I really enjoyed this middle grade novel. Clara Voyant is our main protagonist, who brushes up on her investigative journalism techniques by joining the school paper. Clara cannot quite believe it when her grandmother leaves her and her mother in London alone as she jets off to start a new life in Florida.
Clara throws herself into writing for the school paper - but when the horoscopes she starts writing come true, a mystery erupts around the school. This causes adventure and havoc at the same time.
I would highly recommend this charming middle grade story. It has a beautiful writing style and is highly entertaining.

Clara doesn’t like the idea of moving and her mom starting a new spiritual shop nor the thought of moving above the shop. Then Clara gets chosen to write articles for her school paper and gets chosen for writing horoscopes of all things. Because of how well her predictions turn out she gets nicknamed, Clara Voyant and goes on to make many correct predictions that startle even her.

She befomes grateful that she is learning so much about how to look beyond the surface and not to just label people. This book gets five stars as this is a novel written in the correct genre, very much adapting the plots and sub plots in a way middle school children think, as well as having great elaborance in the areas needed to keep the novel interesting from beginning to end. The author is talented and hoping to get to read more of her work in the near future!

Clara is a girl on her middle school paper trying to get a real story to write about but the editor isn't going to give her the story she thinks she deserves. Clara is given the job to write the horoscopes for the paper and no surprise she is not happy at all . But with this new story Clara learns more about herself. I'd say this story is very good and I loved the way Clara deals with her problems .
Absolutely love this book!

I forgot to write a review last year so here it is:
I did like this book, I think that it can almost bring back memories from middle school. I would recommend this book for the ones that feel like reading something simple, and yet with a good plot.

Clara Voyant tells the story of young, pragmatic Clara. A 13-year-old girl who recently had her world turned upside down by her grandmother’s move to Florida and her mother’s decision to move from their sensible neighbourhood to “Woo Land” in Kensington Market.

Clara considers herself to be just like her grandmother: sensible, logical, and distant. Because of this, she tends to clash with her spiritually inclined mother, who wants nothing more than to have special powers or be a “witch”. Moreover, Clara’s dreams of being a serious journalist, who can proudly showcase her articles to her grandmother, are threatened by the fact that she’s assigned the horoscopes on the school’s paper. Worse than that, all of her horoscopes come true, and she is assigned the name Clara Voyant.

This is a story that I wholeheartedly enjoyed. The characters are charming and alive. I wish they had taken a little bit more time to develop the plot since the resolution of the main conflict felt too rushed at the end, and some of the subplots were forgotten halfway through. Still, the book is lovely in its own way.

Clara is an interesting character in the sense that she is so stuck in her own ways and in what she believes to be “acceptable”, but still manages to change and develop slowly but surely. The minor characters are obviously less fleshed out, but that by no means mean that they are boring or unfinished, just that it is easier to focus on Clara by not pulling unnecessary focus to other people.

The overall story had a good arc, and it had the underlying message of “people change and that is okay. No one stays the same forever, and people are not always what we think they are.” which is a valuable lesson.

An interesting premise but unfortunately I was not able to connect with the material.

Who knew horoscopes could stir up so much craziness? Clara Voyant by Rachelle Delaney is an amusing story about a girl who wants a traditional home but whose mother is unconventional. Clara has just recently moved to a new house, neighborhood, and school and she is a journalist for the school newspaper. While she wants to write investigative pieces the editor has her create a horoscope column. This creates all sorts of crazy scenarios to include the intriguing fact that Clara may be clairvoyant. The story starts a little slow but gathers speed. All the characters are very heartwarming. The adjectives used to explain the color of the rooms are vivid enough for one to imagine the scene. And the description of the foods are detailed enough for the reader’s mouth to either water or gag. This a fun story that would make a great read for any young person who is new to a place, whose parents are different, or who is just trying to fit in.

