I like the way Smallman combines friendship issues with chaotic magic. Children make split second decisions without considering consequences all of the time. When you add magical abilities to the mix all kinds of humor ensues. The plot progression, while strange, follows and internal logic so the reader can accept events without question. It's designed for early independent readers so the writing is simple and easy to follow.

I haven't read the other books in the series but that did not stop me from enjoying this one. Maggie and her best friend Arthur both remind me of so many children I've taught who struggle to fit in with their peers. It was lovely to see how they approach their differences whilst remaining true to themselves. As a short chapter book with lovely illustrations, this will be perfect for newly confident readers or as a read out loud at story time.
I'll now be keeping an eye out for the other books in the series.

Alien Invasion is the fifth book in the Maggie Sparks series, a very sweet and funny series about a mischievous little witch.

In Alien Invasion Maggie is just trying to make her friend Arthur happy when he is told on a school trip he will never be an astronaut. As with most stories, it doesn’t all go to plan!

Maggie Sparks and the Alien Invasion is a fantastic, easy to read story for 6-8 year olds with wonderful illustrations throughout.

Maggie Sparks and the Alien invasion is the fifth book in the series.
Maggie and her best friend Arthur are an ‘odd pairing’ but they are still the best of friends. Maggie also has to keep hers and her families magic a secret!
Very sweet book with lovely illustrations. Maggie’s mistakes gives her the perfect edge to it and the story will be relatable to the readers. The way Maggie sticks up for Arthur is really heartwarming. When Arthur is feeling down, Maggie uses her magic to cheer him up, even if it does go slightly wrong!
Themes in the book include: friendships, magic, science, worry and of course an alien!

Lovely illustrations and engaging story. My daughter really enjoys reading about feisty Maggie and her mishaps. A great pick for building confidence and stamina for emerging readers.

I thought this was a super cute book! I really liked the theme of just because you are different doesn’t mean you can’t fit in. I like that it talks about how two friends are beginning to drift because they are making new friends. This happens so much in primary and elementary schools and I think it is SO important that as educators we get this type of message out. I also like that it talks about how everyone can be someone.
One part of this story that wasn’t my favorite is that the individual who tells Arthur he can’t be an astronaut is the tour guide, who seems to be much older than the children. This is an adult who is meant to be a role model for the kids and I think that it’s not completely realistic. I think that this messaging of “oh you can’t be someone because of who you are” is still a super important message to portray because it is something that occurs to this age group. I think if another child were to say this that it would be received a lot better.
I really liked that Maggie went to hang out with Arthur despite their differences. I do think that it is important to show children that not everyone is going to have the same interests but it is super important that we accept that.
Another thing that was in this book that I didn’t LOVE was the fact that to make Arthur feel better, Maggie uses her magical powers. I love the fact that she tries to make him feel better, I just think it is unrealistic for her to have done that through her magic. I think if she had done it through her words, it would be received much better.
I do think this is a book that I want for my classroom as it does talk about really important topics. I want to thank Sweet Cherry Publishing for giving me a free copy of this book in return for my honest review.

Maggie Spark isn’t an ordinary little girl. She’s a witch. While you would think being a witch would make it easier to solve many problems, Maggie’s only a new witch, so things go a little sideways when she tries fixing things for her best friend, Arthur!

This is the fifth book in the series, but not having read the first four books didn’t stop me from enjoying reading this one. With the right intentions, follow along as Maggie tries to do all the right things in the wrong order!

While it was a little old for my young daughter, she still enjoyed looking at the illustrations as we read along together.

I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley.

this is cute. Was keen to read this after the success in school of the one we have! Maggie worries about being a good friend when she accidentally uses her magic to help her friend… but it goes a bit wrong! KS1 are going to love this!

Maggie Sparks's best friend, Arthur wants to go into space when he grows up so he goes to science club after school and asks interesting questions. Maggie goes along too although not as happily! The problem is all of Arthur’s other friends at the club love science as much as he does but Maggie doesn't, she thinks its boring! 

When they all go on a school trip to the space centre a very grumpy astronaut upsets Arthur and Maggie tries to sort things out but she is only a very young witch and things go a bit wrong! With a little help can Maggie begin to understand what being a true friend means or has she blown it, big time?

The fifth book in this lovely series centres around friendship and what it means. At 128 pages this is a good length for the target age of 5 - 7, especially as their confidence to read independently increases. A lot happens in this book as Maggie tries to do the right thing albeit not always successfully! It is also laugh out loud funny in places while also imparting a serious message. I enjoyed this fun read and look forward to sharing it with my 6 year old grandson.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Sweet Cherry Publishing, but the opinions expressed are my own. This is a lovely book which is easy to recommend.