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The Problem with Prophecies
“A sweet yet deeply moving portrait of the highs and lows involved in finding one’s place in a wildly unpredictable world.” —Nic Stone, New York Times bestselling author of Dear Martin
A young seer’s first prophetic vision upends her life and sets her off on a desperate quest to change fate in this contemporary fantasy middle grade novel with “heart, humor, and a plot that keeps those pages flying” (Carlos Hernandez, award-winning author of the Sal and Gabi series).
Most people inherit eye colors or heirlooms, but for Celia Cleary, the gift of prophecy has been passed down in her family for generations. And on the 4,444th day of her life, Celia will have her first vision. But nothing could have prepared her for what she sees—the quiet boy down the street, Jeffrey Johnson, is about to die.
Determined to save him despite her grandmother’s warnings against it, Celia alters events to stop her vision from playing out. But for each prophecy she avoids, another one takes its place, putting Jeffrey in constant danger. Fate has made its choice, and it’s not giving up the hunt.
Focusing on homework or friends isn’t easy when you’re going head-to-head with death—and keeping Jeffrey Johnson alive is throwing Celia’s seventh grade year into chaos. It doesn’t help that she’s getting to know Jeffrey more and more with each new rescue attempt. It really doesn’t help when she realizes she kind of likes him.
Will Celia’s gifts be enough to thwart fate? Or are some things in life inevitable?
A young seer’s first prophetic vision upends her life and sets her off on a desperate quest to change fate in this contemporary fantasy middle grade novel with “heart, humor, and a plot that keeps those pages flying” (Carlos Hernandez, award-winning author of the Sal and Gabi series).
Most people inherit eye colors or heirlooms, but for Celia Cleary, the gift of prophecy has been passed down in her family for generations. And on the 4,444th day of her life, Celia will have her first vision. But nothing could have prepared her for what she sees—the quiet boy down the street, Jeffrey Johnson, is about to die.
Determined to save him despite her grandmother’s warnings against it, Celia alters events to stop her vision from playing out. But for each prophecy she avoids, another one takes its place, putting Jeffrey in constant danger. Fate has made its choice, and it’s not giving up the hunt.
Focusing on homework or friends isn’t easy when you’re going head-to-head with death—and keeping Jeffrey Johnson alive is throwing Celia’s seventh grade year into chaos. It doesn’t help that she’s getting to know Jeffrey more and more with each new rescue attempt. It really doesn’t help when she realizes she kind of likes him.
Will Celia’s gifts be enough to thwart fate? Or are some things in life inevitable?
351 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 24, 2022
About the author
Scott Reintgen
17 books1,377 followersScott Reintgen grew up in North Carolina, and took full advantage of the fact that he lived on the same street as fourteen of his cousins. It could be a little crowded, but he threw a few elbows and carved out a space for himself as the family storyteller. He enjoyed the role so much that he decided to spend most of college and graduate school investing in the world of literature. This led to a career teaching English and Creative Writing in the great state of North Carolina, where he currently lives with his wife and family. To his great delight, the demand for stories and storytellers is alive and well. As such, he can often be found at local coffee shops laboring over stories that he hopes his family, and fans, will love.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
June 4, 2022
I am a huge Scott Reintgen fan -- I still push his NYXIA series on anyone who likes space stories, YA, and "to the bitter end" competitions like HUNGER GAMES. This book, PROBLEM WITH PROPHECIES, is one of his rare forays into middle-grade, and he proves just as adept with the genre as he is YA.
I LOVED THIS BOOK -- even as a grown-arse adult. It's funny; the characters are all distinct and well-drawn. The plot is fascinating as hell -- a lesser author may have really bungled it with a middle-grade audience. Instead, Scott turns a looming fatal prophecy into a quest filled with friendship, overcoming obstacles, and coming of age.... So many themes. Such creative world-building and beautiful writing. The story is a solid tale with a beginning and end -- yet opens the door to other installments in this wonderful world, with its strong, clever, and motivated hero Celia. I really can't recommend this enough -- it's just delightful.
