I picked this one up purely based on the description and am so glad I did! I loved this story and the ragtag group of characters that came together as Dalya journeyed to find her way back home, and learned what home really was.

The writing style was easy and flowed wonderfully and the descriptions of Istanbul were just enough to paint a picture of the place. It's a great adventure and though Dalya sometimes acts impulsive or rashly, it suits her age and the audience it is aimed at. All in all it was a fun story with lots of heart.

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus



Dalya's parents are divorced, and she lives with her mother, seeing her father rarely. She isn't excited to spend the summer with her father in his native Istanbul, especially when she sees how decrepit the house is where they will be living in order to help Zehra Hala sell it. The stairs and floors upstairs are so bad that Dalya is warned not to go up there, lest she fall through! When she follows a cat upstairs, she finds a mysterious ink bottle that seems to be set to grant wishes. When she wishes to go home, she finds herself turned into a cat... in 1907! She meets a girl living in the house, Mina, who is being mistreated by her aunt Sibel. Knowing that she needs to find the creator of the ink bottle, Mustafa the Great, or remain stuck back in time in the body of a cat, she enlists Mina's help. Mina disguises herself as a boy, and the two take off on an adventure. At the Cat Bazaar, they meet a helpful rat, Boz, but also run afoul of a very nasty group of squirrels. They try to locate Mustafa, talking to many creatures and finding out more about the magic and Mina's father. Even if they locate the magician, will Dalya be able to return to the present and put things right with her father?

Strengths: Like Abu-Jaber's Silverworld, this had a nice mix of magic, cultural connections, and family mysteries. I really enjoyed the travels around Istanbul; this has been compared to The Wizard of Oz, and I can see that, especially when the group finally finds Mustafa. The family secrets are good, and the fraught relationship between Dalya and her father is one that will speak to many young readers. I can see this being popular with Hunter's Warriors fans; there are some of my students who would very much enjoy being turned into a cat.

Weaknesses: This was slightly formulaic. There are a lot of fantasy novels that involve having to endure many adventures in order to complete a quest.

What I really think: I'm not sure about this one. Given the right group of students, it could be popular, but it's not exactly the kind of fantasy my students generally request. This is a great magical romp that I would definitely buy this for an elementary school, but it seems a little young for my middle school students, who want fantasies with more murders, more control, and stronger magic.

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. :)

Dalya, Mina, Boz and Azman were the perfect crew on this wild adventure through the streets of instanbul. This book is chalked full of valuable life lessons but told in such a fun and unique way.

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.

Dalya and the Magic Ink Bottle was a fun middle school read. I found the beginning a little slow. But then it turned into an unexpected journey of friendship and adventure. From the description I thought I had this book figured out and it would be predictable and there is nothing wrong with that. I really enjoyed this novel it was a fabulous adventure with an interesting unexpected group of characters.

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