"You must love yourself
And you must love others
For we are all worthy of love
And we are all loved."

It's important to remember that A Tale of Witchwood Park is for young children, and therefore in-depth, lyrical writing would be confusing to the target audience. A few of the reviews say this book is poorly written or that it's paced too quickly, but I disagree. To me, it's absolutely perfect. Short and busy enough to hold the interest of any young reader, with a great message of tolerance, friendship, and self-love at the end.

It could, however, do with a good editor. There are a few small mistakes, like "seamed" in place of "seemed" and unnecessary capitalized letters.

Ex: "She was very outgoing and seamed much older than she really was."
Ex: "It didn't matter, It was all over for him."

Overall, this was a cute book and it's something I'd love to get my nieces to read. Highly, highly recommend to parents or anybody else with a young loved one in their life.

A nice fantasy story for kids, about a missing girls and her friends who are looking for her and have an adventure in a wood full of miracles

Kendra, Jimmy, and Daniel are outcasts in their school. Kendra is a quiet introvert who rarely speaks above a whisper. Jimmy is a bully. And Daniel is a geeky kid nobody wants to have around, and is never picked to play on a team. They are pulled into an adventure in an enchanted forest by a troll and have to overcome obstacles (including the standard evil queen) in order to get back home.

Things I liked: The story is imaginative and charming and the unusual twist is intriguing (no I won’t say – spoilers!). The standard ending with the kids overcoming their obstacles and winning the day is a definite plus. Okay, that may have been a little bit of a spoiler, but we all know it was going to happen. They become much stronger, showing other kids who may have social problems that things can change.

Things I didn’t like: Okay, this is why it only got two stars from me. The book needs a good strong editor. The point of view is all over the place. The author rushes it too much – either less needs to happen, or this book needs to be three times longer than it is. Rather than showing us what’s happening, the author tells us everything which makes for uninteresting reading. In case my editorial prejudice was showing, I gave it to my grandkids to read (11 & 15) and they both put it down after two pages saying it wasn’t very good—and yes, they are both heavy readers who enjoy a good fantasy. But that’s the problem. This isn’t a good fantasy. I hate to say that, but it’s not. The bones of a really good story are there, but the body isn’t.

Recommendation: I honestly can’t recommend this book. I believe it’s got a good basis. A really good one. It has a unique twist that is intriguing and is about kids who don’t fit in who find their strength, but the editing is so poor that without a substantial content edit, I can’t recommend it.

Thank you for the ARC of this book. I found it charming and fun, but maybe a little too simplistic even though it's meant for children. More depth and details would've helped flesh out the characters as well as the fantastical world of Witchwood Park.

A Tale of Witchwood Park by S. W. Develin is a quick, enjoyable read. The story moves fast, but didn’t feel too fast. All of the characters were well written. Some parts would have been clearer with more description, such as when they first enter the Witchwood.

There’s a lot here to appeal to young (and seasoned) readers. I would gladly add a copy to my middle school/high school bookshelf.

This was an adorable read,this premise is what hooked me, and I loved all the characters in it. It worked perfectly for young adults.

Easy and quick read. No big surprises. Feels a bit rushed but for some reluctant readers this will be perfect.

I really loved this story! It's clearly written for elementary school/early middle school readers, but it's a great tale with all sorts of fairy tale creatures, plus dragons, knights, and queens. It's not the most original plot, but it's well written and I look forward to further adventures in this universe!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and KindleDirect Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.