2.5 Stars rounded up to 3

Come See the Fair has an interesting premise and starts out strong — so strong, that you really get into a groove. But then it comes to a near stop. As soon as Eva meets the magician, a sort of muddled haze takes over, slowing the action and making you wonder what the heck is actually going on. Unfortunately, this makes it really easy to lose interest

The sad part is that it’s clear Gavriel Savit did a lot of research about the time period and the fair itself. This part of his world-building is top-notch. But the magical elements aren’t well defined, and the characters seem to sort of float along.

Geared toward older middle readers (ages 10 and up) Come See the Fair delves into some darker topics — including kidnapping and death. I’d suggest checking it out from the library prior to purchasing.

This story is so unique and so engaging, a total page-turner I cannot wait to hold in print! A great mix of middle grade adventure and magic.

Set during the World’s Fair in Chicago, readers meet Eva, a young orphan who has been participating in false seances to earn her keep. But when she makes a friend and finds herself at the Fair, she soon discovers magic is real and that a mysterious magician has an interest in her abilities. Even magic has a price, however, which Eva unfortunately discovers, and it may be too late to fix what has been broken.

This book was okay. Eva was a strong female character, which I appreciated, and the descriptions of the magic house and the World’s Fair were very cool. But I really didn’t like one of the major plot points, which brought the book down for me. This just doesn’t feel like one of those books meant for younger readers that also translates well for adults.

I was immediately drawn into this book by the cover and the writing. You will be craving peaches after reading this. I enjoyed the first 25% of this book but it seemed to lose the plot after that. I had a hard time connecting with the characters, even the protagonist. I thought it was a great idea to write a historical fiction for middle grade but I did feel like this one became a little dark in the end

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book!.

Eva travels with her foster mother channeling loved ones at seances and making said foster mother lots of money that is in no way shared with her. It is during one of these seances that Eva hears a voice she cannot ignore telling her to come see the fair. She meets a nice boy on the train on her way that invites her to come with him to his uncle and aunts house to stay while they both see the fair. It is during one outing to the fair when Eva finds a new secret place with a magician that promises to help her grow her magic. But that is when things start to go bad and Eva is the only that can stop it if she can.
This is an interesting book that fuses history with a creep factor all to its own. A creepy mystery, but creepy it is especially when the bodies start to pile up. I like the characters and the history of the Chicago world fair it makes for an awesome backdrop for a story just like this. I believe this story has something for everyone of all ages so I hope you enjoy it as well.

I was so excited for this story. The description was beautiful and intriguing. I don't think the book quite held up to my expectations. I have a fascination with the Chicago Worlds Fair. What could there be not to like? Well, nothing really to not like. Just not a lot to be excited about. The plot felt sloppy and thrown together in the end. It was a good book for younger readers to learn about this time in history, but the magical elements didn't hold their usual...magic.

I had high hopes for this book, and I thought it was pretty whimsical to start off. About halfway through I felt like it got off somehow, the magic element started to get very convoluted and confusing. I also felt that the kids were supposed to be very smart and capable, but still went along with mr magister without question or complaint. Lastly, I did not like the ending. It felt so drab and like there was no growth or progression, we ended right back where it started. It was an interesting read but not an entertaining story.

The description of this book is amazing. It was one of the main reasons that I requested this title. I really wish that the book was as good as the blurb. Eva is an odd character. One that I never really connected with. I enjoyed the first part of the book where she was being forced to run fake seances, and there was so much potential when she heard a mysterious voice telling her to come to the fair. Yet the fair is where this whole book falls apart. The story dies. The villain is semi present. Supposedly there is magic. I saw very little outside of the house itself. Overall, this book just doesn’t live up to its potential. I sadly won’t be recommending this one to patrons as I don’t see them enjoying it anymore than I did.
Thank you so much to Random House Children’s and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title for an honest opinion.

Oh boy, where to start. I was very excited to read this lovely middle grade book. The synopsis was intriguing and the Chicago World's Fair setting was interesting.

I was drawn in right away, and all the elements for a good horror story were present. A place that appears and disappears, a mysterious and creepy man who's face cannot be pinned down, the strange and inexplicable passage of time: yes.

However, as the plot started to unfold, I found the story harder and harder to track with. The magical elements either didn't make sense or weren't explained well, and the plot resolution seemed rushed. It was all disjointed and left me feeling more upset because I have too many unanswered questions.

The content warnings of this book are kidnapping, murder, and suicide. Very dark for middle grade.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for a copy of this eArc in exchange for an honest review.

Magic, mediums, seances, and the World's Fair... sign me up! Yes, this book had all three (and more), but there was no rhyme or reason to it. The characters were unbelievable and more frustrating than necessary. It was as though the writer wanted to write a popular book by including all the popular elements but forget to blend them together and season to perfection. Overall, it just felt off. There are better books for middle grade readers out there.

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers for the opportunity to read an advance reading copy.

This book kept me engaged the whole way through. I thought it would be a good way to introduce the Chicago worlds Fair to a younger audience. The plot was ok, but I felt like something was missing, some deeper meaning or more detail nuance I'm certain characters. Ok overall for a middle grade book, but too intense for an elementary age kid.

