27 Magic Words

Reviewed by: Deidre Walsh - Goodall Library, Sanford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: December 16, 2016

Review

This is not a story about magic. There are no truly magic words here. At least not magic in the sense of conjuring. The magic may lie in the memories and coping abilities that the titular 27 magic words have for Kobi especially, and her older sister. Told from Kobi's point of view, this is a story of family, love, grief. self-perception, growth and hope. Kobi and her family have lived a pretty good life. Then her parents are presumed dead in an accident at sea. Kobi and her sister are sent to live with their affluent grandmother in Paris. Life is pretty good to the two sisters while in Paris. Then circumstances change and the two sisters are uprooted again. They are forced to live with an uncle in Iowa. He makes them live a "normal" life than what they are used to. For starters, they will go to public school. Through all of the turmoil and change the girls have had to endure, Kobi has been able to survive with a list of magic words that her mother left for her on post-it notes. They are ordinary words, but magic to Kobi. Words such as avanti and buoy have really helped Kobi. But at this new public school Kobi will need more than magic words to survive. She will need to adapt. But to survive and be somewhat popular Kobi resorts to telling lies. And soon the lies catch up with her. And in order to grieve properly and move on with life, Kobi must come to terms with her lies, lies that she may believe herself. Told from Kobi's imaginative perspective, the reader first sees Kobi's emotions and actions, then those around her. There is a lot hidden in this gem of a story. Well-written characters, grief, adults dealing with their own issues and sadness, Kobi's older sister's OCD, and Alzheimer disease, just to name a few. All of these issues/themes are dealt with realistically and with kindness. This book would be a wonderful choice for book group for tweens and teens to start a discussion on loss and grief. Recommended for grades 5-8 and mature 4th graders. A good purchase for most libraries.

Overall Book Score: excellent