Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Sweet story with a touch of magic. This was a cute story of a lonely little girl who feels unwanted and mistreated and the lengths she will go to feel loved and go fit in. Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for allowing me to read an advance copy.

A fair story and one that I think many will like. Not a great story though I'm not entirely sure what is missing.

What a truly engaging middle grade fantasy novel! Mira is a young girl who recently lost her father, living a life where she just doesn’t fit anymore. She’s had to leave her old school and she can’t do gymnastics anymore, which she loved. No one at her new school likes her. Val - Mira’s step-mother - can’t afford to pay for the sorts of clothes and things the popular kids have. She doesn’t even have her Gammy anymore, as she passed away in the year before her father. She’s stuck with Val, who married her father just weeks before he passed away, and Val’s two daughters, Sara and Bean. But Mira is sure she only has a place with Val’s family so long as she can make herself useful - certainly not because Val wants her there.

When a strange young woman named Lyndame appears offering her three wishes, Mira is sure this is an opportunity to fix her life. But as the saying goes, be careful what you wish for...

This is a touching story about what truly makes a family, and that sometimes what we want and what we need bear remarkably little resemblance to each other. This very compelling and grounded story is infused and lifted with magic and whimsy, from wands and magical ponds to pixies. I highly recommend this novel for the middle grade set. Five out of five stars!

Mira wants to go back to her life before everything changed, when her father was alive, she went to her old school, she was able to go to gymnastics, and she wasn't living with just her stepmother and stepsiblings. When a strange girl with a wand comes and asks her if she wants to make three wishes, it's hard for Mira to say no.

The overall reaction I had to this book was "meh". The characters and story were all flat. It had some interesting concepts —-an evil stepmother who probably isn't as evil as the character thinks, portal travel to a magic world, manipulative fairy-like creatures, sibling dynamics, grief and loss — but it was hard to get attached to any of it. It wasn't a very long book, but the lack of sparkle made it hard to finish.

Thanks to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Wand is an interesting book of fantasy that tells the story of Mira, who recently lost her father, and is looking for somewhere to belong. She believes that her stepmother and sisters are not really family, so she searches for a perfect life.
While reading this novel, I realized it was similar to The Wizard of Oz in some ways. She, like Dorothy, wants to return to her rightful home. Mira, however, thinks it can be found only in a world inhabited by magical creatures, like pixies and ogres, and people. She has an adversary, Lyndame, who, like the Wicked Witch, wants to take something from Mira and ultimately destroy her. When she does finally reach her goal, she realizes after many trials that she already has the family that loves her and her only wish is to return to the world she came from with the her stepmother and sisters.
I liked the story. I think young middle school readers will understand Mira and enjoy following her as she looks for the love she wants and needs.

I don't normally delve into middle grade as much, but I'm glad this one caught my eye! It was so cute and very well written! The temptation of three wishes will grab at anyone, and I loved seeing where this story took that concept!

A beautifully written fairytale that feels reminiscent of Cinderella! I love a good portal fantasy and Landra Jennings manages to breathe new life into this sub genre. Important topics such as grief and loneliness are dealt with in an age-appropriate and compassionate manner. Mira is a relatable character and it was easy to root for her as she struggled to find her place in a new family situation. I think this will be a hit MG novel!

Not my favorite book. It just doesn't pull you in the way a really great book does. it kind of see!ed hard to believe, like it was just a story. Although, I am over the age recommendation, so maybe a younger reader would enjoy this book more than I did.

For fans of fairytales and portal fantasy. This is my first contact with the writing of this author and I liked it.

Mira lost her father to cancer and before that her grandmother. She now lives with her stepmother and two young step sisters, first, we think of Cinderella, but there's more to it. 

The author wrote well the feeling of being alone in the world, we feel that anguish in the beginning of the book up to the middle, then it becomes lighter with all the adventuring. 

Mira doesn't feel at home with this family and can't forgive her stepmother for a wrong she did. In this stage of grief, we see this family through Mira's eyes and how unhappy Mira is. Someone appears and offers three wishes but when we think the story is going to end and we get the moral of it all, the book begins and starts a fast-paced adventure into a fantasy world with fantastical fairytale creatures. 

