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.

What a cool book. I love the way the illustrations show different perspectives through optical illusions. The text is a bit dense but interesting and will engage older elementary readers. The color scheme is really cool and a bit retro.

Thank you for the ARC. I will purchase for my library.

Learn about this history of the magic cub, commonly referred to as the Rubik cube, by following the story of a small group of friends who are trying to solve it. It feels like everyone has someone in their life who might know how to solve one of these cubes and unpacking the puzzle can feel overwhelmingly complicated. This book sets out exactly how it works and the components and possible moves to solving a cube. We watch as the friends navigate attempts, asking a parent who is equally puzzled, then their mother who knows how to solve it and teaches the children. Readers will learn more about magic cubes and strategies to begin solving them. This is perfect for those readers who are curious and interested in these puzzles.

This was very interesting. An older kids book, especially for someone interested in learning about the Rubik’s cube. Thought it was depicted so similarly to my own experience first learning about those, but also jam packed full of information I have never heard.

I received an advance review copy for free from the publisher via Netgalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A colorfully illustrated book that explains why it can be so complicated to solve a Rubik’s Magic Cube. Fun facts are interwoven in the story, following young children who are new to the Magic Cube. Tips for solving and sources are included at the end.