The thing that has always impressed me most about the author is that he never, ever talks down to his readers. There's no eye wink to adults--Scott has faith in his readers, and believes in giving them their own perfect reading experience.
I LOVED THIS BOOK -- even as a grown-arse adult. It's funny; the characters are all distinct and well-drawn. The plot is fascinating as hell -- a lesser author may have really bungled it with a middle-grade audience. Instead, Scott turns a looming fatal prophecy into a quest filled with friendship, overcoming obstacles, and coming of age.... So many themes. Such creative world-building and beautiful writing. The story is a solid tale with a beginning and end -- yet opens the door to other installments in this wonderful world, with its strong, clever, and motivated hero Celia. I really can't recommend this enough -- it's just delightful.
The thing that has always impressed me most about the author is that he never, ever talks down to his readers. There's no eye wink to adults--Scott has faith in his readers, and believes in giving them their own perfect reading experience.
August 24, 2022
Fabulous middle grade fantasy. The premise is deceivingly simple. A young girl with a prophetic gift sees the death of a boy and saves him over and over again. But, it’s also about friendship and family and first love—all the things middle schoolers are *really* concerned with. And the ending! Ooph. Was not expecting that emotional punch. It’s bittersweet—my very, very favorite kind of ending. Loved this book.
Want to read
February 10, 202210.02.2022 middle-grade covers win every single time~
April 29, 2023
I give The Problem with Prophecies a full 5 stars. It revolved around a very realistic world from the point of a 7th grader. The plot was ah-mazing and with most books you can come up with even a slip of a happy ending prediction, but- this is a good thing- I really couldn't! It was so well-written with a strong and suspenseful plot that I just wasn't able to.
I love the cover illustrations and I believe that I have seen this illustrator's work before.
And finally, the moral. It wasn't very obvious in the beginning because the problem seemed so horrible but once you got to the ending, it finally clicked. When everything comes together at the end, a sad realization comes and made me teary eyed.
And as I come to conclusion, I can't wait to read the author's other work and the next in the series coming soon!
Always,
Mabel 😘
I love the cover illustrations and I believe that I have seen this illustrator's work before.
And finally, the moral. It wasn't very obvious in the beginning because the problem seemed so horrible but once you got to the ending, it finally clicked. When everything comes together at the end, a sad realization comes and made me teary eyed.
And as I come to conclusion, I can't wait to read the author's other work and the next in the series coming soon!
Always,
Mabel 😘
June 5, 2023
I bought this by accident but it was a wonderful surprise because I loved it! I’m definitely going to read the rest of this series. I also can’t wait to recommend this to my girlfriend’s nephew who has been all about tarot and witchy stuff lately and I think he’ll dig the premise.
June 5, 2022
Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Children’s for the ARC of this!
Full of future sight, first love, friendship and all the feels, this was so good from start to finish. I absolutely loved Celia and her Grandma’s relationship, as well as her friendships, they added so much to the story, even when the focus was on Celia and Jeffrey. The idea of fate and what seers must witness and what they can change was so interesting, and I loved that they had their magic book full of notes from past family generations. Recommend for fans of magical middle grade like: The Girl Who Drank the Moon, Cattywampus, and , Bayou Magic.
Full of future sight, first love, friendship and all the feels, this was so good from start to finish. I absolutely loved Celia and her Grandma’s relationship, as well as her friendships, they added so much to the story, even when the focus was on Celia and Jeffrey. The idea of fate and what seers must witness and what they can change was so interesting, and I loved that they had their magic book full of notes from past family generations. Recommend for fans of magical middle grade like: The Girl Who Drank the Moon, Cattywampus, and , Bayou Magic.
October 17, 2022
First of all the cover. Because covers sell books. This cover markets the book to 4-6 grade, but actually it's better suited to 7-8 grade. Equals quandary. There's nothing that makes it off limits to 4-6 grade, it's just that the characters are 7th graders with dating on the mind. Very innocent mind you.
