5★
“Finally, it’s the last day of school. That means no more waking up early, no more pop quizzes, and most importantly, no more reading.
‘Enjoy the vacation, and don’t forget to read a book.’”

NO! That can’t possibly be right. It’s supposed to be a time for kids to have fun and relax. Our horrified student goes home to complain, presumably to Big Sister (since the dedication is to the author’s big sisters who showed her “the power of reading.”)

Big Sister says it’s time to hit the library. NO! Little Sister moans and groans to the cat, to no avail, who curls up and goes to sleep, as cats do. Big Sister makes good on her promise/threat, and to the library they go.

My Goodreads review has an illustration with the caption:
“They look even more boring when they’re all together. How do you choose? They’re all just quiet and tall.”

She browses unsuccessfully through a few. “A mermaid who wants to become human because of a handsome … prince? Puuuurlease.”

Notice that Big Sister, however, is turned slightly to the right, having spotted something peeping out of a book on the Adventures shelf.

“ ‘Why don’t you try this one? I read it when I was your age?’”

Little sister says it looks even bigger at home, like the longest book that ever existed. It will take all summer to read it.
My Goodreads review has two illustrations with the caption:
“WOW! Where am I?”

Bright jungle colours, bright clothes and boots on our young reader, and she’s off, led by a small, mouselike creature with a mask and a big fluffy tail.

My Goodreads review has an illustration with the caption:
“ ‘No time for questions. Quick. Follow me! We are late!’”

There is a circuitous route on a map with many features detailed: “DARK MOUNTAINS (where big strange creatures live), The Big Piranha Swamp, Cave of Horror, pirates, witches, and a short-cut bridge (extremely dangerous), the Unknown Land”

Her guide explains they need to collect ingredients, and it’s a colourful hunt that ensues. Flowers, monsters, bats, pirates! “ ‘Something tells me this isn’t going to be a cake recipe.’”

Finally they arrive at the witches’ house where her guide will hunt for an ingredient while she has tea and chats, to distract the witches.

My Goodreads review has an illustration with the caption:
“’Quick! What’s taking so long?’ ”

All of a sudden her reading is rudely interrupted with a call to dinner and then bathtime. We see the book on the table, next to the bath, and under her arm as she brushes her teeth. She is told Lights Off, but is not ready for sleep. She whispers under the covers.

My Goodreads review has an illustration with the caption:
“ ‘I need to know how this ends. Where was I?’”

She returns to the story and her guide, who begins brewing the potion and, considering this is a children’s picture book and not a bestselling mystery, I feel I can reveal that the spell works! Her guide tells her she has fallen under the spell of a story. She admits she feels different.

My Goodreads review has two illustrations with the caption:
“ ‘Can we go back to the library…? I am ready for my next adventure.’

‘Already? I thought you hated books.’”

My Goodreads review has an illustration with the caption:
“ ‘I think I’ll need to try out quite a few more just to make sure.’ ”

Much of the book is written in what looks like handwritten capital letters. When the girl is reading her book, her imaginary conversation is in the usual mixed upper and lower case ‘handwriting’, but the guide’s words are printed in whatever the book font is (a simple sans-serif type), to indicate what is sparking her imagination. There are many examples of the capital letters. Here is an example of the mixed fonts.

My Goodreads review has an illustration showing both fonts.

When she goes adventuring in her reading, she leaves the rather monochrome real world behind for the bright colours of the book, as she risks the perils of crossing dangerous bridges over deep ravines.

Author/illustrator Mariajo Ilustrajo has done a beautiful job of showing a girl discovering a whole new world. Notice the bright foxes (and mask) on Big Sister as she is engrossed in her own library book. Lovely touch.

Thanks to #NetGalley and Frances Lincoln Children’s Books for the copy for review of #TheSpellOfAStory. It’s a delight.

The love of reading is one of the most important gifts to give a young child to promote their future academic success. This sweet story sets out to do just that. With charming illustrations and fun little characters, the reader is taken on a journey to discover just how fantastical, engrossing, and satisfying a good book can be. For an added bonus, it even encourages a love of libraries. The story made my heart happy. My early grade readers loved it and immediately ran off to find more books. Mission accomplished.

The Spell of a Story is a cute picture book that encourages kids who don’t like to read to find a book that they can really get into and learn to love reading. All readers have that one book that took them from just reading words to being enveloped into the story. This book celebrates that. The illustrations are pretty basic but lovely and get the point across. I enjoyed reading this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion.

This is a great children book and I think it depicts perfectly how it feels to be enraptured in the story of a good book.

I liked the illustrations and the fact that it all becomes super colourful when the character is reading.

In this story, the main character goes from reluctantly reading a whole book for an assignment, to intentionally going back to the library for more. It feels relatable and is definitely a charming story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quadro Publishing for this ARC in exchange of my honest review.

