Paloma is part of a family of mystics and psychics, and she adores her family, especially her abeula -- a famous medium! After an abrupt move away from her abuela and family in Miami all the way to California, Paloma is determined to perfect her paranormal powers to impress her abuela and win a spot on her annual South American psychic tour, despite her mother's objections to all things "ghost" and her little sisters interference. But will her selfish reasons for readings bring chaos to her new life?

What tropes, vibes, and themes does this book include?
As far as tropes go, we have a magical family and hereditary magic. This story gave light Encanto vibes at the start, but became less about family and more about the MCs personal life. I want to say it gives a "cozy supernatural" vibe. It has themes of a first move, making new friends and staying in touch with old ones, a strained mother/daughter relationship, sibling trouble, grief/healing, and the importance of helping people through that process. Lots of good themes happening in this book. Also, latinx/Cuban representation.

Who should read this?
Kids (and kids at heart) who are interested in the occult or ghosts.

What ages are appropriate?
This is a middle grade novel with very minimal "triggers" and, in my opinion, no inappropriate topics. I would say ages 9+ are perfectly acceptable.

Trigger warnings: Communication with the dead, divorce, ghosts, and death.

Overall: ★★★★☆
Writing: ★★★★☆
Plot:★★★☆☆
Characters: ★★★★☆
World building: ★★★☆☆

Review:
A nice, quick read for the spooky season! I have to admit this story was heartwarming, relatable (even to adults who have been through this before) and lots of fun. A cozy supernatural book, if ever there was one.

The writing is perfect for its audience, not too complicated but not too simple. My only qualm is the overuse of exclamation marks!

The plot is where things could've been a bit more exciting (which is why I'm placing this in the cozy category). It took a while to give us a real goal for our MC, and the rest of the book simply felt like everyday issues. The conflict could have been more relevant to her goal, more dire. I did enjoy it once I accepted it as a slice-of-life/childhood problems type of story.

The MC had clear issues (there were so many, I'm not going to name them all) that she resolved and became a better person in the end for it. It was a simple character arc but no less important/relevant.

I can't say too much about the world building, because this is a contemporary fantasy. But I will say the references to life in Miami and the Cuban culture were accurate (I am Miami born and raised), from the big Cuban households to the moist heat, right down to kids not speaking fluent Spanish (because older generations want to talk but keep it from the kids!)

Honestly, I had trouble putting this book down! It was a lot of fun and I highly recommend it for kids (and, of course, kids at heart) that want a sweet little spooky read this fall.

Paloma is a tween medium with big aspirations. Her Abuela is a famous medium, and the rest of the family each has some form of the gift too, though in varying degrees, except Paloma's mom, who hates everything having to do with ghosts. But a sudden move across the country leads Paloma to try to forge a new life for herself in her new school, with slightly disastrous results.

Paloma is exactly like every other middle schooler, refusing to acknowledge that people making rules for them do it to protect them, and thinking that they are the only ones who can make anything get better. Paloma is so focused on getting her Abuela's attention, she's ignoring rules left and right, which only brings more strife. Out kept driving me nuts, though I know that's probably what my own kid would do, too.

The vibe early on was very Encanto-y, with the whole family living under one roof, etc, but once they hit California, it was more the madness of a Ghostbusters movie. It was a fun book, and I'd recommend it.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy via NetGalley in return for sharing my thoughts on this book. Thanks to the author and publisher for this opportunity!

Unfortunately not one that really worked for me.

Paloma's ability was fairly unique and I liked her relationship with her grandmother, but I did not like her mom or sister at all.

Upper elementary school and maybe lower middle grade kids will probably really like this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

Unfortunately my Netgalley shelf app kept crashing and I was unable to finish this book before it got archived.

I did read about 35% of it and I enjoyed what I read (the plot is cool and the writing style was casual yet engaging) but I can’t say much about the rest of the book because I didn’t get the chance to read it.

Totally Psychic is a great option for kids who enjoy a little bit of the supernatural with a dash of danger thrown in for good measure. There’s nothing to dark or sinister, but enough to give middle readers a taste of spooky.