Mira just wants a family who loves her, but her grief is blinding her. 

Plot twists. Themes such as grief, becoming an orphan, adopted family, finding a place to belong, dealing with sudden changes, coming of age, and a great lesson: we can't force anyone to love us but we can be mindful of those who already do. 

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the Arc. My opinions are my own and honest.

Wand is... where do to start with Wand?

Wand is such a beautiful fun story that makes you feel like a kid again. The writing is so clear, the worldbuilding is not overwhelming and you feel for these characters and the loss they share from the moment the story starts. I believe this is a middle grade book that will excite young readers and bring older readers back to middle grade and all the wonder and whimsy that exists between age groups. Thank you for this amazing arc, I really enjoyed this book.

This was definitely more middle-grade than I anticipated (but hey, the description does give the age of Mira, so that's on me), but I still enjoyed it quite a bit. I think the magical system works well for the intended audience; not too advanced that it was hard to understand and not super simplistic -- I like that there's an open door for more books being written in this world.

3.5 Stars

This is a story of a town filled with secrets, loss, and a little bit of magic, with a few enchanting twists.

Set in a tranquil town where not much seems to happen, this is a story of loss, the grief that follows in what was once a family with a father and a mother. At the age of eleven, Mira has lost not only her mother years before, but recently her father. While she knows that she can’t bring them back, her life has changed in unexpected ways, and she feels as though she doesn’t fit in anywhere. She now lives with a stepmother and stepsisters. Not at ‘home’ or at her new school where she has no friends. She misses the friends she had at her old school, and resents having to have quit gymnastics. Instead, she spends her time at home cooking and cleaning, unless she’s in her room, or outside wandering in the woods - which is where she meets Lyndame, a girl with a magic wand who offers to grant her three wishes.

The one thing she wants most of all is to have her family back the way that it was, but she is in those years where appearance and fashion dictate which group of friends one has, but will that really change her life, or how others treat her? Will it bring back her family? And once she receives these new, more ‘fashionable’ clothes, will it make a difference? Or, perhaps, will it make a *positive* difference?

This small town is known to have ’magical creatures’, and she wonders if, perhaps, the rumours of magical creatures are true, and, if so, can they help her find her family. Her real family. Will she take the chance to find them?

A magical, modern day fairy tale for middle school readers, an adventure story filled with twists and turns, a story of family, loss, hope, and love.



Pub Date: 31 Oct 2023

Many thanks for the ARC provided by HarperCollins Children’s Books, Clarion Books

The author did an amazing job with the characters and creating this world. The world gives such whimsical and cozy vibes, it was super easy to get sucked into the story.

Mira is an eleven year old girl who just wants everything to be back to the way it was before she lost her father and had to quit gymnastics.... and suddenly she she meets a mysterious girl with a powerful wand to promises to grant her three wishes and now Mira’s entire life will change. Mira is a girl dealing with the grief of losing her father and now she has to live with her stepmother and her stepsisters. She is forced to give up gymnastics and change schools, and spends most of her days just cooking and cleaning for her stepfamily. Suddenly she meets a mysterious girl named Lyndame in the woods who has a magical wand and promises to grant her three wishes. But everything comes with a cost and Mira will have to ask herself if these wishes can fix her life or if the cost is too high? In a small town filled with magical creatures and mystery, one girl will have to discover where she belongs and about finding hope after loss. This was an interesting story that gave a modern day fairytale vibe that would be a great read for middle grade readers. Theres magic, adventure, and a heart warming story at the center of it and overall, if those are things you like I feel like this would be a good read for you.

*Thanks Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books, Clarion Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I really enjoyed how good Landra Jennings wrote this, it had everything that I was hoping for from the description. It had great characters and worked well in this fairy tale elements. It does a great job in dealing with grief in a strong way. I enjoyed getting to read this and it does a great job in creating a great world. I'm excited to read more from Landra Jennings.

"A brief image of them playing checkers, cheating each other and laughing like ordinary sisters, passed through Mira’s mind. But then she pictured how they would look sitting at the checkerboard table: petite Sara and big, gangly Mira. It reminded her how out of place she was, how she didn’t really fit. “I’m reading right now.”