This was a book that centered on a family of 5 travelling performers, but this group really does all process super-natural powers. It was really interesting to listen to the story and I love books centered around a Circus theme. 

The heart of the book for me was Maddie, but she probably knew that. She can tell what people are thinking, quite a skill to process. However, Maddie yearns for a normal existence and wants to go to school and have friends her age and not just be a circus act. I wanted this many times for her to. 

I enjoyed this and it is entertaining.  It is a really fun read and the family looks out for each other. As an adult loved it, but think it is appropriate for the Young Adult audience as well. 

So, definitely recommend for and fast and entertaining read that has a lot of heart to it. 

My only complaint would be I put in for the Book, too and never heard back for months. I sometimes like both audio and reading the book, and that made me start the audio, but wait to see if I got the book. 

Thank you NetGalley, Diane Zahler, and Live Oak Media for an ARC copy of this book.

"The Marvelwood Magiciians" audio format brings out the best if Zahler's book.  The narration of the story brings the characters to life and helps build the suspense higher than the written word ever could.  Bringing each character to life with individual voices creates a suspenseful and believable story about a young woman with the ability to see and do things that isn't always what she wants for her future.  

Zahler's wove a story of teen rebellion, family dynamics, life in a carnival, and the challenges of living with and without  paranormal powers that are the best and worst parts of the characters' lives.

I loved this story with its twists and turns and honestly, did not see that ending coming.  Brava to the author and narrator.

I really enjoyed this book. I didn’t realize I requested the audio version, but the narrator was masterful in her del wiry of the material- and the story is fantastic!

Like the circus itself, this book is an exciting adventure for all ages! 
The Marvelwoods are a family with special powers.  From Da all the way down to little Tibby, everyone has a talent.  But Maddy finds herself wishing more and more that she wasn't always so "different".  Her talent of mind-reading is a double edged sword.  Not like her brother's ability to disappear or her little sister's ability to levitate.  
When the Marvelwoods land a position in Master Morogh's Circus of Wonders, it seems like things could finally be looking up - until it becomes clear that Master Morogh is more than he appears to be, and is out to become even more by stealing talent from other people.
In the battle to stop Master Morogh, Maddy learns the importance of family, the strength of true friendship and what it means to belong.   I recommend this book for any fans of circus fiction, young adult fiction, and books about family ties.  
My favorite character was Tibby.  For anyone who's ever had a much younger brother or sister, Tibby's personality quirks are so real and recognizable.  She's absolutely adorable.  
I received an audio copy of this book, and thoroughly enjoyed the narrator.  She gave unique voices to all the characters, and did an excellent job with the accents for various nationalities.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book received in exchange for an honest review.

Marvelwood Magicians is the perfect book for a young teen. The book is told from the perspective of a young teenage girl, who travels with her family and works at a fair.  Her whole family has unique abilities, which allows them to participate in fairs and circuses alike.  After leaving their last job, they are welcomed into a circus with a very talented ring leader.  Everything seems to be going perfectly for Mattie until Master Morogh steals her brother's talent. 

Honestly, I'm glad I didn't really read the description for the book until after I read it.  The description is pretty much 80% of the story.  It was nice to not know where the story was headed or what Master Morogh was doing.  This book was recommended to me by a friend, which is why I didn't read the description.  If I had, this might have left to a lower rating on my end.  As I was reading it, the only thing keeping me involved was trying to figure out how the story would unfold. 

The author did a great job writing from the perspective of a young teen!  I'm not sure any teen wants to feel out of place or different, so that was spot on. I did also appreciate the family dynamic and how nicely it wrapped up.

This book was so cute. I love the idea that this magical family travels around performing under the guise of magic not being real. 

The Marvelwood family is the kind of family I'd love to have--and not because they can do cool stuff, but because they're close. They are everything to each other and have a hard time letting in outsiders. 

When they stumble upon a circus, they find themselves in danger, but they also find themselves surrounded by an entire crew of special people. 

The Mravelwoods learn many lessons in this book. 

I think this book is great for children looking to fit in because they're different from others. It helps show how our differences can be special--and important to others. You'll find friendship, family, love, and justice in this fun story. 

And for those audio people, this is a great audio. The performance is spot on and I loved it!

Charming Audiobook

Even though I am far older than the middle graders this book is intended for, I found it charming and a lot of fun. It has magic and suspense that kept me wanting to listen to find out what happened to Mattie, her family, and the members of the circus troupe they had joined up with early in the story. Mattie is a relatable heroine for middle graders, as she sometimes feels at odds with her family—though she clearly loves every member of it—and desires to have connections to her peers and more normalcy in her life. The Marvelwood family, of which Mattie is a part, has real magic. The powers they exploit at fairs and in the circus are real, not illusions. The suspense has to do with a person who can take powers from people who honestly have them. What can Mattie and her new friends do about it? I did have issues with the narrator of this audiobook. Especially at the beginning, I thought she confused a Scottish and Irish accent for Mattie’s father, and her Indian accent for Mattie’s mother wasn't as crisp as it should have been. Despite these flaws, this was a fun book to listen to.

The Marvelwood Magicians by Diane Zahler is Excellent! Written for young readers! You’ll go on a journey with this fantastical family. Experience their failures, triumphs, dangers, and fears. learn what is really important. Narrated by Sarah Zimmerman, the reader will not be disappointed by her portrayals of such a broad cast of characters, starring Mattie Marvelwood. 

