First off, Edinburgh is a dream of mine. To find a fantasy middle grade story that describes the land as it is but also the magical creatures that are in the story....it's a creative spin that I'm here. I also like that this middle grade story includes a main character with a neurological differences that teaches children to embrace their differences, it's something that makes you special. It's a fantasy adventure that involves family history and hidden magic.

I loved this book! As soon as I saw the tagline on the cover, I knew I would like the story; I'm so happy that the narrative lived up to my expectations. McNicoll does not shy away from difficult realities in this narrative, combining the magical with the real in a way that affirms Ramya without trying to "solve" her dyspraxia. I also really enjoyed the way McNicoll incorporated magic as well as her choice of Edinburgh as the setting.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars

I am so excited that we're getting a wider range of diversity representation in literature for kids! LIKE A CHARM features a girl with Dyspraxia and another character is autistic. I do wish that McNicoll gave Ramya's parents more growth, because for the majority of this book they are horrible, horrible people and treat Ramya so unfairly. I spent most of this novel livid at how they spoke to and treated Ramya.

The mixing of real world Edinburgh with a secret world of hidden beings was great and I thought the idea of sirens being behind the divisiveness of present day politics was interesting, though it does dismiss the reality of human nature a bit.

Overall this was a fun read with some great representation.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, Random House Children's, and Random House Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review.

Elle McNicoll is a champion writer for middle grade readers when it comes to disability representation. Every book I've read by her has excellently broken their respective topics into easily understandable parts for young readers, and this is so important! Too many kids have grown up not even knowing anything about autism, dyslexia, ADHD, or dyspraxia, beyond what the media has shown us (which, is not much and is also incredibly stereotypical). This can lead to stigmatization and isolation of disabled people, which is why it's vital that we discuss disabilities with kids at a young age. It not only helps to educate able-bodied kids, but it also creates a space for disabled kids to relate to those like them. This is why books like Elle McNicoll's are so crucial for young readers, and why I'm endlessly thankful for her stories, and constantly wishing I'd had anything like them when I was younger.

Now that my mini essay is over though, let's get into the review! Like a Charm is the third book I've read by Elle McNicoll, this time following a young, headstrong, dyspraxic main character named Ramya, who learns the world is far from ordinary when she discovers she can see past the "Glamours" of magical creatures after she attends her grandfather's funeral. This kickstarts a whirlwind of a journey as she and her cousin work together to correct the old myths about the magical creatures living in Edinburgh.

Something I really enjoyed about this book is the fact that the reason Ramya can see past Glamours is because of her neurodivergence. It celebrates the beauty of being different, instead of repeating the stigmatized narrative that disabled people are "burdens" or "unintelligent," which is just not true. Since Ramya has dyspraxia, she's constantly being told that she's not capable of certain things, and is made to feel different because of it. This is a reality many disabled people face daily, but the only reason we're "not capable," (according to them), is because they refuse to accommodate our needs.

Ramya embraces her differences in this book, and learns not to judge others for their differences either. At first, she has her own biases against magical creatures, but as she realizes later in the story, if "you've met one magical creature, you've met one magical creature." As an autistic person, I hear this a lot in the community in reference to autistic and neurodivergent people, so I absolutely love that McNicoll included it in this context. Everyone is going to be different, and it's unfair and harmful to judge a person because of someone else.

The use of disability education and advocacy in a magical realism setting really brought home the point McNicoll was making. The messages in the book were crystal clear, while never taking away from the excitement and magic of the plot.

This book truly was a magical read, and I loved it. I am just so thankful that young readers have books like these, and I can't wait to see what Elle McNicoll writes next.

I love the inclusion of dyspraxia in this novel -- I had never heard of it before! I think kids with dyspraxia will see themselves in this book, and kids who don't will learn something new and probably gain more empathy after reading. The plot didn't end up being for me, but I see myself recommending this to those mythology kids in my life.

I thought that this was a solid fantasy novel for children who love to read about myths and folklore. I thought that plot was well-written, but I thought that the representation was lacking

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this one.

