This picture book explores the history and workings of the Rubik's Cube from the perspective of fictional children who are fascinated with the toy. The art style is energetic and pops with color, and the fun facts and diagrams fit into the book well. The design is stellar, and this will appeal to kids who are interested in the Rubik's Cube, or who like books about STEM themes and puzzles. Because this book is longer than a standard picture book and is stuffed with facts and trivia, this will be too much to hold some children's interest, but this will appeal to nerdy school-age kids.

Readers may also enjoy the picture book biography "Erno Rubik and His Magic Cube," by Kerry Aradhya.

Book 161 of 350 ~ 2025

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What a trip back to fond memories of playing with the cube. Fun facts adds to this fun nostalgic read!

I received a complimentary copy of the ebook. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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I received a copy of this eBook from netGalley for a honest review.

I liked how informative this book is on magic cubes, both their history and how to solve them. But I really liked the story about a girl finding one and her journey to explore all the wonders of a magic cube with family and friends even if she couldn't quite solve them yet.

A girl finds her mothers old magic cube (Rubik’s Cube) in a box and sets out to solve it after her dad gets it jumbled up. Along with the fictional story of the girl and her friends trying to solve the cube and learning about it comes the facts of its creation. The non-fiction information is part of the storyline telling about how it was created and how popular the toy was when it was released in the 1970s. It also gives some tips for solving the magic cube, but not full step by step directions.

As a teen in the 70s this was very nostalgic for me. Of course I had my own cube and participated in speed challenges with my friends. I liked the book and found it informative and nicely illustrated. I’m not sure how many kids today have magic cubes but this is something I would look for on a local library shelf.

I really enjoyed this book! It was very informative; I learned a lot so I'm sure the kids will, too. I loved the illustrations. They were so interesting and integrated into the story and the type very well. There was a lot of information in the book, but there was also plenty of story. A younger reader could easily just follow the plot and go back to the history, science, and math portions later. I loved it!

As a former Rubik's Cube professional (I was an educational and marketing consultant to Rubik's brand for 7 years), I wanted to check out this book on the "Magic Cube". This book is translated from German, and it should be noted that the terms Magic Cube and Rubik's Cube are used interchangeably in Germany.

Me & the Magic Cube has a LOT of information about the puzzle, its history, mechanics, speedcubing, etc! And it is all accurate. I even checked the illustrations for accuracy, and with a few exceptions, they were all done with accuracy as well.

All of this information is housed within a story of a girl finding a Magic Cube at home, taking it to school, and working with friends after school to learn more. Overall it has a lot of information, which would be appealing to those who are already into Rubik's Cubes, or for a teacher to have in a classroom library, but might be overwhelming for the casual reader.

I was not a fan of the font used for the text and the small type throughout.

ARC from NorthSouth Books through NetGalley

Holy shoot this book was jam-packed with info. While this might not be the case for every single reader out there, I found myself getting bored because there was so much information being thrown at me as I read. Put simply, I thought that this book was just *too* in-depth, and I think that narrows the audience of this book. This book is likely very interesting to kids that are "nerdier" (not a bad thing at all), and ones that care about the inner workings of the Rubik's Cube, but I personally don't think that there is a large number of those kids out there.
All of that being said, was this book still done well? Yes! I really liked the unique style of the illustrations, and the amount of detail was awesome! Additionally, the illustrator played around with depth in a way that you don't see very often, so I really appreciated that. Lastly, the author did a stellar job of giving each character a lot of personality, and all of the characters were interesting and likable, so bravo for that!

Very interesting and informative! I really liked the way the facts were presented. This book was very colorful and engaging.

Thank you to netgalley and publishers for this ARC. This was a neat book! I like how informative it is, and how the illustration style supports the story-telling. I also liked how it mixed facts within the story! However, I find the colour scheme inaccessible and this will be hard for some kids to look at.

Thank you to NetGalley and NorthSouth Books for the ARC of Me and the Magic Cube. This book has everything a Rubik's Cube lover could want. It's got tips and tricks to help you solve a Rubik's Cube and gives you some biographical information about Erno Rubik. I love sneaky learning in picture books! While this may not be for everyone, I think any young puzzle aficionado would enjoy this.

This colorfully illustrated book captures the intrigue, mystery, and fun of solving a Rubik's cube. It also portrays a little of the history of the game and its inventor, while following three children who go through multiple failed attempts before solving or beginning to solve the puzzle. They utilize books from the library to work on solving the puzzle, but learn about the history of the game and some of the world records from a smartphone. I loved the story and illustrations, and highly recommend this book for schools and libraries.

