This is a truly magical story about an eleven-year-old boy named Ethan who is quite the budding magician. Ethan performs for birthday parties and practices his act every chance he gets, even when he probably should be working on homework or helping with his brother.

Ethan learns of a magic festival where he could enter a junior magician contest with the winner getting to meet Magnus the Magnificent his idol! He is beyond excited, he just has to convince his family.

Ethan’s youngest brother Jake has severe brain damage which requires lots of extra attention and he is constantly in and out of the emergency rooms. With the contest approaching Ethan has a hard time staying focused on magic as he worries for the health of his baby brother.

Does he make it to the contest or does he give up on magic? You’ll just have to read it and find out! This is an adorable, middle grade book about compassion, acceptance, foegiveness and family bonds. It reminded me about the magic in our everyday lives. ❤️

I received this advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. This book will be published May 7th, 2019.

My name is Ethan, and I have a chance to meet my hero Magnus the Magnificent! All I need to do is travel to Atlantic City and win my age category at the Magic Fest. I think my act is good, but is it good enough? I like practicing at home with my little brother Jake. He's confined to a wheelchair and can't speak, and his health can get seriously bad due to changes in his body temperature. Anyhow, things were going great until Ned arrived at school. We don't get along even though our mothers went to college together, but then he crossed the line. He called my brother a retard, and I lost it. There's no way I'm going to apologize for what I did, so Magic Fest is off. I mean, I shouldn't need to say I'm sorry for protecting my brother, right? I thought magic was the most important thing in my life until the day I received some horrifying news. I don't know what to do.

This book was a wonderful blend of love, humor, and sadness, and you can expect a roller coaster of emotions. It was fun to read about the tricks in Ethan's magic show, as they included talent and comedy. He displayed compassion for young and handicapped children, as most of his performances were for those audiences. Ethan tried to be an average middle school student and understood the importance of family. His character demonstrated admirable qualities for any protagonist. Ned and his family introduced a different type of problem for Ethan. Ned was dealing with his own issues and took them out on Ethan. Each character's anger kept him from trying to understand the other. Jake's character created a bumpy plot due to the ups and downs of his health. Even though he never said a word and couldn't move on his own, his character evoked strong feelings. Overall, the book presented a warm story of a family dealing with challenging problems. I liked it and recommend you give it a shot.

Make sure to read it with a box of tissues!

It's not often that a book can make me both laugh and cry at the same time, but this one did it! Ethan was funny and sincere, but not sappy or unrealistic. My heart ached for him as he tried to be the strong big brother, holding it all together with a brave face while he worried that everything might fall apart. "... every once in a while, if you're fortunate, you get to be a part of real magic." Super Jake is absolutely magical!