The story centers around Celia, a girl in a lineage of female seers. The book opens on the day she is to experience her first "vision." It always happens on day 4,444. That's roughly 12.2 years. Her vision ends up being more than she bargained for. Jeffery, a boy in her grade, is going to get hit by a car and die. All she can think about is how she can interfere and prevent his death. She puts a plan into action, saves his life, feels great, only to discover that it's not over. Fate has determined he is going to die. Celia finds herself locked into a pattern of seeing a vision of his next death and jumping through hoops to make sure it doesn't happen.
The book is not dark in the least despite death being a theme. It's actually sweet that Celia feels compelled to save this boy she barely knows. In the process of all this saving, she begins to like him and he like her. There's a lot of other stuff girls in middle school will identify with. Friend group struggles. New levels of independence. Family bonding. Adoring grandmothers. And a fun class trip to a water park. Celia is a great problem solver. There's actually a lot of obstacles and near misses that happen when you're trying to intervene in fate. All that running around makes for a fun read.
So close to being a 4-star book.
The story centers around Celia, a girl in a lineage of female seers. The book opens on the day she is to experience her first "vision." It always happens on day 4,444. That's roughly 12.2 years. Her vision ends up being more than she bargained for. Jeffery, a boy in her grade, is going to get hit by a car and die. All she can think about is how she can interfere and prevent his death. She puts a plan into action, saves his life, feels great, only to discover that it's not over. Fate has determined he is going to die. Celia finds herself locked into a pattern of seeing a vision of his next death and jumping through hoops to make sure it doesn't happen.
The book is not dark in the least despite death being a theme. It's actually sweet that Celia feels compelled to save this boy she barely knows. In the process of all this saving, she begins to like him and he like her. There's a lot of other stuff girls in middle school will identify with. Friend group struggles. New levels of independence. Family bonding. Adoring grandmothers. And a fun class trip to a water park. Celia is a great problem solver. There's actually a lot of obstacles and near misses that happen when you're trying to intervene in fate. All that running around makes for a fun read.
So close to being a 4-star book.
March 1, 2022
When I was first introduced to this title, I thought that the premise sounded like Sabrina the Teenage Witch mixed with Final Destination. And that’s still partially true, but this book is so much more than that. It’s a story about family, friendship, and most importantly, forgiveness.
Celia’s grandmother is a seer and Celia knew from a young age that she would be too. But before she even comes into her abilities, she has a falling-out with her best friend that is inadvertently caused by one of her grandmother’s predictions. To make matters worse, Celia’s very fist vision depicts a terrible accident involving Jeffrey Johnson, a boy in her grade. When she prevents the accident, Celia hopes that’s all there is to it. But as her Grammy teaches her, “Fate is persistent. It will not give up its quarry.”
What follows is an incredibly moving coming-of-age story where Celia does her best to balance schoolwork, friendships, and her new full-time job of keeping Jeffrey alive. She’s a kindhearted, funny, and fiercely stubborn heroine that you can’t help but root for. And as Celia gets to know Jeffrey through her rescue attempts, we learn that he’s not half-bad himself. Darn it, fate!
I cannot recommend this book enough. Without spoiling too much, the end brought me to tears. But if you want to know if they were happy tears, sad tears, or a mixture of both . . . I guess you’ll have to read it yourself!
Celia’s grandmother is a seer and Celia knew from a young age that she would be too. But before she even comes into her abilities, she has a falling-out with her best friend that is inadvertently caused by one of her grandmother’s predictions. To make matters worse, Celia’s very fist vision depicts a terrible accident involving Jeffrey Johnson, a boy in her grade. When she prevents the accident, Celia hopes that’s all there is to it. But as her Grammy teaches her, “Fate is persistent. It will not give up its quarry.”
What follows is an incredibly moving coming-of-age story where Celia does her best to balance schoolwork, friendships, and her new full-time job of keeping Jeffrey alive. She’s a kindhearted, funny, and fiercely stubborn heroine that you can’t help but root for. And as Celia gets to know Jeffrey through her rescue attempts, we learn that he’s not half-bad himself. Darn it, fate!
