Review by hijluv -- The Secret of Magic by Natassa Louppou

[hijluv]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Secret of Magic" by Natassa Louppou.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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The book The Secret of Magic: The Forbidden Box , written by Natassa Louppou is a nice simple read, could be completed in a few days. It’s a story capable of connecting history and fantasy.
It talks about a brave and kind 12-years-old girl, Tania, who found a mysterious box left at her house by the magician who performed for her birthday. She decides to look inside and finds a talking rabbit that explains the box she found is the "forbidden box".
The forbidden box allows them to travel in time; they find themselves on the Titanic, then during a battle, helping a poor family, then in a painter's studio and finally she’s back home. I liked how Tania didn’t hesitate and hurried to help as many people as possible on the Titanic, and then sold a valuable jewel for food, to help the poor family. Seeing how that family lived, how they could barely eat, made her feel extremely lucky, and that happens to the person reading the book as well. We reflect on how lucky we are for having food and not living in a country during a war.
I liked how Tania’s birthday was the same date as some historical events, it was nice to think about what a girl from our time would have done in a situation like that, and it was nice seeing her so confident.
The characters were well described, the story was easy to read and the transitions were smooth.
The part I loved was the moment they found themselves in the Titanic, when they thought it was an elegant palace, I really liked the description of the place and the people feelings ( the richer passengers, who were unbothered even though the ship was sinking, or the orchestra, who still kept playing after all ).
I feel like children, and young people in general, would really enjoy this book, being capable of connecting to the protagonist, and they might love the magical elements.
My favorite character is Mike, the talking rabbit. He’s fun and encouraging, I really liked him.
The cover is the reason why I wanted to read it, it’s really beautiful and mysterious, and the title was fascinating as well. My mistake was to judge the book by its cover, reading it without knowing anything at all, it was misleading. The book wasn’t what I originally expected, but I liked it and would recommend it to 5th graders. Overall it's a good book with important values.
I would rate it 3 out of 4 stars.

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The Secret of Magic
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