"A wise person once told me that people are in charge of their own destinies. You can't decide what will happen to you, but you can decide how you'll react."
The book is based on Clara, a girl who doesn't believe in mystical powers & superstitions and calls all those things "woo". Clara and her mother move into a tiny apartment above a herbal remedy shop in Kensington market when her grandmother moves to Florida and Clara doesn't like the change and misses her grandmother. As she's really interested in journalism, she joins the newspaper staff at her new middle school to polish her journalistic skills but the editor instead puts her in charge of writing horoscopes. Her worst fears are realized when they actually start coming true. But when her school mascot disappears, she has an amazing opportunity to prove her investigative skills using her mystical powers.
Initially what caught my eye was the beautiful cover and the really clever play on the word "clairvoyant."
I really loved the plot of the story and liked the fact that the characters weren't two dimensional. The character & personality of Maeve, Clara's best friend was my favorite. She's an amazing friend & such a super cheerful, upbeat person.
The book was a very fun, cute & light read and I absolutely adored it. I found the horoscope thing really unique & interesting. Even though I'm not really a firm believer in horoscopes or astrological signs myself, I do think sometimes they are true and funnily enough Clara's prediction for the Scorpios in the end is definitely advice that I needed and can be totally applied to the situation I'm personally in right now. Is that spooky or what? haha!
This book is definitely aimed at younger kids but I would recommend it to adults who are looking for a fun and light read too.
4.3/5 stars for me.
I want to thank NetGalley, the author and Penguin Random House Canada for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much for the opportunity!

"You shouldn't do what other people want you to do with your life. You should stick with your own dreams."

I was fortunate to receive a digital ARC of Rachelle Delaney's Clara Voyant via Net Galley, thanks to the lovely folks over at Penguin Random House Canada. When I saw the adorable cover and title, I knew I needed to pick this book up. The novel tells the story of sixth grader, Clara, as she tries to "prove her chops" and obtain an investigative piece for her school's newspaper. To her dismay, she winds up running the paper's horoscope column instead. Abhorring anything superstitious, you can imagine her reaction as students' fortunes begin coming true and they coin her "Clara Voyant." The novel details Clara's journey to come to terms with people's beliefs in the extraordinary and her struggle to prove her journalistic talents.

This story is a charming one, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it - but I believe I would have loved it even more if I'd read it at a younger age. Such is my problem with most middle grade books, but I can appreciate their value all the same. Clara Voyant gives young readers a tough, career-focused female protagonist, and that's something we all need to see more of in literature. On top of that, the plot itself is humorous and engaging. I never felt the urge to put this book down due to boredom, and there were a handful of moments that actually made me laugh out loud.

From serious, down-to-Earth Clara to her superstitious, potion-brewing mother, Gaby, the characters in this story are interesting and lovable. Even the supposedly terrifying custodian turns out to be a relatable figure, making these characters come to life within the pages. My one character complaint is that some of them - mostly the adults - feel like caricatures at times. For example, Gaby's friends run a business communing with spirits (which is amazing). But reading from Clara's perspective, they become almost cartoonish, and we never see any other side to them.

I also give Delaney props for not dumbing down the prose in her novel, something that often happens when books are geared toward a certain age range. The writing felt natural, smart, and witty enough for readers of all ages. As someone who has dipped her feet in journalism, I appreciated that she uses the proper terminology and clearly knows what she's talking about. Young readers might just learn a thing or two about the field from Clara Voyant.

My only other complaint is that the school setting feels a bit older than it's meant to. My college could hardly afford to keep up a journalism club printing multiple papers per month, much less my middle school. And Clara describes the artistic endeavors of her classmates, mentioning photographers and video makers. Does anyone remember having child protection locks on their AOL accounts in the sixth grade? Because I do. I could definitely see high school students doing some of the things mentioned in this novel, but I don't know. Middle school seemed like a stretch to me.

I gave Clara Voyant a 3 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. My reading experience was a pleasurable one, and I think this story has a lot to offer to young readers. This could be because I'm in my twenties, but I'm not sure the story will necessarily stick with me. But it could be a favorite for someone closer to Clara's age, and that's important. So I recommend this to younger kids, and I'd also recommend it to older readers looking for a lighthearted, entertaining read.

Clara Voyant by Rachelle Delaney is all about a girl named Clara who does not believe in "woo" as her grandmother Elaine calls it. Her mother Gaby, and her best friend Mauve, however are all about the woo. Gaby works in a store selling herbs and making potions to cure people's ailments. She and Clara live in the tiny apartment above the store. Clara wished her life were more normal. All she wants is to be a journalist. The problem with that is her school's editor won't giver her any hard hitting stories. Instead Clara gets stuck with the horoscopes column. Horoscopes definitely fall under the category of woo, so Clara isn't pleased. Soon though, her horoscopes start coming true and she finds herself in the spotlight. Her mother is so jealous of her new found "powers" and everyone wants Clara to tell them their future. Clara just wants to be a normal kid, but soon enough, even she can't deny that she just knows things.

This book is so great. It's funny and full of the snark you'd expect out of a soon-to-be teenager, especially one who is embarrassed of her mother and her weird habits. Personally, I'd embrace the lifestyle that Clara is running away from. Magical abilities? I'll take 'em!