I cannot recommend this book enough. Without spoiling too much, the end brought me to tears. But if you want to know if they were happy tears, sad tears, or a mixture of both . . . I guess you’ll have to read it yourself!
March 18, 2022
This was one of those rare books that you read while you’re eating, read while you’re walking from room to room, read past your bed time and every other waking moment until the last page has been read. I soaked up every page, every character, every magical moment. I loved Celia, Grammy, Jeffrey. I am exited for what other adventures the author has in store for this wonderful family.
October 30, 2022
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Celia Cleary comes from a long line of seers, and when her 4,444 day of existence rolls around, she's a little disappointed that her mother has to work, even though her mother doesn't have any powers. She's content to spend the day with Grammy, who uses her powers to advise people who seek her advice, even though this doesn't always end well. Celia has a vision, but it's a troubling one; she sees classmate Jeffrey Johnson killed in an auto accident. Even though Grammy tells her she can't change the future, she heads out to the scene of the crash and manages to save him. This isn't enough, since fate will win, and she must save him again and again. She gets to know him a bit, since she is essentially stalking him, and saves him from falling from the bleachers and also from another car. She doesn't get a vision every day, and a week might go by when she doesn't have to risk life and limb to save Jeffrey. He's a great kid, and seems interested in her, which makes the situation even more stressful. It's hard to concentrate on her homework, so her grades suffer, which makes her mother crack down on her. This, in turn, makes it hard to get out of the house to save Jeffrey! Luckily, a friend's sister operates a sort of teen taxi, and is available to take Celia when she really needs a ride. When Celia sees a vision at the waterpark that the seventh grade is going to visit, she knows that she has to save Jeffrey yet again. What is the price of trying to thwart fate?
Strengths: This has a bit of a twist at the end that I should have seen coming but didn't, so I don't want to ruin it! The acquisition of a magical power is well portrayed, and it's great that Grammy is around to help Celia process. There is a brief appearance by cousins who have slightly different powers that was helpful in understanding the family traits. The balance that Celia has to find between school work, friends, having a crush, and saving someone's life was something that will resonate with overscheduled readers, even if they don't have to worry about life and death circumstances. The teen taxi was a great way to enable Celia to get around without relying on her mother or grandmother. Young readers will enjoy the romance and find the ending satisfying.
Weaknesses: I'm old and jaded, so I wouldn't have tried to save Jeffrey. People die every day. The cover could have been better-- Celia is in 7th grade, so if this had been given a more YA cover, it would appeal to some older readers as well.
What I really think: This was a well-paced, engaging story with likeable characters and a good use of a magic power, so I will definitely purchase this for my fans of magical realism. It reminded me vaguely of Harrington's Clarity, but only because of the family connections. It's more like Meriano's Love Sugar Magic or Harrison's A Pinch of Magic, but definitely felt like a unique story.
Celia Cleary comes from a long line of seers, and when her 4,444 day of existence rolls around, she's a little disappointed that her mother has to work, even though her mother doesn't have any powers. She's content to spend the day with Grammy, who uses her powers to advise people who seek her advice, even though this doesn't always end well. Celia has a vision, but it's a troubling one; she sees classmate Jeffrey Johnson killed in an auto accident. Even though Grammy tells her she can't change the future, she heads out to the scene of the crash and manages to save him. This isn't enough, since fate will win, and she must save him again and again. She gets to know him a bit, since she is essentially stalking him, and saves him from falling from the bleachers and also from another car. She doesn't get a vision every day, and a week might go by when she doesn't have to risk life and limb to save Jeffrey. He's a great kid, and seems interested in her, which makes the situation even more stressful. It's hard to concentrate on her homework, so her grades suffer, which makes her mother crack down on her. This, in turn, makes it hard to get out of the house to save Jeffrey! Luckily, a friend's sister operates a sort of teen taxi, and is available to take Celia when she really needs a ride. When Celia sees a vision at the waterpark that the seventh grade is going to visit, she knows that she has to save Jeffrey yet again. What is the price of trying to thwart fate?