At the center of the story is Paloma, who can not only see ghosts but talk to them as well. It’s a pretty cool gift, and one that she fully embraces, if only her mom would get on board. Paloma and her mom seem to butt heads at every turn. And Paloma feels like she can do nothing right in her mom’s eyes. But that’s not going to stop Paloma from realizing her true potential — even if she has to break some rules to do it.

Paloma is a bold main character who is clever and driven. She’s the type of character that you want to root for, even when you know she’s going down the wrong path. Her family of supporting characters is strong, and Paloma’s interactions with the ghosts really take things up a level.

Totally Psychic is a fast-moving middle-grade novel (I read it in one afternoon) that a large cross-section of readers will enjoy.

Thank you to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

<I>Paloma Ferrer is psychic. In fact, everyone in her family line has “the gift.” Now that Paloma has come into her powers, she dreams of becoming a famous medium to celebrities, just like her beloved grandma.

When Paloma’s parents move them from Miami to Los Angeles, she hatches a plan to get her career as a medium up and running:
Host seances at her new school and stream on social media
Build her profile and make a name for herself
Avoid detection from her tattletale of a little sister

But when a reading gone awry leaves Paloma in a sticky situation with a new friend, she’ll need more than a crystal ball to find her way out of this mess.</I>

I thought this middle grade book was absolutely adorable and I had a great time reading it. Paloma and her family kind of remind me of the Madrigal’s from Disney’s <I>Encanto</I>, which I found to be endearing.
I don’t know what it is about paranormal middle grade books, where the main character sees ghosts, but I EAT that up in a story.

I feel like this book, as well as other middle grade books, are hard to review without repeating what’s in the synopsis or without giving too much away.

Just know, that I plan on buying a copy to add to my collection for my daughters to read one day.

My only criticism is this book is very “technology” and “social media” heavy, which I feel can date this book pretty quickly. I am concerned that by the time my kids read it and that Instagram could possibly not be relevant anymore.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Paloma comes from a family of mediums, all connected to the spirit world in different ways. Her powers have just emerged, and she is eager to join her famous grandmother on an international medium tour. To prove herself, she starts live streaming readings at her new school, but she gets in over her head.

Totally Psychic is a sweet and magical middle grade story. I would say the writing is geared to the slightly younger middle grade audience, although I believe the character is 13 years old. From an adult reader’s POV, it was a little immature at times, but I think perhaps it would read better to younger audiences. I liked the spirit communications, and all the ghost characters. The family relationships were also sweet, and the ending was heart-warming.

This is a great addition to fiction books for middle grade readers! The mix of interesting characters and ghosts make this an interesting book to read.

I loved how the author had the main character Paloma, deal with so many of the challenges that people in this age group encounter. Paloma has a mother who is trying to protect her from the issues her mother faced when she was younger, but Paloma doesn't see them as obstacles--for her they are a part of her very life and she doesn't want to hide from them, she wants to embrace them and grow from them. Feeling misunderstood by parents is often something that young pre-teens experience.

Paloma also has a younger sister who likes to blame her for the things she does, and at times even problems she creates just to get Paloma in trouble. This is another one of those issues for this age group as sometimes younger siblings act out to get attention.

The other issue Paloma faces is having to move across the country and leave her friends. She feels that it will be difficult to make new friends and she doesn't want to be away from the ones that have been her friends for years.

There is so much in this book that I feel middle grade students will connect with, but this also has an interesting story and an opportunity to show a young person working through challenges.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Brigid Martin and the publisher of the book for the eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Paloma is a physic! So is everyone in her family. Paloma has finally gotten her gift and she is ready to use it! She dreams of becoming a famous physic. Just like her grandmother was!
When Paloma's family moves to LA, she decides to get her physic business up and running. She just has to do it without getting in trouble with her tattletale little sister. All goes well until a reading with a new friend goes wrong. Will Paloma be able to keep her friend and get out of a sticky situation?

A fun middle grade read! I loved Paloma and her passion. I look forward to purchasing a copy for my classroom.

This book was delightful. It reminded me a bit of Ghost Squad. A fun one for middle grade readers and perfect for the upcoming fall season! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this one.

12 year old Paloma comes from a Cuban American family, led by matriarch Abeula who also happens to be a famous celebrity medium, and has just gotten her own Gift. Unfortunately just as she is able to see ghosts for herself, her immediate family (mom, dad, younger sister) move from Florida to California.