I just really loved everything about this story. From the themes to the quirky characters. Absolutely 5 stars! And thanks to NetGalley for an advanced ebook copy. Clara Voyant comes out in May of 2018.

I thought the book was really cute and would suggest it for those 9-12 years old although it will be enjoyed by all age groups. The book flowed along and the characters were not 2-dimensional. Sometimes in life we don't get what we want, but we have to play the cards we're dealt. I would really enjoy this if it becomes a series.

Clara Voyant is a light read and an enjoyable middle grade book that narrates the story of Clara Costa, a middle grade school student from Kensington Middle School who is one of the new staff of the school's Gazette. She dreams of having her own column from the said school newspaper, but their editor Wesley Ferris gave her writing tasks that is not suitable to Clara's taste. The most notable one that Wesley gave her was when she was assigned to write the weekly horoscope section.

Writing the said portion has made people around her to noticed that she got the special gift to foresee. Clara's mom wants her to develop her talent, but what I like about Clara is that she is determined to not let anyone dictates wants she want in life. That is one of the remarkable lessons that kids will learn from reading this book written by Rachelle Delaney; we should pursue our dream because just like what Clara's grandma Elaine always say to her and her mom Gaby, "we're in charge of our own destinies."

Kids don't always agree with what parents ideals are. Clara is stuck with a "woo" mother who has a beaded doorway, and has a great aunt who was a witch, and makes herbal remedies for people. Clara just wants a normal life, with normal kids, in a normal school. And she wants to be a journalist.

Very realistic feelings from Clara. Fun little story, which is about more than Clara writing a horoscope that appears to come true.

Quick reading, as it is middle-school, but fun, with a slight mystery involved, of which I thought I figured out, but it turned out I did not, though the clues were there.

Well done. Kids and adults will enjoy this one.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

A Switch on the Family Cozy

Usually, in my experience, when you have a warm and fuzzy family/neighborhood cozy it's powered by a big-hearted and optimistic kid heroine who thaws out the frosty adults around her. Very Pollyanna, (which, by the way, is a way better book than common memory gives it credit for). The inside joke in "Clara Voyant", though, is that the tween heroine is the one who's sort of cold and grumpy and prickly, and it's the adults around her who loosen her up and open her eyes to how friendship works.

Here's the short version of the setup. Clara lives with Mom and grandmother. Grandmother is sort of a pill; she's rather stern and humorless. Mom is a free spirit who just wants to follow her bliss. Our heroine admires grandmother and speaks of her mother with mild, judgmental dismissiveness that borders on contempt. On page one grandmother decamps to a retirement villa, leaving Clara and Mom on their own, and Mom follows her bliss big time, by moving to a dumpy apartment, working for a herbal remedy shop, and letting her freak flag fly. Needless to say, Clara is not amused by or pleased with any of these developments.

I feared this was going to be a juvenile whine fest, or that Clara would eventually grow up, but it would be a long, heavy-handed, and tedious slog. Well, not to worry. I held on to the fact that Rachelle Delaney's previous book, "The Bonaventure Adventures", was a delightful though slightly melancholy examination of what family means, and so had faith that we would get on track. That faith was rewarded.

At her new school Clara ends up with a BFF who is 100% the best BFF ever, (and a very funny sidekick). Clara wasn't bullied or mean-girl-ed at school, so we didn't have to go there. Mom turned out to be not at all a flake, (although she remained a free spirit). Even grandmother, off in her retirement, mellowed out. More and more adults entered the picture, each one supportive, interesting and willing to nudge Clara in the direction of opening up and loosening up. As I say, an unusual switcheroo in which the grownups get the heroine to grow up. Along the way there were quite a few witty, sly or slightly edgy throwaway lines and observations that gave the narrative a little bite. And Clara is not always a grump; sometimes her prickliness is warranted, and she is generally treated with sympathy as a tween whose world has been upset.

There is a plot of sorts, involving Clara's desire to be an investigative reporter, (which, mercifully, wasn't beaten to death), Clara's being assigned newspaper duties as a horoscope writer, (which added just a wink of the mystical), and a mild school mystery, (which served mostly to keep Clara doing things and meeting people and added some forward momentum to the story). But the plot is not the point; rather, we see an interesting bond develop between Clara and her Mom, and we see Clara open her heart and mind. All of this was done with a light touch, a sly sense of humor, and a warm heart. What a nice find.

(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)