I have really loved others by Elle McNicoll, and so despite the fact that this was more fantasy than I typically enjoy I was still really interested in giving it a shot. Unfortunately, it was just too fantastical for me, though I have many students who would love it.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Random House Children's for access to an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Listen up, lovers of old school middle grade masterpieces like Harry Potter and PJO--this, like the magical middle grade worlds that came before it, is what every middle grade novel should strive to be. Like a Charm is fun, engaging, full of all sorts of new characters and creatures to fall in love with and learn more about, and is, to me, a perfect story for readers of any age, even if it's written for the middle grade level.

Ramya and her parents live in England, far away from her mother's family in Scotland, as her mother has distanced from her parents and sisters over the years, but one holiday, Ramya gets permission to pass out food at her parents' adults-only party downstairs and ends up sitting with her Grandpa and opening a gift from him and her grandmother. But when a stranger approaches them at the piano and asks them to play her a song, Ramya can tell that something is wrong. Something is off about the woman. And that something *scares* her, even though no one else understands. Something that ends up ruining not only their evening but also their already tenuous relationship with the rest of Ramya's mother's family.

Years later, Ramya and her parents move back to her mother's old home of Edinburgh, Scotland, and despite the new closeness to the rest of her family and even the fact that she is attending the same school as her cousin, her little piece of the family is more isolated from their roots than ever before. Ramya has been diagnosed with dyspraxia--a disorder which affects her motor skills--and is thusly included in special needs meetings in school where they're meant to work with her on her handwriting and other skills affected by her condition, though she is always made to feel less than in one way or another by the school system despite knowing that nothing it wrong with her (something I *adored* about her from the beginning). Every day is a study in monotony as Ramya struggles to control her anger with the system and the world for looking at her as different or wrong.

Until the unimaginable happens and shakes the whole family to its core, dropping a stranger into Ramya's life with the express purpose of pulling her further into the fold of her family to learn all about a whole new side of the world she's never heard of before--a world of witches, fae, kelpies, sirens, and all manner of other exciting, fascinating, sometimes terrifying creatures. And because she can see them through the glamour they show the world, it's suddenly Ramya's job to learn about them and to record everything she learns. And along the way, she gets to learn more about her family, her new home, and herself while also coming to terms both with what is special about her and with the fact that the world will never appreciate or accommodate her the way it should.

The *instant* that I saw Elle McNicoll describe Ramya as a neurodivergent witch and then go on to talk about Ramya's anger and the fact that she doesn't believe that neurodivergent girls owe the world a mask, I knew I was going to be in love with this story for that representation alone. With representation of both dyspraxia and autism in important characters in the story and a strong focus on the treatment of each of them by the world at large and more specifically by the school system, this book gives us something so, so important. For anyone who doesn't understand the neurodivergent experience, it is written in a way that is easy to follow and understand, and for those of us who are neurodivergent, this book is even more than a simple lesson. It's a chance to see a hero who refuses to give up or to be told she can't do anything, it is a scream into the void that you are not alone, it is a love letter to the different, beautiful ways that our brains work, and it is a reminder that we, like Ramya, owe the world nothing--especially not a mask or our conformity.

As soon as I finished my eARC, I went out and bought two copies of both Like a Charm and the sequel, Like a Curse--one copy of each for myself, and one of each to give as a Christmas gift to my niece and nephews, because I think they deserve the chance to fall in love with Ramya and her world the way I did, especially at their ages. This was such an easy five star read for me, and I hope every fantasy lover in the world gets the chance to read it. I can't wait to devour the sequel.

This very exciting story is about Ramya, who is coming into her magical powers, except the one person who can help with this, her grandfather, has been banned from her family. Ramya also struggles at school because she has a learning disability. Once Ramya's magical powers start showing themselves, her cousin and her aunts try to help out. It turns out there are Sirens trying to take over the magical world and Ramya may be the only one who can stop them. It's a really fun read, with interesting ways of interacting with magical creatures. The theme about Ramya's neuordivergence is really great too. Middle grade and YA readers are going to like this one a lot!

Thank to NetGalley for the ARC!

4.25/5 stars

This was an INCREDIBLE middle grade/young adult story - seriously, it was great for any age group. It was well written, adorable, and thought provoking with something for every age group to enjoy. Ramya is a main character to cheer for, representing the neurodivergent perfectly. Marley is the perfect modest over achiever and I love him. The whole cast was truly great, even those that you aren't supposed to like!

