make reading as a hobby. Thanks for the ARC!

SO VERY PRECIOUS.

The spell of a story is a children's picture book that perfectly encapsulates the joy and magic of reading. The main character, a little girl that hates reading, seeing it as a tedious chore, gets assigned to read a book for the summer by her teacher. Her sister takes her to the library, and she dreadfully picks out a book to read. Soon she finds herself lost in an imaginary world, and unable to put down her book.

This was such a heartwarming little story that perfectly captured the making of a bookworm! Absolutely recommend!!

Cute and basic book to get children more interested in reading. I like the idea behind the story; teaching children how exciting reading can be from an early age is important.
I would have liked the text to be a little bigger/easier to read. I know the illustrations are at the forefront to capture children’s attention, but I believe easily seeing the letter/words on the page is also important.

I loved this book! It’s a great book to show how amazing books can be. I have so many kiddos in my life who don’t like reading so I love to be able to share this with them potentially.

This was such an enjoyable read about the power of reading. The protagonist is relatable, so this book would be excellent for a child who may not love reading - yet. I would certainly recommend this book to teachers, librarians, and bookstore owners to read during a story time.