Strengths: This has a bit of a twist at the end that I should have seen coming but didn't, so I don't want to ruin it! The acquisition of a magical power is well portrayed, and it's great that Grammy is around to help Celia process. There is a brief appearance by cousins who have slightly different powers that was helpful in understanding the family traits. The balance that Celia has to find between school work, friends, having a crush, and saving someone's life was something that will resonate with overscheduled readers, even if they don't have to worry about life and death circumstances. The teen taxi was a great way to enable Celia to get around without relying on her mother or grandmother. Young readers will enjoy the romance and find the ending satisfying.
Weaknesses: I'm old and jaded, so I wouldn't have tried to save Jeffrey. People die every day. The cover could have been better-- Celia is in 7th grade, so if this had been given a more YA cover, it would appeal to some older readers as well.
What I really think: This was a well-paced, engaging story with likeable characters and a good use of a magic power, so I will definitely purchase this for my fans of magical realism. It reminded me vaguely of Harrington's Clarity, but only because of the family connections. It's more like Meriano's Love Sugar Magic or Harrison's A Pinch of Magic, but definitely felt like a unique story.
July 22, 2022
What worked:
Celia comes from a lineage of seers and her first prophecy shows her the death of a classmate. She decides to save him but her grandmother says trying to stop fate is futile. Death will happen, and fate will always find a way to make it happen. This rule of prophecies establishes the book’s main conflict. Every time Celia saves Jeffrey, fate will present her with new visions of scenarios for his death. Is she prepared to become a lifelong guardian for a boy she barely knows?
The story explores the prophecy’s effect on Celia’s life, going beyond the magical implications. She doesn’t want it to seem like she’s stalking Jeffrey so she’s forced to find ways of saving him without his knowledge. That’s tricky, especially when she’s trying to keep her efforts secret from her mother and classmates. Celia’s obsession to save Jeffrey demands her full attention so other areas of her life suffer. In addition, her former best friend won’t speak to her since she blames Celia’s grandmother’s magic for her parents’ separation. Celia doesn’t know how to deal with the girl but there are moments of wistfulness from past memories.
The resolution of the problem will evoke different emotions from readers. There’s no apparent way to stop fate from taking Jeffrey’s life so Celia’s efforts seem futile. Jeffrey’s a really nice boy which makes his impending death even harder to accept. Celia discovers a page is missing from her seer handbook and she’s frustrated that it may provide clues about what she can do. She becomes better at understanding her abilities but there’s always an air of uncertainty with her visions. Several strange events later in the plot create new questions, and the emotional climax is a surprise if readers don’t recognize clues along the way.
What didn’t work as well:
The early plot has a similar feel to the movie “Groundhog Day” where the same events continually happen over and over. While Celia’s rescues differ in details, she saves Jeffrey’s life several times in a short span of time. Later, the rescues are less frequent and require more planning, so the story becomes more engaging and satisfying.
The Final Verdict:
The first rule is fate cannot be defeated. The early pages feel a little redundant due to frequent rescues, but the story quickly becomes faster-paced and interesting as Celia learns to use her powers. Her determination to save Jeffrey is the backdrop for a sweet story of friendship, and the surprising conclusion will conjure many emotions. I recommend readers give this book a shot.
Celia comes from a lineage of seers and her first prophecy shows her the death of a classmate. She decides to save him but her grandmother says trying to stop fate is futile. Death will happen, and fate will always find a way to make it happen. This rule of prophecies establishes the book’s main conflict. Every time Celia saves Jeffrey, fate will present her with new visions of scenarios for his death. Is she prepared to become a lifelong guardian for a boy she barely knows?
The story explores the prophecy’s effect on Celia’s life, going beyond the magical implications. She doesn’t want it to seem like she’s stalking Jeffrey so she’s forced to find ways of saving him without his knowledge. That’s tricky, especially when she’s trying to keep her efforts secret from her mother and classmates. Celia’s obsession to save Jeffrey demands her full attention so other areas of her life suffer. In addition, her former best friend won’t speak to her since she blames Celia’s grandmother’s magic for her parents’ separation. Celia doesn’t know how to deal with the girl but there are moments of wistfulness from past memories.
