A STROKE OF MAGIC

Three children take a magical journey to the past, marveling at forgotten discoveries and appreciating new cultures along the way in Costagliola’s chapter book.

The author sets her story in Vero Beach, Florida, rendered in picturesque detail. Seven-year-old twins Alex and Ella spend their days at a colorful and quaint retirement home called Discovery Casa, where their mother works as a nurse. One day, the twins meet Layla, an inquisitive 6-year-old visiting her Abuelita. As children do, they become fast friends, excitedly bonding over their dreams of adventure and discovery. As the children and Abuelita discuss culture and heritage (“This is the dress I made for the Pollera Conga, a Panamanian festival that celebrates our African heritage”)—consistent themes throughout the book—Abuelita mentions a mysterious new resident named Art, and the intrigued children set out to find him. They stumble across an open door to a space covered with paintings, the most interesting of which depicts a woman on a beach surrounded by dinosaurs. Just as they begin to ponder why a woman would be among the prehistoric beasts, the painting begins to swirl, creating a vortex that transports the kids right out of Discovery Casa and onto that very beach in 1830. Here, they are guided by Emet, a comical talking paintbrush, who introduces them to their very first piece of forgotten history: Mary Anning, a pioneering paleontologist and the woman in the painting with the dinosaurs. The kids spend the rest of this quick, delightful read digging for fossils, learning cool history, and making a new friend. With evenly paced, polished prose, Costagliola crafts the perfect start to a series of books for young readers. The characters are charming and center the whimsical world of time travel, talking paintbrushes, and magical art in relatable reality. Most importantly, the powerful themes of culture, history, and justice ensure that this book will stick with both kids and adults.

A whimsical children’s book full of fascinating forgotten history.