Secret Magic

Evie Everyday Witch, Book 1

Children - Grade 4th-6th
167 Pages
Reviewed on 06/09/2019
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

Author Biography

Elena Paige is a children's and teen author with a background in counselling psychology. She loves creating stories which inspire and transform young readers - either through empowering them, entertaining them, or encouraging them to be more creative and imaginative.

Her books, while being filled with magic and wonder, have real life characters with real life issues - like fitting in, trusting yourself, dealing with inner conflict and more!

Her greatest value in life is CREATIVITY - nurturing it, enhancing it and using it! She loves encouraging children to believe in themselves and accept their own way of creating, even if it's outside the box. The most amazing creatives of our time rarely fitted in!

Her absolute favorite book as a child was "No Flying in the House." She always knew magic was real, but when all attempts to bring her favorite teddy to life failed, she adopted a dog instead. Her Moodle dog, named Lucky, is always by her side when she writes.

On Sunday mornings you can find her hiding under her bed covers reading, while her children are wondering where their favorite book has disappeared.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Marta Tandori for Readers' Favorite

Secret Magic: Evie Everyday Witch Book 1 is a charming chapter book written by Elena Paige for younger middle-grade readers. Evie Everyday is a young witch who just wants to be a lamron – that’s the word “normal” spelled backward. She enrolls in a new school and does her best to blend in with the other kids, turning her purple pet cat into a diary, her bat into a pair of glasses and hiding her corncob in her backpack. The only problem is that no one seems to wear any color except for black and everyone acts a little weird, especially Mrs. Rogers, the school principal. One minute, everyone is mean to Evie and the next minute, everyone thinks she’s just the greatest. Then there’s Izzy, a friendly girl after Evie’s own heart, who’s convinced that Evie’s a witch. Evie does her best to stay away from Izzy – even if it means hurting the other girl’s feelings – in order to keep up appearances of being “normal”. Until the unthinkable happens…her corncob starts popping corn all over the class, her glasses turn back into her bat and chaos ensues. Evie suddenly realizes that being “normal” isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be…

Evie is the perfect young protagonist. She’s quirky and charming with a bubbly personality that won’t let anything get her down. When faced with a problem, she looks for a solution yet, at the same time, she’s just like any young girl wanting to fit in with her peers, making her a very relatable figure. Her friend, Izzy, is equally likable. She embodies what it means to be a good friend, which is an important attribute to convey to young children at a time when they’re learning to develop friendships that can sometimes be fickle and turn hurtful. The narrative in Secret Magic is age-appropriate and easy to follow. Paige does a good job combining elements of magic within the storyline without letting it overpower the central theme of her story. The character of Mrs. Rogers is a little over the top but appropriate in context with the nature of the story. A likable young protagonist and a bit of hocus-pocus make for a winning combination in Secret Magic, the first Evie Everyday Witch book in what promises to be a great series.

Jack Magnus

Secret Magic: Evie Everyday Witch, Book 1 is an adventure fantasy novel for children, grades 4-6, written by Elena Paige. Evie’s a witch from a long line of witches, but she’d really rather read a book than do spells. Evie would rather be just an ordinary girl instead of a witch. Her mom calls Evie her everyday witch, but Evie can’t help but wonder what if she was just a regular kid who went to a regular school where they taught math, science, and English. Now that they’ve moved to Wyndemere, which seemed to be a normal town, the first thing on Evie’s mind was whether she’d be able to go to a regular school. Her parents decided to let her attend Wyndemere Elementary. Evie was excited and a bit nervous as she walked up the steps to the school that first day. The first person she met, however, was all dressed in black and was obviously a teacher of some sort, but reminded her of Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty. Then Evie noticed the students -- they were all dressed in black just like that teacher. Only one other student stood out from the pack. Like Evie, she was dressed in bright clothes. Her name was Izzy. Unlike Evie, the last thing she wanted to be was normal.

Elena Paige’s adventure fantasy, Evie Everyday Witch, Book 1, is a deliciously clever story about a girl who just wants to be normal. I loved how her best friend actually turns out to be someone who wants to be anything else but. Paige’s plot is engaging and imaginative, and her characters are finely honed and authentic. Mrs. Rogers is absolutely terrifying, and Pops seems the perfect friend to have hanging out in one’s knapsack. I had a grand time reading this first book in Paige’s Evie Everyday Witch series, and am looking forward to future installments. Secret Magic: Evie Everyday Witch, Book 1 is most highly recommended.

Anne-Marie Reynolds

Secret Magic by Elena Paige is Book 1 of the Evie Everyday Witch series. Evie is a witch. All she wants is to be a Lamron (that’s normal spelled backward to you and me). When Evie and her parents move from a magical community to a normal one, Evie gets her parents to agree to let her go to Windermere Elementary, a normal school – or so she thinks. Evie knows she can fit in – she just has to keep it a secret that she is a witch, stop wearing her favorite bright clothes and wear black like everyone else, keep on the right side of Mrs. Rogers, the scariest principal in the world, and steer clear of Izzy, a colorful girl who will only lead Evie astray. She also has to stop Sylvie, Nip, and Pops, her pets, from making trouble for her. A tall order but Evie can do it – can’t she? Until things go wrong and she needs her magic and Izzy to save the school. Can she do it? Is Mrs. Rogers really just a school principal? And why does everybody wear black?

Secret Magic (Evie Everyday Witch Book 1) by Elena Paige is a seriously good book for younger children. Not only is it a good story, but it is also written in very easy to understand language and is helped along by the addition of illustrations, useful in truly bringing the story to life. This is a very well-written story that moves at a good pace. Evie and Izzy and other well-developed characters come to life in your mind as you read. All kids love stories about witches and magic and this is a story that will encourage even the most stubborn of readers (or non-readers) to get involved. Colorful characters, a great little plot, all pulled together in one neat package. Thoroughly enjoyed it, great for kids everywhere.