I don’t read much middle-grade, so it’s not an age group that you see many reviews for on my blog. But I do like to pick it up from time to time, and this year I am aiming to read more of it. The instant I heard about Like A Charm, I knew that it was a book that I needed to read. It’s one that I both would have adored as a kid and now as an adult too.
Like a Charm follows Ramya, a 12-year-old girl who can see through magical creatures glamour. After her Grandad dies, she’s pulled into her family’s secrets and the world of the Hidden Folk. Ramya has always been different because of her disability, and now her differences can be used for good.
I mentioned in that brief summary that Ramya is disabled, and her disability is dyspraxia. It might not be one you’ve heard much about – unless you’ve seen a particular character’s intro episode in Doctor Who – but it’s essentially a learning disability that can affect motor skills. It’s something I’ve had all my life, and I was diagnosed when I was 3. So I’ve never known any different. When I was Ramya’s age, I was still just calling my dyspraxia motor skill problems. I didn’t know much about it. I’d certainly never seen my disability in books or any other form of media. I really wish I had. Maybe then I’d have seen that yes, I was actually disabled, but that was okay. That you could still be the hero, even if you might trip over a lot of things trying to defeat the monsters.
Continue reading “Book Review: Like A Charm by Elle McNicoll”
Lace and Dagger Books 