Secret Spell

Star Friends #3

by Linda Chapman

Do you believe in magic?

Maia and her friends do! And when they meet the Star Animals, a whole world of magical adventure unfolds.

Lottie and her star animal, a squirrel called Juniper, must use their special powers to stop the forces of dark magic.Someone in the village is using dark magic and the Star Friends need to work together to figure it out who it is. But things keep going wrong! Sita is convinced a Shade is following her, Lottie is sure she's going to fail her piano exam and Ionie thinks the others don't want to be her friends. Only Maia seems her usual self. She needs to find out what is happening and how to stop it!

Perfect for fans of My Secret Unicorn and The Rescue Princesses, and for Rainbow Magic readers looking to move on to a more challenging adventure.

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens, Middle Grade, Animals

Unknown Binding

First published June 28, 2021

About the author

Linda Chapman was born in Liverpool in 1969. She had many different jobs before becoming a full-time writer in 1999 including working as a theatre stage manager, a dog trainer, a bookseller, a nanny, a teacher and a research assistant. She has written over 300 books for children, some under her own name, others under different names and she often collaborates with other authors. She is currently writing books with Julie Sykes and they are co-authors on the NYT bestselling Unicorn Academy series as well as Mermaid Academy, Forever Homes and Pocket Unicorns. Linda lives in Leicestershire with her husband, three children, two horses and three dogs. She has written many different series including: My Secret Unicorn, Star Friends, Best Friends Bakery, Stardust, Skating School and, most recently, Magic Keepers and Moonlight Riders.

Reviews

[Christy Bath · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute! My daughter and I thoroughly enjoy reading this series together. I appreciate that the girls are continually learning more about their (star friend) powers as the books progress. I also thought the (evil) neighbor was a great plot change from previous books. It held my attention and kept momentum through the end.

[Pippa DaCosta · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third adventure in this series. My daughter absolutely adores these books.

And a big thank you to the author and her publisher for making one eight year old girl very happy indeed!

[Alana Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Linda Chapman, you need to make more than just eight or more Star Friends books.

[Othy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter is more and more excited that I'm reading this series, and I'm happy doing so: they are a lot of fun and very good for an eight year old with a big imagination. As a parent, I like that the moral isn't thrown in the reader's face. It's a good story about good kids trying to help out with their magic. I particularly like how uncomfortable and considerate Sita is about her new powers. The children need to consider how to use their magic, not just use it however they want.

[Elena · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute book, but it was third in a fantasy series. I read it in a day because I needed to read it to help my daughter with an assignment. If I had realized that it was the third in the series I would’ve had her start with the first book. I don’t think it was her favorite, but she seemed to enjoy it a little. Also, I get to start off my Goodreads challenge quite quickly!

[Marina · Rating 5 out of 5]

ΤΕΛΕΙΟ!!!

[Pixie · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Mini review*
It was a fun read and I like the plot twist. The book is magical, fun, creative and I love it 😍📚💕 Is a 6 stars ⭐️

[Ellie (God's Girly) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was pretty cool, and I really liked it. Lexi is my favorite Star Friend, and Bracken is my favorite Star Animal. My sister is always waiting for a chance to become a Star Friend!!!!!

[Steffi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bereits meine 13jährige wurde mit Geschichten von Linda Chapman groß. Bei ihr waren es noch Sternenschweif und später Sternenfohlen, die sie in ihrer Kindheit begeisterten. Meine jüngste Tochter (4,5 Jahre) erfreut sich nun an der neusten Reihe der Autorin und das, obwohl die Reihe ansich erst ab 8 Jahre empfohlen ist.

Anfangs hatten wir bei der Reihe auch ein paar Szenen, die ein wenig angsteinflößend für ein so junges Mädchen waren, aber gemeinsam konnten wir diese Szenen gut aufarbeiten.

Der neuste Teil der Reihe enthält zum Glück keine derartigen Szenen und kann Groß und Klein wieder begeistern. Das Abenteuer der Sternenfreunde geht weiter und Shandra Schadt überzeugt ein fürs andere Mal mit ihrer Erzählweise, während die dazu gehörigen Illustrationen der Charaktere das Ganze wieder wunderbar ergänzen. So konnte sich meine Tochter erneut mit den Figuren identifizieren. Auch ist die Länge der Hörbuchversion (gekürzt) ideal für die meist noch nicht ganz so ausgeprägte Aufnahmespanne eines jüngeren Kindes.

Lotti und das Flitzehörnchen ist eine tolle Fortführung der Reihe und hat sich in unsere Herzen gespielt. Wir freuen uns auf den nächsten Teil, der bereits am 21. Oktober 2019 erscheinen soll und von Sita und dem magischen Reh erzählt.
fazitblau

Ein weiterer schöner Teil der Reihe, der uns sogar fast noch besser gefiel als die vorangegangenen 2, daher vergebe ich 5 von 5 Sternen.

[Tanpopo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nach den ersten beiden Siegen über die Schattenmagie wollen die Mädchen nun deren Quelle aufspüren. Doch bei ihren Nachforschungen ist irgendwie der Wurm drin. Ob die Andeutung des letzten Schatten daran Schuld ist, dass eines der Mädchen über ganz besondere magische Kräfte verfügt? Oder ist da etwas mit der alten Dame und ihrem Hund, die immer so barsch zu den Mädchen ist und ihnen sogar ihren Lieblingsplatz im Wald streitig macht?
Auf jeden Fall beginnen die Mädchen sich untereinander zu entzweien.