The resolution of the problem will evoke different emotions from readers. There’s no apparent way to stop fate from taking Jeffrey’s life so Celia’s efforts seem futile. Jeffrey’s a really nice boy which makes his impending death even harder to accept. Celia discovers a page is missing from her seer handbook and she’s frustrated that it may provide clues about what she can do. She becomes better at understanding her abilities but there’s always an air of uncertainty with her visions. Several strange events later in the plot create new questions, and the emotional climax is a surprise if readers don’t recognize clues along the way.
What didn’t work as well:
The early plot has a similar feel to the movie “Groundhog Day” where the same events continually happen over and over. While Celia’s rescues differ in details, she saves Jeffrey’s life several times in a short span of time. Later, the rescues are less frequent and require more planning, so the story becomes more engaging and satisfying.
The Final Verdict:
The first rule is fate cannot be defeated. The early pages feel a little redundant due to frequent rescues, but the story quickly becomes faster-paced and interesting as Celia learns to use her powers. Her determination to save Jeffrey is the backdrop for a sweet story of friendship, and the surprising conclusion will conjure many emotions. I recommend readers give this book a shot.
June 19, 2022
This book made me cry a little. More family oriented than I expected. I loved how real and meaningful all Celia's relationships were to the story, and what a selfless, thoughtful, and careful heroine she was. Honestly she was almost too good to be true, but that doesn't detract from the quality of the book too much. I also really appreciated the organic way her powers and family were explained, so that you're still left with questions (like, where are all the men? Is this an amazonian seer family? There is an uncle mentioned at the end so maybe not), but you still feel like you understand how her powers work. Excited to read more from this author!
January 16, 2023
My thoughts:
Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my GOSH!!! This was such a good book. I read this so fast and once I started I couldn’t stop! All the characters were amazing and it was such a well crafted book.
About the book: Celia Cleary comes from a family of seers and she keeps seeing one thing: the death of Jeffery Johnson. Determined to save him, she keeps a close eye on him, helping him live longer. But the more she does the more she starts to like him. And the end of this book? Let’s say it was so good and sad.
Stars:
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
5 and more
PLEASE READ THIS BOOK I’M BEGGING YOU!!
Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my GOSH!!! This was such a good book. I read this so fast and once I started I couldn’t stop! All the characters were amazing and it was such a well crafted book.
About the book: Celia Cleary comes from a family of seers and she keeps seeing one thing: the death of Jeffery Johnson. Determined to save him, she keeps a close eye on him, helping him live longer. But the more she does the more she starts to like him. And the end of this book? Let’s say it was so good and sad.
Stars:
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
5 and more
PLEASE READ THIS BOOK I’M BEGGING YOU!!
December 7, 2023
You have to admit that this cover is absolutely phenomenal. In one of my library visits, I saw this in the middle-grade section, and it literally told me to pick it up.
I am so happy to inform you that my gut wasn't lying, I loved this book. It gives readers a lesson of a lifetime, with great power, comes great responsibility. When you think of heirlooms, probably the first things that come to mind are earrings, a painting, or a porcelain piece. Celia Cleary has been on this earth for 4,444 days, and it's when her gift of prophecy will first occur. Her life will never be the same.
Fortunately for Celia, she has her grandmother to guide her through this change. When she sees a vision of Jeffrey Johnson dying, she'll stop at nothing to change this dark prophecy. I will tell you this, this book was full of family love, patience, and the importance of how to control an unexpected turn of events. I am so thrilled to see the library had the sequel, and I'm sure I will devour that story as well.
I am so happy to inform you that my gut wasn't lying, I loved this book. It gives readers a lesson of a lifetime, with great power, comes great responsibility. When you think of heirlooms, probably the first things that come to mind are earrings, a painting, or a porcelain piece. Celia Cleary has been on this earth for 4,444 days, and it's when her gift of prophecy will first occur. Her life will never be the same.