Paloma has to start a new school, make new friends, all while figuring out how to live with the ability to see and talk to ghosts. She starts to hang out with more ghosts than actual kids, but then decides to use her seeing abilities to gain friends, and offers to do live readings and stream them for her classmates.

Of course you can imagine the hijinks that follow! Which I won't give away ... you'll just have to read it!

I recommend this for 4th-6th graders. I think that even though Paloma is in middle school, this reads a bit young for older tweens, but I think it will be a huge hit for my 4th grader and her friends. It's a fun filled story with an interesting premise and I adored Paloma's extended family of characters and the ghosts that she befriends.

12-year-old Paloma Ferrer can communicate with ghosts, much like her abuela. She longs to join her abuela on her annual Latin American Tour. That dream gets changed, however, when her parents move her and her sister to California. When she gets to their new home, she is disappointed to find a boring beige house and no beach. In attempt to make friends at her new school, Paloma offers readings to her new classmates. As a results, she accidentally unleashes a horde of ghosts on her new school. To make matters worse, her new friend, Will gets driven away from her when a ghost forces her to reveal painful, private information to him. Can Paloma send the spirits back and make amends with her new friend? Will she learn to fit in when she was born to stand out?

The plot is humorous, engaging, and well-written. The twists and turns throughout the book keep the reader wanting more. The main character is likable and easy to relate to. Some of the other characters, however, will be a turn off for some readers. Fans of ghost stories, magical realism, fantasy books, and humor will want to pick this one up. Main character and her family cue as Cuban American. Recommended for most library collections.

I found that it took a few chapters before I was able to get into this book. I think that the relationship between the main character and her mother is too toxic and that the story would read better if the mother’s attitude was toned down a bit. The mother’s attitude was off-putting, but I continued to read the story. I finished the book and found that the rest of the book was well written. The author did a good job of following the ups and downs of a young girl who wants to fit in and prove herself. Lastly, I also think that there should be some sort of footnotes at the bottom of the page for the short Spanish sentences and words used in the story. When reading this book on a Kindle, I can easily click on the Spanish word/s and translate to English, but I wouldn’t want to have to use google translate while reading a physical book. My actual rating of this book would be 3.5 stars if I could rate with half stars. However, if the mother had a less toxic relationship with her daughter and she wasn’t so rude, then I would rate this book higher.

Thank you to Inkyard Press and NetGalley or providing me with a free electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A lovely middle grade book. I would highly recommend this book to my niece, it's so magical, fun and filled with family dynamics. I must add that the cover is so stunning, that's what made me grab it in the first place.

Totally Psychic by Brigid Martin is a fun debut middle-grade book that follows Paloma, a tween who is also a medium.

This story follows Paloma, who has The Gift, like other members of her family. Her gift is being a psychic, very similar to her grandma. Her grandma is a famous medium who does readings for celebrities and goes on tours. Paloma’s life is turned upside down when her parents decide to move their family to Los Angeles from Miami. Feeling frustrated about leaving her life behind, she decides to host psychic readings at school and on social media. She wants to show her grandmother that she should go on tour with her. However, a reading goes wrong and Paloma has to find help to make everything right again.

This was a delightful, well-written story of middle-grade magic. I loved the magic and family dynamics.

Some of the family relationships were frustrating to read, I wanted to just shake her mother and tell her to listen to Paloma. I did really like Paloma, she was full of heart, and always had good intentions behind her mistakes.

This was a fun, easy read that would appeal to younger and older middle-grade readers. The cover is eye-catching and the story is relatable as Paloma has to navigate friends and family.

In exchange for an honest review, I received an ARC from NetGalley on behalf of Inkyard Press and Brigid Martin.

This was a cute new middle grade novel featuring a Cuban American tween psychic trying to start a business as a medium. Fun and full of a diverse cast of characters. This is perfect for fans of Encanto and sure to delight young readers. I look forward to reading more books in the series! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to Publisher’s Weekly, the publisher, and NetGalley for the arc. All opinions are my own.

Paloma comes from a Cuban American family of psychics and is learning how to use her own newly discovered abilities. Her mom is opposed and moves the family from Miami to California in an attempt to keep Paloma from delving in. However, at her new school, her talents are a draw for the other students. Paloma breaks all the rules for psychics as she tries to fit in. Middle grade students who like ghost stories will enjoy this book. I deducted a star because I did not like Paloma’s relationship with her mom. It felt like there was too much dishonesty.