I highly recommend it for grades 3-5. The main character is a young girl, so boys may have a hard time relating to Mattie, but if they are into magical stories they will most definitely enjoy this!

This was a very fun and adventurous middle grade book.  I loved the atmosphere of this book.  I definitely felt like I was at the circus.  The characters were wonderful and I loved Maddie and her family.  They are a close knit family and the message about family, community and friendship is beautiful. ^_^

I would love to see a sequel to this book sometime.  Highly recommend to middle grade lovers.

I received a copy of the audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love books set in the circus, travelling carnivals, and the likes. This was a cute book about accepting differences and acknowledging the powers we have inside of us. Mattie and her family are travelling performers, and while they are like their companions in many ways they differ in the fact that their talents are real. I felt the book was lacking a bit of development in the world building and was highly focused on characters which took a little bit of the magic out of it for me, But overall I enjoyed it.

What good fun! This is what a middle grade should be. It’s a book of adventure, friendship, and family with main characters that are courageous and kind but still sometimes make mistakes. I adored this story and can’t wait to read more from this author. 

I listened to an advanced copy of this book. The narrator did a great job bringing the characters to life and I highly recommend it.

A pleasant listen, featuring a sweet main character who so badly wants a home, stability and a friend. Mattie can read minds and her family all has special talents too. They're always on the move and join up with a traveling circus and shenanigans and some chaos ensue! 

It's a sweet story to listen to with kids and the ending was very gratifying. I appreciate the full circle moment with Mom and how the book touched upon sensitivity around the word "gypsy" in an authentic way.

The only part I didn't care for was how the tiger story resolved. No spoilers, but I will note, if you're sensitive like me, that they don't get hurt. I just wanted something different for them!

This was a really great story about family, friends, trust, and loving all of yourself. Each of the characters are developed enough that they feel largely three-dimensional with clear motives. There is enough action, mystery, and drama to keep most readers eager to read/hear more. Additionally, the narrator portrayed the emotion wonderful.ly. It'd be a great addition to collections!

I have read a bunch of circus books this year and I don’t think this will make it as one I need to have on my shelf. I couldn’t really get interested in the characters or the story line. I don’t know if I was having a bad time or what was happening but I should note this also took me 11 days to listen to....

Many thanks to Netgalley and Spotlight Audio for a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for my impartial review. I loved this one so much, as it had so many beautiful elements that just worked so well together.

The Audiobook Narration: The narrator was so amazing, and she made the book a lot more enjoyable for me. She gave the best rendition of the characters, their voices, and their emotions. She carried me along every step of the way, and I felt so immersed in the story.

The Characters: The characters, especially Mattie the main character, made me love this book so very much. I enjoyed reading about them and their ordeals in the book. They were loveable and interesting, and I love the author's writing as well.

The Villain: I feel like the only problem I have with the book is the villain. While he was a formidable foe, there was little backstory or justification for why he was the way he was, IMO.

The relationships: This book explored relationships on a really interesting level. The scene where Mattie read the 3 friends, for instance, showed the complicated nature of friendships. Mattie and her mom also had a really rocky relationship and I loved seeing how that evolved.

This is one book I really loved and highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher Spotlight Audio for this audiobook in exchange for a review.  This book was INCREDIBLE!!!  I am an absolute sucker for anything having to do with magic or the circus.  This books combines incredible magical talents, like mind reading and disappearing, with the extraordinary circus acts of acrobatics and tiger training, into an unforgettable middle grade novel.  The narrator for the audio version is amazing with all the different accents and dialects you know when each character is talking as if there are 7 different narrators!  All of the characters are dynamic and captivating in a way that makes you unable to put it down, or in my case unable to stop listening.  This book is filled with adventure and mystery and it's also packed with emotions and kindness.  Overall this is a five star book about acceptance and friendship and most of family.

This review will be available on my blog and my Instagram feed 10.12.20

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book!

I loved this book. I had no issues following the story at all. I loved the plot and storyline in the book. I loved the characters in this story. It gave me all the feels I was looking for when I started reading this. I highly recommend this author. I loved the writing. I will be looking for other works in the future from this author.

What a delightful middle grade adventure! There's a functional family, a strong female protagonist, a realistic conflict, and a bit of magical realism thrown in for fun. Mattie Marvelwood, age 11, and her family all have "talents." Mattie can read minds, her mom can tell the future, her brother disappears, etc. When they join the circus and the ringmaster steals her brother's talent, Mattie realizes that she has to find a way to get it back. Despite the number one family rule that we never tell anyone our talents are real, Mattie knows that she can't do this alone. But when it turns out that Mattie's talent is the one the ringmaster is really after, will her plan still succeed, or will it put everyone, including her new friend Serena, in danger?

The narrator was wonderful - excellent pacing and accurate accents. 

Disclaimer: I received a free audio book copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

As an adult reading a book that is aimed at middle grader readers I try to go into it with the mindset of that age group but this time I forgot to do that. I loved this book, not even thinking of it from the view of a younger person, as myself. I loved it. 

Such a fantastic circus tale. I recommend this to anyone and everyone.

Eleven year old Mattie can read minds, her mom tells fortunes, her father is an illusionist and her brother can disappear.  They perform at fairs and carnivals.  They have always hidden the fact that their talents are real.  When they join a circus and their talents are threatened, it is up to Mattie to save the day.  There is magic, circus, and fun in this great children's book.