I really love this book for it's message and representation - neurodivergence is something to be celebrated and this book uses fantasy and magic to showcase that. It also touches on subjects like the influence of the media, the importance of community, and the difficulty of being different. It has so many important themes PLUS magical creatures - it's amazing!

It's well written and an easy read, but still fully enjoyable as an adult. One of my top middle-grade/young adult reads of the year no doubt - everyone of every age should check this one out!

I really wanted to get to this one, as it seemed interesting. The downfall was that I requested so many ARCs that I could not get to all of them before the book was archived. If I can find this somewhere for a reasonable price, I will try to get it!

After the death of her grandfather, neurodivergent tween Ramya uncovers a world of mystery and magic--and she's the only human who can see it!

An incredible middle grade fantasy read, "Like a Charm" by Elle McNicoll is a gem of a story that highlights the incredible things neurodivergent people are capable of & that their differences should be celebrated rather than used as a reason to view them as "less than." With magical creatures, an evil plot, and the journey to rediscovering family, this book is great for middle grade and YA readers.

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair review.

For some reason, I expected this book to be a portal fantasy, and it isn’t. It’s more like the world of magic exists within the real world, and only Ramya is able to see beyond that veil into the magic around her. Sort of like Amari and the eye drops that allow her to see supernatural beings around her in AMARI AND THE NIGHT BROTHERS. Once Ramya recognizes what she’s seeing, it seems like there’s magic everywhere she goes.

It took me a few chapters to orient myself to understanding Ramya. At first, she seemed sort of chaotically willful. Like, I wasn’t sure I understood why she did what she did. As I got to know her and to understand the magical world, it made so much sense, though. I really enjoyed the moment things clicked into place.

I also really enjoyed the relationship between Ramya and her cousin. Marley is so different than Ramya, so they make a good pair. He’s also one of the first people to trust her and follow her lead. The story explores a family broken apart by estrangement and lots of unspoken history. I absolutely loved the way the family history was revealed and how it changed the way that I saw each of the family characters.

The book ends with a possible setup for a sequel, which would involve both Ramya and Marley. I hope there’s another adventure with both of them in the future, because, if so, I would definitely read it.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.

Ramya and her strength of character and narration, as well as a point of view on a disability not often showcased in books, were the high point of this middle grade urban fantasy. I did find that the pacing felt a little off and I didn't quite feel the heart-pounding emotional investment that I'd hoped, and that the discussion of the magic system such as it was needed perhaps a little extra, but overall it was a good read, especially for those who like unlikely or overlooked characters becoming heroes and books with a focus on setting/place.

This was a delightful middle grade fantasy read! I've read a lot in this genre but this book was unique in it's own way. Loved the neurodivergent representation and Ramya, the main character's own experiences with dyspraxia, which I haven't seen in any middle grade fiction.

There were a ton of magical and mythical creatures in this book, and it was cleverly set up to be a series with the big bad being mentioned multiple times with some foreshadowing of future plot lines.

I'm eager to return to more of this series. What a great cast of characters and excellent storytelling. Recommend for all elementary classrooms and I expect kids will enjoy this one a lot!

Once again Elle McNicoll has created a compelling middle grade heroine whose adventure is exciting to follow. I loved how angry Ramya was, but how she used that anger in service instead of harm. I usually also find Elle McNicoll's stories pleasantly surprising, so I was slightly disappointed to find the beats of this one pretty standard for a middle grade fantasy. Though it introduced a lot more questions than answers and is crying out for a sequel.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Elle McNicoll and the publisher of the book for the eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rayma always knew there was something different about her. She's not just talking about dyspraxia which makes her clumsy and causes her to get disapproval from her teachers. One of Rayma's differences that she didn't know about though was that she could see magic! She sees a dog statue come to life and follows it to a magical world!

Dangerous and scary creatures hide in the shadows. The most dangerous being the sirens. When the sirens start getting others to do their bidding, will Rayma be able to save this new special world?

