The Other Side of Magic by Debbie Dadey

This book is about Natalie, Penny and Luke. They are all key holders. Key holders are people who protect the border between the non-magical world (or the place where the humdrums live) and the magical world. The magical world and non-magical world are referred to as this side of magic, and the other side of magic. When Natalie first finds out that she is a key holder, she really does not want to be one. Over time, she begins to enjoy her new role, and as she tries harder, she discovers her own strengths and makes many new friends along the way.

This was a book for small children. It would be an excellent bedtime story for a 5 or 6 year old. There are lots of fun characters, and opportunities for funny voices. This is also a good book for a 6 or 7 year old to read "all by myself" and be proud. Having said that, the plot was not very strong, and the entire story was not presented very realistically. I thought many parts of this book did not connect very well. A few examples of this include Luke and Penny not liking Natalie, and Natalie being a spoiled brat. Although they all circled around Natalie's trip from mean to nice, the scenes did not really go together very well. All in all this was a good book, but not worth reading if you are over 9.

Reviewer Age: 12

Reviewer City, State and Country: Exeter, New Hampshire USA