Dalya is a young girl that has gone through a lot of changes. Her parents have recently divorced, and now she is following her dad back to his home country, Istanbul. Instabul is beyond anything Dalya could have imagined, and things get very complicated once magic seems to get involved.

Dayla and the Magic Ink Bottle is a story that upper elementary students would like. It is a great start into fantasy books, especially for those young readers who aren't ready for the text complexity with Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, etc.

I thought this was such a magical book. I thought Dayla was such a great main character. When Dalya was little her parents divorced because her father worked a lot as a doctor. One summer Dalya's father takes her on a trip to his home country of Istanbul to help his Aunt sell the family home. She is not at all happy, but when she gets there something magical happens. I loved how the story weaved the power of friendship, family, and the meaning of the word home. I highly recommend to those who love the magical realism is a sprinkle of fantasy.

"Any place can be home if you keep an open heart." "Home isn't a place. It's wherever you find friendship & love."

Thanks to Netgalley, Capstone Editions & Author J M Evenson for this E-ARC.
Adventurous, portrays friendship with animals, magic, family love, time travel. These are the words that perfectly describe this book. This book was such a fun read for me. Most characters were animals which was quite unique and awesome. The descriptions of the streets of Istanbul, its markets and various traditional buildings were mind blowing. I loved how the author showed friendship between a human and animals. Even the mystery regarding the family secret/curse was revealed slowly, which was fantastic & intriguing. The whole story was adventurous, magical and emotional too.

The story begins with Dalya being dragged to Istanbul, Turkey with her dad to spend their vacation. Basically, her dad is helping her great aunt Zehra Hala in selling the family's ancestral home. Most of the aged mansion is off-limits because it's falling apart, her father is ignoring her, and her great aunt keeps prattling on about a family curse. Despite warnings against it, Dalya tiptoes upstairs, where she finds an old bottle of magic ink hidden under a floorboard. From here the main adventure starts.

Being an adult, I thoroughly enjoyed this middle grade book then I truly reckon, the children will definitely enjoy reading this book.

I loved this book. The story is full of not only magic, but adventure and adorable characters with a beautiful message at the end. I’d definitely recommend this book for readers of all ages, not only middle grade trades but also adults. I read it with my daughter and both loved it.

My rating is 2.5/5 stars

So, it's been over 3 days since I read this book and I've been knowingly delaying it's review post. It's not bad per say but it also didn't leave a great impression on me either.

I enjoy reading Middle grade level books. It was cute and the premise was interesting but somehow, I didn't connect as well with the story as I had hoped. Maybe younger me would have liked it but for 16 yr old Me, it was a forgettable affair.

Honestly, I don't know whether to recommend it or not. Perhaps actual Middle Graders would like it, so ya, recommended for them. :)

4.5 out of 5 🌟Charming mixture of magic and adventure

Just after a few pages into 'Dalya and the Magic Bottle' I knew that book is exceptional. I started reading it with my son and cannot stop after he was already long asleep. It reminded me of a feeling when I was reading 'Harry Potter' for the first time. The novel is captivating and magical, a true fairytale. I enjoyed almost everything about this title. It's an international adventure that takes place in Istanbul, Turkey with squad goals like in ‘Wizard of Oz’ and mysterious events reminding me of ‘Alice in Wonderland’.

The story is about a young girl from Ohio who arrived in Istambul with her Dad to meet their relatives and spend summer in an old family house. Both the Turkish mansion and her family share a secret that will lead her into a magical journey.

Did I mention I loved the story? It's packed with action, cliffhangers, plot twists, and adorable characters. Even if is full of old cliches like talking animals and evil aunties I didn't frown once. Yes, it is predictable and I'd love to see more developed and multi-layered characters but let's remember it's a quite short book and recommended for 8-12-year-old readers. What I really enjoyed was the international flavor - how Dalya, who was born in the USA, looked at her family's country and how her perception of the importance of cultural heritage changed with time.

Both I and my 9-year-old totally love this 'Dalya and the Magic Bottle'. I’ll definitely buy a copy for my local library.

*Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and feelings are my own.*

A bit dry for my tastes. The child I read it to, however, seemed to rate it better than I do (although she's also obsessed with cats, so it was a friendly audience!)

