Book Review: The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

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The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray is a historical fiction novel that spans many years and tells of the friendship between former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune. I don't know if I would have picked up this book if it hadn't been the August selection for one of the book clubs I belong to in my area because I don't read a lot of historical fiction. However, I am so glad that I read it and was able to learn many things I hadn't learned about in any of my history classes.  I don't recall learning anything about Mary McLeod Bethune, and she is an important part of American history. The things she helped spearhead to provide African American people equal rights is quite impressive. One of the things I was horrified to learn about is Franklin D. Roosevelt's resistance to stop lynchings because he was afraid of losing the Southern Democrats backing for his New Deal Bill. Another thing that I fo...
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Book Review: Secret Spells (Diary of an Accidental Witch, #4) by Perdita Cargill and Honor Cargill

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Book Review Secret Spells Diary of an Accidental Witch #4 Perdita Cargill Honor Cargill

Secret Spells (Diary of an Accidental Witch, #4) written by Perdita Cargill and Honor Cargill, Illustrated by Katie Saunders is told from the perspective of eleven year old Bea via her diary entries and is about the main character and her classmates preparing for the Winter Solstice Grand Tournament, and they will be competing against a non-magical school, so no magic will be allowed! Which school will win?

A huge thank you goes out to NetGalley for giving me an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Secret Spells (Diary of an Accidental Witch, #4) by Perdita Cargill and Honor Cargill and Illustrated by Katie Saunders for free in exchange for my honest review. I was intrigued by the book title and cover art and was thrilled to be approved to read this book.

This book is somewhat similar to The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy. The main character goes to a school for witches where there are some mishaps while casting some spells. Those are really the only similarities between the two books.

I liked the way the story was told in a diary entry format as I feel like this makes it easier for the target audience of six to nine year olds to read and process the storyline. It could be read as a stand alone book, but I would recommend reading the series in order just so you have the entire backstory up front.

Despite Secret Spells being a fantasy novel for children, I felt like how the characters reacted to different situations was quite believable. With that being said, the reader doesn't really get an in depth look at the characters, but I guess that's to be expected in a book for young readers. Four out of five stars.

 

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