Der dritte Band ist ebenso so gut geschrieben wie die anderen Bände der Reihe. Text und Illustrationen führen die jungen Leserinnen durch die Handlung. Und ja, für Jungs ist die Reihe eigentlich so gar nichts. Mein Kleiner hat einen sehr liberalen Lesegeschmack, wenn es um das Geschlecht der Protagonisten geht, aber bei dieser Reihe hat er mir definitiv gesagt „Nichts für mich. Das ist Mädchenzeugs.“
Auch beim Lesealter muss man mal schauen. Ich sehe es eher im Vorlesebereich ab 6 Jahren. Mit 8 Jahren sollten die Kinder dann so weit sein es selber lesen zu können. Der Sprachstil ist nicht zu komplex.

Das Cover lässt Mädchenherzen bestimmt auch wieder höher schlagen. Diesmal erstrahlen Sterne und Schrift in Bronze. Lediglich den Untertitel des Bandes und das abgebildete Sternenfreundepaar darf man nicht als Anhaltspunkt für den Schwerpunkt des Abenteuers nehmen.

Also liebe Mädchen, ran ans Buch und ab in eine magische Welt!

[Book Gannet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This absolutely charming series returns for a third time, with Lucy Fleming’s beautiful illustrations perfectly accompanying Linda Chapman’s well-told tale that’s packed with friendship and star magic, as Maia and her friends explore their powers even further than before and face what might be a new threat.

It seems that no matter how hard Maia and her friends fight against the Shades, there’s always another one waiting to strike – but this time it’s personal as Maia’s three fellow Star Friends all struggle against their deepest fears. Alongside this mystery is the question of which of the four friends has a power that even the Shades will fear. There are enough clues for attentive readers to put together the pieces, but it’s just as fun to read along and wait for everything to come out.

Perfect for magic-loving animal fans, this series is a delight, mixing magic and adventure with a little bit of mystery and danger and lots of friendship. If you’ve been enjoying the Star Friends so far, you’re going to love this one just as much.

(ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley.)

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four girls have strong connections with four different animals and have become Star Friends while the Star Animals teach them about magic. But there are evil Shades all around, and Mia, Lexi, Violet, and Sita, are unsure about where the evil is originating. As they become suspicious of a new neighbor with several garden gnomes, the girls follow clues that might be leading them in the wrong direction. And Mia is worried about how her friends are starting to behave. What could possibly be wrong? This book and series with illustrations included throughout the pages will appeal to youngster who are fascinated by magic and want to move on from rainbow-colored unicorns to a bit more magic and problem-solving. Those stretchy men were really creepy! This was the third book in the series, but readers won't have any trouble figuring out what's going on or what they missed if they didn't read the first two books.

[Eve L-A Witherington · Rating 5 out of 5]

We rejoin Maia and her magical animal and human friends in another enchanting book as they fight the shades and battle to keep their powers hidden from other humans while protecting everyone from the dark forces of the shades.



When Mrs Crooks an unpleasant old lady moves in nearby to the woods, the girls are gaining new powers which they're testing out and getting used to. However when the friends grow unhappy and start acting strangely Maia tries to figure out just what is happening while they all learn looks can be deceiving...



A magical book for children bringing animal friends to life for them and early mystery's to solve along the way!



Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

[Zidana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review written by 7 year old:
This is the 3rd book in the Star Friends series. In this book the Star Friends had to get this stretchy, sticky toys that had a shade trapped in them and defeat it so it wouldn’t control any people. They used their powers to defeat the shade- each Star Friend has a different power and animal sidekick. The animals teach them how to use Star magic. This is an exciting story. I couldn’t stop reading it! Im getting the 4th book from the library and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

[Courtney Hatch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read with my kids—great read for 1-3 grade with young female characters who don’t back down from a challenge but also navigate hard conversations with friends about things elementary aged kids emotionally care about. There is a bit of a running mystery through the series (as well as a mini mystery in each book) that gives kids the satisfaction of connecting the dots as they read. They report that the cliffhangers really grab them.

[Mary Pimbblet · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great little series of books. I'm reading them with my 7 year old daughter and I think I'm enjoying them as much as she is. They can be a little scary, but never anything really terrifying. The characters are well written, although it can get a little confusing keeping track of all their star animals.

[Efox · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books have absolutely enchanted my children. They absolutely love the friends, their star animals, and their detective work and bravery as they work together to reverse the dark magic and bring harmony back to their families and towns. I don't know if it's that the stories really speak to their imagination, or if it is just their ages right now, but it's beyond the usual level of engagement with a book - they are both stopping me mid read to speculate about what might happen next, what the characters were thinking, who might be causing mischief. It's really fun.

A fun bed time read.

[Sham · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was reading this book, I felt like like I was a character inside the book and anything that was happening to the characters was happening to me. When I read Star Friend books I feel scared and excited at the same time.

[MisterT · Rating 1 out of 5]

Crowded. Too many characters introduced at once without spending enough time on each in order for the reader to get invested in any. From there on it was hard to keep track of who’s who or even bother to care. Dnf.

[Nike · Rating 5 out of 5]

my favorite character was bracken.
the thing that surprised me was Sita had more than one power.
I would not change the ending because it had a really good ending.

[Ulvi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still very good story!

[FinishingMyTBR · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these little books! <3

[Madi · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED IT!!!!

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read with my two girls. We’re on to book 4 now!

[Cora S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how it has magic in it.

[Ryceejo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great lesson on not judging someone based on their outward appearance and personality!!

[Erietta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it
Lottie was my favourite character in the book and she absolutely stands out here!
She literally shines and shows how amazing and life-changing her powers can be

[Nancy Janssen · Rating 4 out of 5]

De vriendinnen leren steeds meer over hun magische krachten en worden sterker. Leuk geschreven, maar sommige dingen zijn iets te doorzichtig.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

My girl is really loving this series. Highly recommend for upper elementary kids interested in animals and magical stories!

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

another great book in the series! My daughter loved it!