To celebrate the launch of Emma Finlayson Palmer’s debut book, Autumn Moonbeam Dance Magic! I am posting an extra special book review as part of #TeamAutumnMoonbeam.

Autumn Moonbeam Dance Magic! is planned to be the first in the ‘spell-tacular’ Autumn Moonbeam series.

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Title: Autumn Moonbeam Dance Magic!

Written by: Emma Finlayson Palmer

Illustrated by: Heidi Cannon

Published by: Uclan Publishing

From the very first page Autumn Moonbeam leaps off the page and into the reader’s heart. Her energy and enthusiasm is infectious. I love the way Emma Finlayson-Palmer has amalgamated the world of dance and the world of witches. This makes this debut stand out head and shoulders above other witch themed books for lower middle-grade. Emma’s imagination and use of language brings the book to life with its own unique dance magic quality.

Autumn Moonbeam Dance Magic! is full of glitzy magic and well-structured friendships. I really felt for Autumn as she tries out for the Black Cat dance team to achieve her life-long goal of joining the Sparkledale Dance Academy. Autumn has to overcome her lack of confidence. She is supported by her best-friend Batty and teased by her mean next door neighbour, Severina Bloodworth. The tension is racked up when Autumn discovers  Serina is also trying out for the dance academy. A great example of a character-led book.

Heidi Cannon’s illustrations compliment the text perfectly and add that extra dimension children will love. I particularly liked the pencil portraits of all the characters at the front of the book. Autumn Moonbeam Dance Magic! is perfect for girls who enjoy dancing and gymnastics and also for anyone who loves to read witch school based adventures. Readers will be enthralled by Autumn’s mystical mishaps and I suspect will be trying out a few magical dance moves for themselves. In the classroom children will enjoy making up their own spookytacular words and writing their own witch based stories using spellendous language.

This is definitely a book to cherish and collect the whole series. I can’t wait for book two Autumn Moonbeam Spooky Sleepover! released just in time for Halloween.

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Keep a look out for my first ever Special Guest Q &A with author of the Autumn Moonbeam series, Emma Finlayson-Palmer, which is going live here on my blog tomorrow.

I would like to thank Uclan Publishing for inviting me to be part of #TeamAutumnMoonbeam.

You can buy copies of Autumn Moonbeam Dance Magic! by Emma Finlayson-Palmer from your local bookshop, or online at uk.bookshop.org, an organisation with a mission to financially support local, independent bookshops.