This Librarian's Quick Picks: If the Magic Fits

If the Magic Fits
by Susan Maupin Schmid
Random House, 2016
Fantasy Chapter Book

Summary:

Inside an enchanted castle, there's a closet--a closet with one hundred dresses that nobody ever wears. Dresses like those need a good trying-on, and Darling Dimple is just the girl to do it. When she tries on Dress Number Eleven, something unbelievable happens. She transforms into the castle's Head Scrubber! It turns out that each dress can disguise her as someone else. And Darling is about to have an adventure that calls for a disguise or two . . . or a hundred.

Why You'll Love It:

• Kids who enjoy magical adventures with a healthy dose of sleuthing will like this series opener
• Darling’s engaging, entertaining first-person narrative is nicely paced, and small illustrations of the dresses, each with a unique design, open up each chapter.
• The carefully plotted mystery moves along at a quick pace with enough ups and downs to keep readers excited.

Who Should Read It:

Great for 4th-7th graders.

What Else You Should Read:

• Disenchanted: The Trials of Cinderella by Megan Morrison
• Anything by Jessica Day George
• Princess Academy series by Shannon Hale

This Librarian's Quick Picks: The Key to Extraordinary

The Key to Extraordinary
by Natalie Lloyd
Scholastic (Feb. 23, 2016)
Fantasy Chapter Book

“Some books are so special that you never forget where you were the first time you read them.”

 Summary:

Twelve-year old orphan Emma Casey lives by a haunted graveyard in her Tennessee town, giving tours, and helping her brother and Granny Blue with the family bakery, and waiting for the destiny dream of her ancestors--but when it comes it shows her only a key, and she finds that she must solve a ghostly mystery that has haunted her town for generations.

Why You'll Love It:

• The book's evocative setting and cast of eccentric minor characters will draw readers into Emma's world-one warmed by friendship, love, and hope-to share in her discovery that the most valuable treasures lie within.
• Despite ghosts and graves, the story avoids the macabre and instead focuses on the relationships among memory, sadness, and joy, especially as Emma's still recovering from her mother's death.
• This novel will be appreciated by younger middle grade readers who enjoy mysteries with an ample dose of magic and whimsy.

Who Should Read It:

Great for 3rd-6th graders...and here's the book trailer from Scholastic.



What Else You Should Read:

• A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd
• A Tangle of Knots by Lisa Graff
• Savvy by Ingrid Law