Early Reader Review: Aster and the Mixed-Up Magic by Thom Pico

Source:  From Netgalley and Random House Graphic in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review. 

Aster and the Mixed-Up Magic by Thom Pico
Series: Aster #2
Publisher: Random House Graphic
Publication Date: March 2, 2021

 

Format: Ebook


Rating: 

Goodreads Synopsis: 

Aster is charming, resourceful, and fun." - Dana Simpson, author of Phoebe and Her Unicorn

Magic turned Aster's life upside-down -- and it's not over! Get ready for more family, more fun, and even more magic in this graphic novel adventure.

Moving to the middle of nowhere has been less of a disaster than Aster expected. Her mom's science experiments are actually pretty cool; her dad's cooking has gotten much better; her new dog is possibly the best canine companion anyone could ask for.

And she's gotten to save the day -- and her family -- and the whole valley she lives in -- from various magical calamities in what even she has to admit were extremely fun adventures. So now she can have a break, right?

Guess what?

Oh no; things get even more interesting.

Review: 

Often I am on Netgalley looking for books to read and review and do not realize that they are the 2nd+ in a series and that was the case with this one. Aster and the Mixed-Up Magic is number two in the series and is a few stories in one book. The compellation is easy to follow even though I had not read book one, there were enough clues throughout to allow readers to understand what was going on. 

This installment was fun and funny, there is adventure and magic and talking animals as well as some drama. It is geared toward a middle grade audience. Aster is magical but only half of her family knows. She has a talking dog and a fox that can also talk to her and help her along the way but often is sarcastic and choses not to. She is faced with defeating and evil sheep and other magic creatures that want to take over the human realm for themselves. 

This was a cute book. While it was easy to figure out the premise from book one, I didn't feel as tied to the characters as I might have been if I had read book one. Overall, it was a fun and interesting take on magic in a middle grade graphic novel and I believe that younger audience will really enjoy it.