The Magic Necklace - Bumper Special Book!: Book 1

I was never a 'girly' girl, choosing to spend my childhood playing with boys toys and reading scary stories. So when I received this book I groaned. However I was pleasantly surprised the instant I chose to really look at it. The cover is very pretty, the animated characters and bright colours are eye catching. The blurb is basic but succinct. It's also noted that it shows this as being the start of a series so it aims to hook fans into reading more than just the one title. The plot is about two best friends who are suddenly and sadly separated when one of them is forced to move to the other side of the world with her family. Magic soon reunites them when a special necklace (of which they are each given half) invokes a spell that takes them to a magical world where they are both welcomed as 'princesses in training'. The pair join a group of super cool teenage princesses who each have specialties. However, their magical world is under threat from a rogue princess, the nasty Princess Poison. The only way to save their world is to take up a mission to help people in the real world and stop Princess Poison from ruining both worlds completely. The plot moved fairly quickly and the writing style was wonderfully simple, allowing me to 'devour' the book in little time at all. The only downside was a lack in the range of vocabulary. However, this was not necessarily a bad thing, as this would be enticing for more reluctant and first time independent readers. I think this book would be ideal for 6-8 year olds (girls in particular) who have just started independent reading. A great way in for reluctant readers!

Suggested Reading Age 5+