Fortunately for Celia, she has her grandmother to guide her through this change. When she sees a vision of Jeffrey Johnson dying, she'll stop at nothing to change this dark prophecy. I will tell you this, this book was full of family love, patience, and the importance of how to control an unexpected turn of events. I am so thrilled to see the library had the sequel, and I'm sure I will devour that story as well.
August 6, 2022
Wonderful! I'm not usually a fan of the "magic" stories but Reintgen was able to make the magic feel very real and possible. And that begins on the first page of the book as the setting is described. But the story is not just about magic. It's also about families and commitment and following through when you think something is right, and friendship and, most of all, sacrifice. I will be recommending this book.
August 9, 2023
Celia Cleary knows that on the 4,444th day of her life she will know what her of prophecy is - what will it be?
Hoping for something really wonderful, she is not expecting that her gift will be that of "seeing" death!
Jeffrey Johnson, classmate and neighborhood boy, appears in Celia's "vision" - she does not want to see him die, so she decides to become his "guardian angel", change the course of events.
Hoping for something really wonderful, she is not expecting that her gift will be that of "seeing" death!
Jeffrey Johnson, classmate and neighborhood boy, appears in Celia's "vision" - she does not want to see him die, so she decides to become his "guardian angel", change the course of events.
October 14, 2022
Wow! I love this story from the first word to the last. I laughed out loud, fell in love with Grammy and Celia, imagined myself in their worlds, cried my eyes out and then wished to do it all over again. As a writer currently working on a MG manuscript, this novel inspires me. Scott’s voice, his craft, his imagination is truly Magical!
April 9, 2023
Reintgen is a local author, but I hadn't read anything he's written before. This start of a new series intrigued me--who doesn't love a little magic?--and I found it to be even better than I was expecting. Good writing, a few twists, and some exploration about the pros and cons of knowing what's coming--I like a book that treats kids like intelligent people.
October 29, 2024
I picked this up on a whim and it was fantastic. I stayed up much later than I will admit to finish reading it. Great plot, character development, and a satisfying ending that left me wanting to spend more time in this world. I didn't realize until seeing the Goodreads title that it will be a series, and I will definitely keep an eye out for the next one.
June 4, 2022
An easy middle grade read, but it still tears at your heart strings and makes you consider what you are willing to sacrifice in life for the ones you love. Got a free copy when Scott visited our school and devoured it.
June 8, 2022
Outstanding book! Very original plot, which is hard to find in modern books. I loved the involvement of loyalty, love, and commitment as well. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good story about a middle school student and there loving friends and family.
December 21, 2023
Fantastic! I love stories where characters try to change the future. This one does it well. The characters are all likeable and I can’t wait to read the second book to get back into their world. I wish I had a Grammy in my life! Great middle grade read.
March 19, 2024
An extraordinary book, and -- to my surprise -- one of the best middle school books I've read so far in 2024. It's at once hilarious and heartstring-puling, with the pacing, characters, and magic system that are all well-done. (And that ending!) I plan on reading the next installment.
May 13, 2024
Celia comes from a long line of seers, and when she comes into her magic on her 4,444 day, her new ability isn't quite what she thought it would be. Does Celia have what it takes to protect her new friend?
A cute MG novel about life, friends, and family.
A cute MG novel about life, friends, and family.
June 4, 2022
AMAZING! I could have finished it in a day, but stretched it out as long as I could.
July 21, 2022
What a wonderful book. I love this author. The Talespinners series is definitely a winner and so is this one.
October 1, 2022
True rating: 4.5 stars.
This is Mr. Reintgen's best children's book yet. An intriguing premise, and a story with heart and humor.
June 28, 2023
Absolutely adored even got the author's signature!
August 13, 2023
Too childish rn
November 5, 2023
I loved this book! The voice was so fresh and authentic and the twist at the end was one of those perfect twists that simultaneously feels surprising and inevitable. A great read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews