Wish trap by Linda Chapman.
Star friends book 2.
When a run of bad luck hits the local gym team, the Star Friends suspect that dark magic is behind it.
Really good read with good characters. Loved the illustrations. 5*.

Enchanting story for the younger readers! Magical animals, fun fantasy, simple plot, memorable characters... and the illustrations were sweet! I'd guess 7-10 years will enjoy this series.

The Wish Trap, written by Linda Chapman & illustrated by Lucy Fleming, is an enchanting story that mixes childhood adventure with fantasy. Readers will delight in the magical animals and whimsical illustrations. Its description rings true - this is a book that will be enjoyed by fans of both the Rainbow Magic series and other magical adventures for young readers.

The second book in the Star Friends series, it follows friends Maia, Ionie, Lottie & Sita as they discover their increasing magical powers as Star Friends. Star Animals are magical animals that come from Star World, and once they have made a human friend, their magic can flow between them in order to do good and stop others who are using bad magic. Promoting acts of kindness in children's literature is always a positive experience for both readers and parents, and using both magic and animals to do so is so much fun!

Maia, Ionie, Lottie & Sita successfully battled a Shade (an evil spirit that brings chaos & unhappiness) in the first adventure - and they will need to work together again to solve a dangerous mystery in The Wish Trap. This time, the members of the gym team are mysteriously getting hurt - and the girls suspect that a Shade is behind the accidents.

While the story itself is fun and the characters charming, the illustrations are gorgeous and really brought the book to life. I am familiar with Lucy Fleming's art through Instagram, but this is the first time I've seen her work displayed in a children's book. Her dreamy, whimsical style fits the Star Friends perfectly. Young readers, particularly girls around my own daughter's age (9), will be happy to have The Wish Trap in their libraries.

the second in the series about the Star Friends and their Star Animals. A great read for the younger reader with plots that are above the usual basic level. and make for a very enjoyable story.

This second Star Friends adventure is every bit as cute and enjoyable as the first one. If you know a young reader who loves animals and magic, then this should delight them. Lucy Fleming’s illustrations are lovely, the story is fun and the mystery continues to deepen as our four friends – and their magical companions – try to stop yet more dark magic from entering the world.

From the cover and the description I was expecting this to be Ionie’s book and for everything to focus on her this time. So I was a little sad to find that Maia remained the main character, just as in the first book. Not that I don’t like Maia, but I wanted to know a bit more about Ionie’s own struggles to try and fit in – which often lead to her trying too hard to show off and simply annoying the others. Ionie did play a very important part and her friendship troubles with the other three girls are definitely improving, but I would have liked to get to know Ionie a little better. It might also have been nice to have seen a softer side to Sorrel, her star friend wildcat, because that cat is a snob and I don’t like her much.

This slight disappointment aside, the story was great. There’s some mystery, a bit of danger, more magic and a little bit more about friendship and trying to understand others instead of always thinking of yourself. In all, another good read for young lovers of animals and magic and reading and adventure.

In this magical read, Ionie and her friends know there is magic between the Human and Star World. They have special powers. They shadow travel to get around. And, they know that the people who do dark magic use Shade's for different purposes, and that Shade's can be trapped in objects and if not trapped they will affect whoever they want to.

They are warned that their visions might not be accurate, at first.

They happen upon a 'Make a Wish' pottery Gnome when out one day and their magical adventure begins, and is teamed with the adorable illustrations of Lucy Fleming