Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this e-ARC.

A Brush with Magic is a wonderful story. It combines real life and fantasy in Yumi and Minji's first trip to Korea.

I loved Yumi and really felt for her throughout the book. Her emotions and actions were those of a kid too young to understand everything but who wants to. I remember feeling like that (sometimes I still do!), and I think she's so cute.

Korea was described gorgeously - the food, the people, and the architecture. I loved seeing how the old had combined with the new as Yumi explored. Bucket list trip to Seoul, anyone?

Overall, I really enjoyed this story and it was a delight to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this arc. This was such a fun read! I cannot wait to recommend this book to the children at the library!

A Brush with Magic is a fun, sweet middle grades fantasy- probably ideal for 5th/6th graders.

It’s summer break, and Yumi is excited to spend time with her older sister (Minji) as they visit their grandfather and explore Korea. Minji quickly ditches Yumi for some older cousins, and Yumi feels left out. Instead, Yumi spends meaningful time with her grandfather, and they share a love of art. As they paint, her grandfather also shares Korean fairy tales with her.

Yumi accidentally summons a dokkaebi from a magical paintbrush, and she finally has a friend to hang out with. As they explore the area and play pranks on others, Yumi has to face her own moral compass, the source of her frustrations, and her own priorities on her summer break trip and family connections.

There are fun connections to folklore (and great dialogue about fairy tales), and this book is a great representation of the hero’s journey for a younger audience. I think Yumi will be a relatable character for many early middle grade audience (especially younger siblings!) I particularly love her relationship with her grandfather. Overall, though, I’d definitely add this to my classroom library and present it as an option during our fantasy unit.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!