For librarians and teachers looking for shorter books, this book will be a good choice.

I loved the cover and concept of this book, but it wasn't for me. The setup in the beginning is too long, and the characters are over the top. I do think it will be popular with middle grade readers though. For the kids who devour a book in a day, this book will be perfect because they'll breeze through the setup and get to the psychic parts. Cute story that I will recommend.

I wanted to like this one. The cover is adorable, and the concept sounded fun, but it ended up not being my thing. I wasn't convinced by the writing, mostly; some of the characterizations felt overdone, especially Paloma's mom. Each interaction with new people felt unnatural and awkward. And there were a lot of weird, info-dump-y moments where the characters would over explain something unnecessary - usually this felt like the author attempting to make the story quirkier, but it fell flat for me.

I did like the way that Paloma and her Abuela's psychic powers were portrayed and explained. Paloma's flower vision was a unique trait that made her powers more interesting. I did wonder what Abuela's unique power was, if she had one; some of the other family members' were mentioned, but not hers (that I recall at least). Magdalena's powers didn't make much sense to me, and I wish it had been explained a bit more other than just saying it was a rare power.

Overall this wasn't for me. Someone out there will probably love it, and there were a handful of representations of grief that some readers may appreciate. Several of the students that Paloma did readings for were dealing with loss or got to converse with someone they loved. I was hoping for more from this book personally, but consider checking it out if you liked the wacky family vibes of Meet the Robinsons, the grandmother/granddaughter relationship found in Moana, or are a child interested in contacting the dead I guess? Don't contact the dead, kids.

Actual Rating 3.5

Paloma, just like most other members of her family, has The Gift. Hers manifests as being a psychic, similar to her famous grandma who does reading for celebrities and goes on tours. But when Paloma’s parents decide to move them from Miami to Los Angeles, she finds herself frustrated at having to leave everything behind. She decides to host psychic readings at school and on social media to show her grandmother that she’s worthy to go on tour with her. But when a reading goes wrong and she has ever-growing secrets from her mom, Paloma needs to find help to make everything right again.

This is an engaging and well written work of Middle Grade magical realism. This did feel like it was written for the older side of MG, especially as there were some words included that even I didn’t know. I really liked how Paloma’s powers were oriented towards seeing flowers and interpreting their meanings – such a fun inclusion for a MG read! I enjoyed the lore that was included, and these aspects really highlighted the author’s creativity.

I didn’t prefer how Paloma’s relationships with her nuclear family were portrayed. Her mom doesn’t listen to her at all, and their only real interactions are Paloma getting in trouble for things her younger sister did, while constantly praising the younger sister. This relationship dynamic and their interactions didn’t really add to the story or feel plot relevant, so I was a little disappointed by their inclusion. This was more of a personal preference than anything else. The characters were a little lacking in depth/development, which made everyone but Paloma feel more like caricatures than real characters. Younger readers may not notice this, though.

This was a good, easy read that I imagine younger readers will probably love. And just look at that lovely cover! My thanks to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for allowing me to read this work, which will be published August 15th, 2023. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I received an electronic ARC from Inkyard Press through NetGalley.
Paloma comes from a family of mediums. Her grandmother is famous and travels the world to connect people with spirits. Her mom is against living in the constant fishbowl of attention. So, Paloma, her sister, Magdalena, and her parents move across the country from Miami to California. It's never easy to be the new kid and Paloma uses her gifts to connect new classmates with deceased loved ones. Sadly, she ignores the rules her grandmother stressed they all live by when using their gifts and chaos happens. Ghosts appear everywhere and she can't get them to return through the portal. Her actions since the move increase the tension with her mom but she does finally tell her what happened and gets the help she needs from mer mom and her Abuela.
The shorter chapter format works well to hold reader interest. They will connect with her feelings about this move and leaving best friends behind. They'll also understand how difficult it is to find your way at a new school. Martin brings her characters to life. They are a bit one dimensional to start the story but she continues to reveal more about them so they are relatable and likeable by the end. Looking forward to more books in this series.