This YA novel grabbed my interest from the start...then when Eva met Mr. Magister, it began to get confusing and very, very dark. I enjoyed the descriptions of the Chicago World's Fair, and the magical world that Eva and Henry found themselves in, but I felt the story got muddled, I didn't understand a lot of the motivations of the characters, and the ending was confusing and felt rushed. I'm also not sure why Eva and Henry, who are clearly very intelligent children, never questioned Mr. Magister's demands and went along with him.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

Characters seemed to be inconsistent in their behaviors. Having a setting of the Chicago World's Fair seemed to not have any real impression on the story. For a middle grade read, parents may want to know that it has swearing.

Eva is an orphan who gets by through doing fake seances. She pretends to be loved ones talking from beyond the grave, but she knows that it's impossible. It's a scam she does to survive. But when she hears a voice in her head telling her to go to the Chicago World's Fair, she knows it's very different from the seances. This is real. She meets a boy who has visions of his own and a magician who wants her help to bring magic back to life, but her friend is suspicious. Eva needs to figure out what the magician's plan is and who to trust.

This book had so many of the things I'm always hungry for. World's Fair. Mysterious magical people and places that vanish or can only be accessed by a few people. It's got mystery, friendship, an orphan with the possibility of found family. And maybe those things are why I felt overall disappointed with the book.

The book starts out interesting but turns vaguely confusing around the middle of the book and never comes back. The beginning is a lot of fun, and the descriptions of wandering around the World's Fair is probably the closest you could get to experiencing it yourself. It's well researched and clearly something the author loves.

But once we meet the magician, things get confusing. The magic rules are hard to follow. It's not completely clear where Eva has come from and even what she wants. The setting doesn't seem solid in spite of the historical event as a major point. And one of the most frustrating parts is that the characters don't seem to question things enough. I know a lot of twelve-year-olds who would use more critical thinking than Eva does. The character motivations are never clear and they are generally shallow. Eva starts the book with more personality than she finishes it with.

Worst of all, I read the ending twice, but I am still not completely sure what happened. It depended on characters we hadn't met, and the overall message was "don't trust anything fantastical and wonderful because it will definitely be too good to be true." That could have been an interesting moral, but it felt like talking with the kind of person who discourages children from watching Disney movies in case they get the wrong idea about magic and fairy tales: it's too optimistic and we should all accept how terrible the world is. That's a pretty heavy message for this age, and it isn't handled well. Especially when it does start with such a marvelous sense of wonder.

I guess that moral applies to the book: don't judge a book by its cover because it may sound wonderful and magical from the description, but in reality, it's dark, bleak, and confusing.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book to review.

Come see the fair, the voice tells her. But Eva, a twelve-year-old orphan girl, doesn’t know where the voice is coming from or what the “Fair” is. She just knows she is tired of performing phony séances to make money for a demanding caretaker. And this is definitely the only time she has heard a real voice from somewhere other than the here and now. Eva decides to run away and ends up on a train with a boy who is drawing a place he has never been, but which a salesman tells him is The Chicago World’s Fair. Eva tells the boy about the voice she heard, and the two soon discover they are being called to the same place. What Eva finds there is something otherworldly, but which perhaps could offer her the home she has always wanted. But sinister forces may have other plans…

Readers may enjoy that the main character starts out knowing séances and the supernatural are fake, only to discover she has an inborn talent for actual magic and spiritual communication. The author effectively builds the story and the tension from strange coincidences, to a wondrous new world, to ultimately something much darker. Readers who like creepy tales of magic and other planes of existence should enjoy exploring with Eva as she tries to understand her new-found experiences.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children's Publishing. I had trouble getting into this book. It just didn't resonate me with me so I kind of dnf'd it about 50% of the way.

I really enjoyed following Eva on her journey of self discovery and courage. Eva Roots is an orphan who has been taken advantage of by the adults in her life. She feels compelled to go to the world’s fair after being called there during a fake seance. Through a series of events, she discovers friendships and experiences painful losses. It brings her to a point of understanding what she wants and doesn’t want out of life.
The story was captivating from the first page. Having been called to the fair in such an unexpected fashion further enticed me into the story. The author has a great way of keeping the audience dangling as one figures out little pieces at a time. Just when you think you know what might happen next, there is a new twist or event unfolding. The ending was a bit of a surprise, but it also brought a good resolution to who Eva Root had become.
If you are particular about foul language, there is some in this book, but is only used a few times where it fit the story. The author is not generous with them and there is no “f bombs”. All the same, if you are sensitive to that for a child’s reading you may want to preview the book first before passing it along to a younger reader.
My favorite part of the book besides how well it was written, was the fun of trying to figure out what the true motivation of the person who owns the magic was, and how he would achieve his desires once they were revealed to the reader. The story was completely unexpected, entertaining and engaging.

I always feel bad when I read and dislike a middle grade or YA book and unfortunately this one falls into that category. The setting is the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago and a girl who pretends to be able to talk to spirits in seances. So far, so good. She receives a real message telling her to go to the fair and that’s where the book begins to fall apart. There she meets a magician who needs her for his bigger magical plan and there’s weird running through various exhibits and the action, I felt, got very confusing and very dark.

I found this mix of fantasy, magic, realistic, and historical fiction to be 100% interesting! I will definitely recommend this to our young patrons.

I liked this book quite a bit. It is twisty and dark in some places but The overall story is a good one about friendship and finding your place. Even though parts of it are sad it is a well written book where you feel for the characters.