What a great children's book! I have loved books foe as long as I can remember and still have some of my first childhood books from the early 1960s. Mariajo Ilustrajo captures how I still feel about reading and sharing this story with my grandchildren was delightful! Thanks # NetGalley

First of all, this book has great illustrations! I loved the representation of the girl's imaginary adventures while she is reading. The story is heart-warming and a lovely one to read to kids who need encouragement to keep looking for books they like. I will be reading this to my students!

This is the book parents and teachers of reluctant readers have been waiting for. This sums up precisely what we try and tell the kids in a beautifully illustrated picture book adventure. Straight to the top of my recommendations list.

This book is such a lovely ode to story.

A little girl with nothing to do but head to the library with her mom. She doesn't like reading and doesn't want to go.

Until....

A story grabs her attention and her heart. She is drawn in to the magic and the beauty of story. It changes and brightens her world.

And when it's over? She needs another.

My kids love book and saw their own book loving selves in the character (after she fell in love with books). The illustrations are magical and each of my kids was pointing out little details in them.

I loved how this reluctant reader was taken on a colorful journey of disliking books to finding their magic. The way the creator used color and font changes was brilliant. I’ll use this book to teaching model writing lessons.

A nameless heroine starts this fun picture book with a lament about having her summer vacation spoiled by a teacher who suggests that each student read a book over the summer. The nameless heroine complains she doesn't like books and her mother takes her to the library where the mother suggests a book that she read as a girl. The heroine enjoys the book and looks for another. It's a fun story to read and the illustrations are nice.

Fantastic story about a little girl who isn't interested in books until she reads a book -- unwillingly! -- and becomes hooked on the story. This has gorgeous illustrations and the colors reflect what is happening in the story; in the beginning, there aren't many colors, but things become bright as her imagination awakens. When she is at a dangerous part of the story, the colors are dark.
Thanks so much to NetGalley for letting me read this

This had a gorgeous, unique art style and I think it is a great book for those children who aren’t quite sold on the reading bug! A story within a story that shows the magic of a good book and promotes libraries- what’s not to love!

Cute book about a young girl who is not interested in reading books - her mom takes her to the library and suggests a story for her and that’s when the magic begins. As a book lover from a young age, the message of this book was close to my heart.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for review!

Nobody is ever too old for a picture book!! As a middle school teacher, my favorite thing to do is get kids on the floor at the front of the room to read a book together. Mariajo Ilustrajo's "The Spell of a Story" is a great book to get reluctant readers hooked on the idea of finding their perfect book. The illustrations combined with the plot of this picture book give me the warm fuzzies. I can't wait to purchase this book on publication day and read it to my 8th grade students.

One of my new favorite kids' books. The illustrations are just so incredibly gorgeous -- ones that make you want to sit and look at all the little fascinating details forever -- and that's to say nothing of the amazing story of a child becoming enthralled with the adventure of reading. Brilliantly done!

A book about the love of reading and the magic of getting enchanted by a story. A great book to read with kids who are just starting out on their reading journey. As a life long book lover this really spoke to me. Well written, engaging and fun illustrations.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book made me so happy! At first I did not relate to our unnamed protagonist at all, because even as a kid, I loved to read, but seeing her fall under the spell of just the right gateway book was so awesome. As a teacher, I always hope that if I can turn a student on to just the right story, they might become people who love to read, so seeing that story play out was very satisfying!

A children’s book that opens up to the love of reading.

Taking a young child on a journey from “I hate books” to becoming beguiled, via a library visit, to fall under the spell of reading. This notion, that books can be fun and reading can become a passion is wonderfully told and the reluctant reader is easily identified.

What marks the book out for me is how the “journey” into literacy is depicted. The young girl appears to fall into the book she is reading - but in fact is an illustration of just how a book can turn you into a bibliophile simply by opening to the first page.

Creative writing here re-imagines a strange new world similar to the best fantasy map you can envisage.

Love this author from reading an earlier book, Flooded, this only cements her reputation for me and the illustrations are full of fun and varied scenarios that build the adventure and make it a truly memorable story.

I didn’t find reading fun as a child; mostly it grew into a fear if ever I was asked to read aloud in class. Books set by school to read at home were completed only through my mother reading them to me; even when I was of an age to read and enjoy it in my own head. But Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn came alive as my Mum read those pages to me.
Glandular fever in my later teens was my admission into books and I have read for pleasure ever since. Don’t under estimate the value of books, take for granted libraries or assume a child will love reading.

This cute story tics all the hallmarks of a good children's book. The illustrations are engaging and draw the viewer into the story. A young child finds out at the end of the school year that she must read a whole book before school starts in the fall. Dismayed at this assignment, she finds herself dragged to the library by her mother. Mom wisely selects a book she loved as a child and within days the whole summer opens up, powered by the stories that unfold. The illustrations start in black and white, but once our main character gets pulled into the first story, the pages explode with color. This book is every librarian's dream.

This was incredibly cute and I think that children who reads this or have this read to them will have much to think about and learn to enjoying reading themselves. Books mean adventure, and this would be a great intoduction to reading!