Dalya’s dad rarely uses his summer visitation time, but for this summer he is taking her to see his ancestral home in Istanbul. When she gets there her aunt gives her a pendant and tells Dalya that she is the key to the family secret. Despite warnings, she chases a cat into an area that is off limits and finds an ink bottle. She rubs the bottle and makes a wish. When she wakes up, she finds herself in the past, as a cat. She must help her great-great grandma with the family curse in order to find a way back home. Will she succeed? How did the bottle send her back in time? This book is a fun adventure about love, family, and the meaning of home that kids will adore. With talking animals, magic, and mystery, readers will be drawn into the story. The characters are likable and easy to relate to. Readers who like magic, fantasy, and adventure will enjoy reading this book. Grades 4 to 7

Please note: This was a complementary review copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No financial compensation was received.

This is such a wonderful mix of magic, fairy tales, time travel, animals and even a dash of Istanbul... a read which allows the imagination to soar.

Dalya isn't excited about staying in a haunted mansion somewhere in Istanbul, and she's even less excited about spending so-called quality time with her father when all he wants to do is work, anyway. Her aunt doesn't help matters, considering she's more than just a bit odd. When a boring day brings along a cat with a glowing tale, Dalya can't help but follow it up the stairs to the 2nd floor. There she discovers an ink bottle, which claims it can grant her one wish. Before she knows it, she accidentally wishes to be home. But the result is anything but what she wants or expected. Now, she's stuck somewhere in time, and that as a cat. And she's not sure how she'll ever have her old life back.

It takes a little bit for this story to really get going as we first meet Dalya entering her aunt's old house in Istanbul. The author allows the reader to get to know Dalya a little first as well as the difficult relationship she has with her father. The aunt's oddities and promise of a secret set the stage for the adventure, but these first pages run a bit slow for my more adventurous reader heart. And I was a little disappointed that Istanbul isn't really presented during this time much at all. But this changes as the cat appears and the magic begins.

Once the ink bottle is in Dalya's clutches, the story takes flight. It's fun to zoom back in time with her and meet a new gang of friends...especially since Dalya now takes the form of a cat and the friends consist of a rat, a girl and several other creatures. The author does a nice job at allowing Dalya as a cat and her new animal friends to come to life in an almost human way (yes, they talk). There's constant action and tension as they need to not only battle with an evil woman, dangerous squirrels, a genie and more. It's a true flight into an exciting adventure with all of the magical flare that a children's story needs to sparkle and shine.

I received an ARC through Netgalley and am giving this one 4.5 -stars and rounding up.

Two girls, years and generations apart, make separate wishes on a magic ink bottle that bring them together. For Dalya, a modern day girl stuck with her workaholic father in Istanbul for the summer, the wish takes an unexpected detour and turns her into a cat, several years before she's born, to meet Mina, a lonely girl stuck in a Cinderella like situation. To return home as a human girl again, Dalya needs to work with Mina and a few animal friends to find a great magician, and also try to help save Mina from her wicked aunt in the process.

This was a nice middle grade level book about family, magic, and friendship. The plot leads the reader on a nice Turkish adventure with Cinderella vibes. We have talking animals - a friendly rat, dog, and snail, plus some scary catnapping evil squirrels. Dalya gets to view the world from a cat's perspective, which can be quite fun, if a bit dangerous.

The story was fun, with lots of magic mixed in. I would've liked seeing more of Turkey and its culture. I enjoyed the little bits that came up in the story. This will be a fun book for young and old animal and fantasy lovers.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was provided this ARC by netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Adorable characters and fun adventures! Dalya and the Magic Ink Bottle is an Alicelike, Dorothylike figure, a realistic child thrust into a new world. Fantasy, adventure, love, and time-travel intertwine to make Dalya's adventure, along with a cast of colorful characters. Somewhat slow to get started, but full of childhood wonder, and a warm cozy feeling.
4.5 out of 5 stars!

A BIG Thank You to Netgalley and Capstone Editions for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy of “Dalya and the Magic Ink Bottle” for my review.

I adored this book! It is a middle grade fantasy adventure novel with a loose retelling of “The Wizard of Oz” set in beautiful Istanbul. “The Wizard of Oz” is one of my favorite classic movies, and I loved how the author spun a similar tale in this book. Similar to how Dorothy and her friends go to meet the great Wizard for their their wishes, Dalya and her friends go in search of the Mustafa the Great for their wishes.