A great middle grade read! I love seeing more neurodivergent characters in middle grade and YA books!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
As with Elle McNicoll’s previous books, I had heard great things from Gavin of How to Train your Gavin about Like a Charm, so I was eager for the US release. Where McNicoll’s prior works were contemporaries, this one dives fully into middle grade fantasy territory, yet her mission of promoting representation for neurodivergent children remains consistent.
The setting is one of my favorite aspects of the book. I’ve read many stories about Scotland, but my favorites have always been the ones written by Scots themselves, and McNicoll delivers on this front. While there are some familiar creatures, like vampires, and it’s a witch story, it’s also rooted in Scottish folklore.
And the intersection between the “witch” archetype and neurodivergence is well-thought-out in Ramya’s character. She has dyspraxia, a condition which I can relate to due to my own issues with motor skills and processing (while this is not my own diagnosis, some of my own symptoms and its impacts on my life overlap with Ramya’s). She feels misunderstood and isolated from the world due to this, but also has the ability to perceive things others can’t. I appreciate the nuanced portrayal of her experience, including not expecting her to be perfect all the time, and being allowed to have anger in response to being misperceived, masking her differences, or reckoning with difficult relationships with her family. But I also love that this adventure allows her to come into her own, and embrace her true power.
The adventure plot is engaging, and keeps the story moving in a fast-paced fashion. I was curious how (if?) things would wrap up, and how much a sequel would be warranted, knowing this would be a series, but I didn’t need to be worried. As the final line of the story suggests, it’s “The End. Ish,” and it concludes on a good note, while leaving room for future adventures.
This was another magical read (this time in a literal as well as figurative sense) from Elle McNicoll, and I can’t wait for more. I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy middle grade fantasy adventure stories, especially if they’re looking for neurodivergence rep.

I love that this one has a disabled heroine who not only learns to finally fully embrace her neurodivergence as what makes her unique, but that it unlocks her hidden power. How cool is that? I fully relate to her hatred of those damned pencil grips. I had those too to make my handwriting "better" and learn to grip the pencil correctly. All they did was make my hand cramp and hurt more, and I honestly don't think they helped improve my writing all that much. It just naturally improved as I aged, especially in the last ten years or so.

However, she was a bit abrasive at times, and a bit of brat at others. She almost relished in pissing off the adults around her. I'm not sure I liked the mentality that she was determined make them give up on her. Granted, instead of trying to help and actually support her needs, most of them were trying to change her. But even Mr. Ishmael, who genuinely liked and tried to encourage her and recognized her academic talents, she tried to push away. But in the end, she does learn to look at it in a new light and instead becomes determined to make them see the good and that she'll succeed in her own way rather than only see the bad. I'm also unfamiliar with support systems in schools across the pond, but here I'd think that she could have an IEP that would allow her to type everything like she wants. Hell, the kids in my small town all have Chrome books from the school and I don't think any of them write much (and their handwriting reflects this without being dyspraxic).

While I saw the twist that the hard lined "education consultant" was a siren coming, I didn't see the twist about Ren until not long before Ramya realized it, and then it all fell into place. I love it when I don't fully work it all out for myself!

I did figure out that Opal was likely the mysterious "Heartbroken Witch" the kelpies talked about since there was clearly something she was hiding, but I did not see coming that Ramya's mom also had power! But it makes sense, Ramya and her mom and aunts each represent one of the elements. While Ramya and Opal have natural talent because of their neurodivergence, the other two have more limited abilities. I loved the analogy of learning to sing. That some are born being able to hit the high C, or in this case use powerful magic, others have talent, but no matter how hard they practice and try can't hit that high note, like Ramya and Marley's moms. I'm curious what the grandmother's power is now and hope we learn more about her in the next book.

However, a lot of conflict could have been avoided if the adults just talked to their children and each other! I know there wouldn't be much of a story if they did give more information to Ramya and Marley rather than trying to protect them by not telling them everything. But not telling them the full truth only served for them to run into danger more. Ramya's mom not talking to her daughter or family also made her seem unloving and uncaring, but her 180 in the end and final explanation of why do show that she loves them, but I thought it could have been worked in better.

While the end of this one isn't a cliffhanger, they plot isn't completely tied up. It looks like there's a sequel, and I'm really excited to see where this magical world goes. I have a guess that the young male siren that helps Ramya might be the big bad's son based on that "your mother won't be happy with you line" directed at him, and I can't wait to see if I'm right and what he ultimately decides to do.

Despite my minor issues, I still give this one four lightsabers as Ramya did grow and learn from her initial behavior. Plus, I love the disabled magical girl saves the day plot. More like this please.