Certainly had an honest, humorous and unique premise which made it fun to read. The themes of the story were definitely something that would teach children lessons worthwhile learning. However, maybe it was the mismatching graphics with the text or the slightly eye-roll worthy scenes which made me enjoy it lesser than I expected it would.

Mozart, Lucy, Estaban, and PJ are the Backyard Players. They put on plays in Mozart's backyard for their neighbours. When they are looking for the props for their latest play, they find a magic wand with a note. They have five chances to use the wand, but they have to use the magic word. They guess that the magic word is "Abracadabra," but when Esteban waves the wand, it turns PJ into a pig! They go to the magic shop where the wand is from to try to figure out how to turn PJ back into a boy before they have to perform their play that evening.

This is a really cute story. It's great for middle grade readers! It's funny because every time they think of a new magic word to use to try and change PJ back, they make it worse by giving him wings or a tail.

One thing that bothered me in the story is that the pictures didn't always match up with what was happening in the story. For example, the words say that Esteban waves the wand, but in the picture that accompanies that chapter Mozart waves it. There were a few instances where this happened so it was confusing. This could also have been fixed in the final copy because I was reading a ARC.

This is a funny story, and I hope there are more to come!

This review will be posted on my blog on May 14, 2017.

I think the beauty of this story is in its simplicity. It’s a very short book, perfect for elementary-middle school age kids with wonderful themes about teamwork, problem solving, and supporting each other’s strengths. Combining the fun of magic, a mysterious wizard and his shop along with plenty of humor will certainly engage a child’s attention. I also liked how it touched on gender just slightly since often kids think in terms of certain stories/objects being strictly for girls or boys and I think this is one story that will appeal to both.

It’s an absolutely adorable book which my 8 yr old LOVED reading with me and now she wants a stage in the backyard so she can perform plays too :-)

Four kids make up the Backyard Players complete with their own stage in a backyard to put on productions they write, produce and act in for friends and family. They use a magic wand for a prop and accidentally put a spell on PJ one of the Backyard Players. From there they have to figure out how to change their friend back and still perform a play that night. This was a cute story and would be an enjoyable read for any junior thespian. The children engage in problem-solving and there are some sections when they argue and have to learn to work together.