The Rubiks cube has made a recent comeback; they are all over the shelves and kids are once again enthralled by the multicolored cubes! Even my almost 4-year-old is fascinated by and constantly wants to play with his older brothers’ Rubik’s cube.

This book was fun. It explores the science of the Magic Cube, the cheats and proper methods for solving the cube, and follows a group of friends fascinated by it as they learn how to solve it. We enjoyed reading it and look forward to trying out the tips! (We haven’t tried yet but we will!)

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I still don't think I'll ever solve it - but this was a great read about the history & science behind the most famous puzzle/toy of the 1980's! Great illustrations and super informative. Also includes instructions on solving the cube, for those who are patient enough to work through it!
I look forward to seeing a print copy - thanks to NetGalley for the advance ARC!

Me & the Magic Cube is a clever book that mixes storytelling and biography to bring this fifty year old toy to a new generation. The story of a young girl who finds an old magic cube and proceeds to try and solve it, makes the puzzle relatable to the young reader. As she and her friends twist and turn, work with friends and research the toy, they learn all about how Rubik created the toy and how it works. Kids will also giggle, when Mom turns out to be a speedcuber. This book would be great for any school age puzzle solver or biography buff. Adults will find it interesting too. As someone who tried to solve the puzzle when it first came out, I enjoyed a bit of nostalgia and felt a lot better about not being able to solve it, when I read how many configurations there are!

I thought this was a cute and informative story for late-elementary school students, when the Rubiks craze strikes them. I really liked the blocky illustrations. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for letting me read!

Me & the Magic Cube (words by Daniel Fehr, art by Golden Cosmos, translated by Marshall Yarbrough) is a vibrant picture book that tells the history of Rubik's Magic Cube through a fictional account of a child who finds a cube and wants to learn about it. Toward the end of the book there are lots of technical drawings showing the inner workings of the cube as well as approaches for solving it. There are also great statistics throughout with excellent scientific facts to keep young readers interested.

The illustrations are perfect for the topic, with a retro feel of the 1970s and 80s with a color palette to highlight the iconic colors of the cube faces.

My only complaint about this book is the rampant use of sentence fragments. I felt it was very distracting, especially in the beginning of the book, and the fragments may have been written that way for emphasis but I found that to be completely unnecessary. Knowing that children are the intended audience, this feels like a missed opportunity to model good, simple sentence structures. Maybe this is due to the translation? I am not sure but I wouldn't think so; I would assume that the translator would stay true to the grammar of the original text.

Many thanks to the author, illustrator, translator, publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to read and review this e-galley.

Me & the Magic Cube by Daniel Fehr is a delightful read for young puzzle enthusiasts aged 8 and up. This engaging book blends entertainment with education, offering a fun narrative alongside practical clues for solving the Rubik’s Cube and fascinating facts about cube competitions. It sparks curiosity and inspires kids to tackle the iconic puzzle. While the story and insights shine, the illustrations could have been more vibrant to match the book’s dynamic energy. Overall, a highly recommended pick for young readers eager to explore the world of cubing! Four Stars.
I was invited to read a DRC from NorthSouth Books through NetGalley. This review is my own and reflects my honest opinions.

Okay... Me & the Magic Cube is one of my favorite books I've read this year! It was such an enjoyable read for me. The story takes a classic topic and makes it super relatable for kids.

The story follows a group of three friends learning about the magic cube. They ask their parents about it, chat with other kids at school, discuss it with each other while hanging out after school, and research it on their phones. Throughout the story, there are fun facts and diagrams that make it both informative and entertaining. As a household that typically reads children's nonfiction, I really appreciated how the information was seamlessly woven into the narrative.

I’m a sucker for a well-designed book, and this one is visually stunning! The design pays homage to the cube itself, with a vibrant color palette that complements the illustration style beautifully. My favorite part was the visual breakdown of how the magic cube works, as the diagrams really help to demystify its construction.

Even though my 3-year-old is below the target demographic, he enjoyed it! He has his own magic cube that he’s been playing with, and I hope he’ll be able to solve it one day. I also appreciated the lesson of perseverance in the story, which is something we’ve been trying to teach him. Plus, the book includes instructions on how to solve a magic cube at the end.

Overall, this is a well-designed book that combines fun storytelling with cool educational elements. I think it would be perfect for kids who love puzzles or just want to learn something new.

Such a cute book! My students are obsessed with Rubix cubes and will love looking at this book and trying the various informative tips. They would definitely check it out if our school library had one!

This was SO cute. I love rubik's cubes and I loved that this book basically teaches how to solve a cube. I will say that it feels like it was written for slightly older kids, with the vocabulary used and the content. I'll definitely be purchasing a copy for myself.