Each of the characters are so charming and adorable. I loved Dalya as the main protagonist. I also loved the author’s writing style for describing Dalya’s transformation and her reaction in such a fun manner. All the supporting characters like Mira, Oz and Azman are adorable. Even the quirky animal characters that they meet like the Pigeon Queen and the Sultan Cat are entertaining to read. The author wrote the villains like Aunt Sibel and squirrels very well too! The author also set the story in the beautiful backdrop of Istanbul which made me want to visit after reading.

The only part I found a bit confusing was how Istanbul is written as a realistic city in the present time, but written in a very magical way in the past timeline with magical creatures. It’s a very minor thing, but I just couldn’t imagine a realistic place like Turkey having mystical and magical creatures. But apart from that, I loved everything about this book!

Overall, this book has a little of everything whether it is fantasy, adventure, family, love, and even time-travel. It also gives a very good meaning of love, family and home. I look forward to the author’s future novels and truly enjoyed reading this!

This was a wonderful read. Mix together a little Alice in Wonderland, a big dose of The Wizard of Oz, a touch of Aladdin or Narnia and drop it down in Istanbul, Turkey. Dayla and the Magic Ink Bottle is a great story of daughters who are dealing with their mostly absentee fathers. The tale takes place in parallel centuries as the main character, Dayla finds herself transplanted back into her great grandmother's time period after wishing on a Jinn's magic ink bottle. This sounds interesting but the twist is that she went back as a cat, not a girl. She finds her great grandmother in a heap of trouble. With help from a rat and a dog the girls search for the Jinn who can help them set things right. Evil lurks around every corner as they journey toward a better future.and hopefully a restored relationship with their father's. This book is very readable and full of excitement. I enjoyed reading it.

"Dalya and the Magic Ink Bottle" was a fun story, aimed at middle grade kids. While visiting her Turkish auntie with her dad (Baba), Dalya encounters a mysterious cat in the creepy home of her auntie. The cat serves as the impetus for strange and magical adventures for Dalya.

This book contains elements that kids would enjoy: magic, a creepy house, time travel, cats, shape shifting. The theme of a kid being in charge also would appeal to middle schoolers. I found the beginning to be rather slow going, but the action picked up further into the story.

I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

"Mashallah was bigger than one word. It was a whole rainbow of feelings, and I felt every colour sparkle inside me."

This quote sums up my feelings from this book: a whole rainbow of feelings. This was a beautiful tale that warmed me inside. A little slow to get started, but once started, the story was captivating. I love tales of jinns and magic and this was no exception. Dalya and Mina were likeable and I'm a sucker for a tale with animals in anyway.

Such a great book for middle schoolers! Anything with magic, time travel, and cute furry animals is a great read.

Magic, time travel and self discovery. A whimsical tale of one girls journey home.

This is a bit of a slow starter, and the latter half of the book is better than the first. I really wanted more from the main character, Dalya, from the start of the story. But stick with this, because it turns into such a beautiful, heart warming tale of both friendship and love for one's family.

Dayla travels with her father to the family home in Turkey. Her father promised to spent time with her, but it turns out he has work to do. When Dayla founds an ink bottle, she travels through time and goes on lots of adventures.

I adored this story. It's cute, well written and most of all filled with great adventures. The magic in the story is both literal and metaphorical. The ink bottle and other elements contain magic, but most of all the message the book contains is magical. The author teaches children about friendship, never giving up on your dreams and family.
It's a great story for children to relax after a busy day, but still learn new things about life. In some ways, it's educational due to the message it contains.
The characters are round and all represent one of those messages. Besides, they are unique and diverse in many ways. It's great to see how the author contained Turkish/Islamic elements into the story without making it all about their culture. The fact that not all characters are humans made it playful and ideal for children.
I felt like some parts could be a little more detailed. Overall it was a great story and I enjoyed it for sure!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.

I really enjoyed this novel and found myself laughing during a few of the scenes. I am well beyond the target age for this book, but I look forward to getting a finished copy of this to read with my niece. I liked the setting, the descriptions of Istanbul, and how centered the text was on animals and friendship. The plot moved along nicely. Definitely a great book for kids.

The only thing keeping this from being 5 stars is the ending. The end was a bit overly sweet and wrapped up too nicely. I never felt any of the characters were in true danger throughout, but I also realize we need a world of happy endings for or young readers. So I didn't mind too much.

As many other reviewers, I am not able to open this document sadly. I hope to get a chance to read it anyway before the book is published!