This book was magical, beautiful, and so needed for kids today. So many now struggle with anxiety and panic attacks. It’s important for them to see themselves in books, but also to understand that it’s ok. They don’t have to hide. This book really got to me on so many levels.

This is perhaps more proof that you can't judge a book by its cover, as I'm absolutely in love with this cover. My youngest daughter and I have been reading this as a bedtime book for what seems like forever but we've finally just put it aside and started another book. While the main character is likeable and the premise is exactly our sort of bedtime material (a sad, lonely girl sees a "star child" fall from the sky and must team up with some other misfit children to help the star child), it is so slow moving. From the description, I now know that she suffers from panic attacks, but it's written so that we had no idea what her "episodes" were. It was so vague that I wondered if they were anything from seizures to dissociative episodes. They were always referred to in a secretive, vague sort of way as things that had happened that she was embarrassed about and hiding from her family.

The book is just very long and very, very slow moving. We're at about 1/3 and very little has happened yet. This could be a great fit for a kids to read on their own, especially if they are fast readers. It's not working as a read-aloud though and we've shelved it, at least for now.

Digital ARC provided by Net Galley.

Highly engaging, magical, inspirational. Quintessence feels "true" or "real" in the way only really great middle grade novels can. Themes covered involve being true to yourself, change, friendship, and acceptance all wrapped up in a mystery with fantasy elements that are sure to have readers debating which element they represent.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan for the opportunity to read and review Quintessence by Jess Redman.
Quintessence is one of those books that looks good and you take it home set it in a pile to read later. You go back pick it up and next thing you know you've read the entire book in one sitting. It is a blend of friendship, finding your true self, and a little bit a magical essence tossed in. I cannot tell you in actual words how this book made me feel. I felt like a kids again reading it. The emotion and understanding that you feel for Alma are real. The panic attacks and how the build up for her feels real. I am sharing this with my son who has them. It is a wonderful read for all ages.
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