This book was beautiful.. The author has a beautiful compelling book. Well thought out, researched and very touching. I love the style of this books. I would love to read other books by this author.

My Review

Magic Diary is the story of Genevieve a fourteen year old in the hospital after a relapse. Surrounded by other cancer patients and not knowing what the future brings she is given a diary from her teacher. As she begins to write in her journal she is visited by historical people who provide her with very important lessons. She even shares her story with those close to her including the staff and Nana.

Sad, but great novel to help someone dealing with such a devastating illness. It is very well written and extremely a must read.

This book was provided for free in exchange for my honest opinion.

Highly recommend this book whether you are a teenager or an adult.

I give this a 5 Star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Magic Diary is a beautifully written heartwarming story of Genevieve, a 14 year old girl, who is distressed to learn that her cancer is no longer in remission, and that she has to be hospitalized for treatment. Genevieve is more concerned with her mother’s well-being, than her own. But, this is not a dark, sad or tragic story, just the opposite! It is inspirational, insightful and educational, as well as charming, thought provoking, and yes, even, amusing. Genevieve is given a diary, a “Magic Diary” by her beloved teacher who tells her that by recording her thoughts and experiences in this diary, time would fly, as if by magic. Everything in this book is uplifting and I dare you not to fall in love with Genevieve! This book is a must read, not only for adults, but for young adults as well. It is simply amazing.

Such a sad and uplifting story. You have to give it your full attention because that is what it deserves. Check it out and add it to your reading list.

I loved the story, the concept, the characters and the message of the book, but it was something with the writing style that I struggled a little bit with for some reason.

Thank you Sunbury Press, Inc. for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to review.

Genevieve is a teenage girl who has a relapse in her battle with cancer when her teacher gives her a magic diary. The magic diary is supposed to help Genevieve keep track of her thoughts and feelings and speed up the passage of time during her treatment. However, the unexpected happens; entries start appearing from historical figures as messages to Genevieve to help her understand all of the challenges she is facing.

There were a lot of things that I loved about this book. First, I love that it is about keeping a journal or diary as a coping mechanism during difficult times. This is something I found very useful when I was Genevieve's age, though for different life events. I also loved how the book introduced readers to different historical figures.

There were also some things I both liked, and felt conflicted over. I enjoyed that some entries tied into modern events, but some transitioned more smoothly than others in my opinion. I also felt that although the style seemed to be for young readers, some of the topics felt a bit more mature. Finally, I particularly liked how the ending tied everything together.

Overall, I did enjoy the book, and would recommend it to parents to read with their children. That way, the parents can expand on some of the more mature topics and include lessons that can be learned from the book.

Magic Diary follows the Genevieve, a 14-year-old girl who has relapsed in her battle of cancer, writing in a journal gifted by her English teacher. What stood out about this book was the unique prose of the diary entries and Genevieve's bluntly honest tone. Additionally, I liked that the author didn't try to sugarcoat anything going on, however, this book was a bit heavy on the politics and history for a middle-grade novel and at times the tone felt condescending.

The diary entries alternate with different narrators- often switching between Genevieve and a historical figure that connects to her previous entries. While it was interesting to learn about these figures including Jim Thorpe, Arthur Ashe, Charlie Chaplin, Emmett Till, Florence Nightengale, and Harry S. Truman, the transitions between the narrators were sometimes awkward and didn't flow as smoothly. But I did like how the author seamlessly wove these historical figures together, finding an overarching connection between them.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book- it was a quick read with meaningful messages and interesting historical facts.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Sunberry Press for providing a free ARC

I work as an instructional aide assisting middle school students with reading and I found this book to be geared to a younger group than middle school. The concept was good, but the writing wasn't the best, so I couldn't get into it 100%. A younger audience may enjoy this one more than I did.

Genny was an easy protagonist to love! Her struggles with a cancer relapse hit close to home for me, and I devoured the book in a short time. However, I found the politics in the book to be a bit heavy-handed - they were shared through the letters from various historical figures. While I agree with the author's political views as expressed in the book, I was distracted often by the political talk, when I felt like I should be transported instead by the story and the characters.

I think this book is worth a read for readers under the age of eleven. Since I do not fall under that age category, I may not be the best to give a review, but I think it should be a 3.5 rounded to three stars book. At times the plot was at a crawling pace and the writing was stilted and unnatural, but the premise and Genevieve's story was nice. Good work, and keep it up Pat LaMarche!