Like a Charm
by Elle McNicoll
Intermediate    Random    320 pp.
10/23    9780593649138    $17.99
Library ed.  9780593649145    $20.99
e-book ed.  9780593649152    $10.99

In the aftermath of her estranged grandfather’s death, Rayma is bequeathed a mysterious book and the cryptic message “Beware the Sirens.” She subsequently discovers she has the ability to see through Glamours (“a magical shield…that supernatural beings use to disguise themselves”) and detect the occult inhabitants of Edinburgh, Scotland. Rayma finds it hard to get along in her special school (she has dyspraxia, a neurodevelopmental condition that affects gross and fine motor skills), and her emotionally absent parents don’t help her adjust to her learning differences. The mission her grandfather left her, to document the Hidden Folk and unite them in one community, gives her a sense of purpose. The Sirens, however—no longer bound to the water but able to use their powers of manipulation to cause division and strife in society—are making the world colder and meaner, and Rayma is the only one who can stop them. A decidedly unaffable protagonist, Rayma is nonetheless sympathetic, determined to value herself despite the pressures her academic challenges have placed on her prickly personality. Her insistence on focusing on her strengths in a world that only sees her deficits is admirable. With a plot that emphasizes family reunification, and unexplored avenues including a mysterious Stranger who guides Rayma, McNicoll leaves herself plenty of room for possible sequels to this passionate, solidly constructed middle-grade fantasy.

From the November/December 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.