Why ‘The Potion Experiment’ Is a Must-Read for Kids

INTRODUCING A NEW GUEST BLOGGER and INTERNATIONAL CONNECTIONS

I “met” Isabelle when I saw her interview with Irish children’s fantasy author, Valinora Troy and read her review on Greg Pattridge’s MMGM blog. I was so impressed with her maturity and love for books, that I asked if she would be interested in sharing her reviews on my blog as well. About the same time I received a book review request from Australian author Elle McFadzean, I thought this was a book for Isabelle who happens to also live overseas.

REVIEW

I loved this book. I will just say that straight away. I loved it so much that I just could not put it down, and I finished it at breakfast a few days ago!! And then went back to re-read!

The Potion Experiment is a middle-grade fantasy about two girls. Well… it’s complicated. But it starts with thirteen-year-old scientist, Ange, who is whisked from her home into a magical forest and then suddenly starts hearing Eva’s voice in her head, talking about all kinds of stuff like spells and potions gone wrong. It turns out that because of that ‘potion-gone-wrong’, Ange is now stuck in Eva’s body, in a world of magic where no one’s heard of physics and all that other scientific stuff, and Eva is in Ange’s world. Now they need to find a way to swap back before they’re found out.

This is definitely one of the best middle-grade fantasy books I’ve ever read!!! It’s fun, fast-paced, and humorous, and I am so glad I got an free copy of it. I loved everything about it – the characters, the world, the plot, and the writing!! They’re all just so fun!

The writing for this book was definitely amazing. As I’ve said, it was fast-paced, humorous, and exciting, and I could not put the book down. It really brought me straight into the world and straight into the characters minds, and I got to see the world through their eyes! The plot itself is super exciting and there were always so many twists and turns that made the book super enjoyable!!

I also loved the fun characters and it’s super fun to see their relationships grow and change. And since Eve and Ange can talk to each other in their minds… it makes for incredibly humourous bickering!

Another thing I loved was seeing how those two girls navigated their different worlds. As I’ve said, Ange is a scientist, but now all of a sudden, she’s placed in this different world full of magic, where no one’s heard of physics, the laws of science, and all that. Meanwhile, Eva comes from a world full of magic and spells, and now she’s suddenly placed into this modern world where, at school, you’re taught really different things. The scene where Eva had to ride in the car was pretty interesting too. Cars don’t really exist in her world. So I’m sure you can imagine all the shock. 

I also really loved how you see that these two different worlds might not be as different as you thought. Because the way magic works in this book, you can also really see that it’s not that different from science – there are a lot of similarities, like wavelengths and all that. Which was very interesting and it really gives you a different perspective on the world and how things work. I think lots of kids will love it!

My favorite scene in this book….. Ohhhh my goodness, how can I pick??! I suppose I don’t have a favorite scene exactly. But I do have a favorite part of the book – all of Ange and Eva’s conversations. It’s just so much fun to read their conversations, especially when they’re bickering!!!

The only thing I didn’t like about this book… Well, to be honest, I didn’t exactly not like anything, and it’s nothing against the book. It’s just the potion-collecting. Because apparently, they also need a toad for the potion. And so, Ange must head to the swamps to catch one. And it’s not that I don’t like it. It’s just… TOADS!!! Eeep! Get away from me!  So uh… yeah. But it waaaas kind of funny to see Ange trying to catch the toads.

But yeah! Overall, I absolutely LOVED this book! It’s a fun, thrilling, middle-grade fantasy full of magic, friendship, and humor. An excellent debut novel! Five stars out of five! I definitely recommend this book to any middle-grader who’s in for a magical, humorous read, and I also think that this book will also appeal to those reluctant readers – how could it not, with all the humor, fun writing, and magic?! A must-read for fans of Harry Potter and Katrina Kahler’s fantasy novels.

About Our Guest Blogger

Here is Isabelle’s bio from her Amazon page:

Hi, my name is Isabelle Knight, and I’m the middle grade fantasy author of the Enchantria series and many more books to come! I absolutely LOVE writing and started the Enchantria series when I was ten years old. I also love cats, crystals, reading, and any bookstore/library that will let me read the books all day without kicking me out! I also love pandas, unicorns, fairies, mermaids lots of magic, and make a huge effort to include all those in my stories! In my books, you’ll usually find stars, magic, hope, courage, and friendship! I am very excited to publish the rest of my books and write MANY more to come!. FYI–Isabelle just turned twelve. Watch out for this writing prodigy! Her review of THE POTION EXPERIMENT first appeared on her blog.

GIVEAWAY

Elle is providing a copy of The Potion Experiment to one fortunate reader. To enter, leave a comment by March 19. Follow Elle on Instagram or on other social media platforms.

You’ll find other great middle-grade books to read on Greg Pattridge’s MMGM blog.