When your mum drinks too much, your father is dead, your younger brother only appears occasionally, you have no friends, and your grandmother is about to be diagnosed with a terminal illness, you could be forgiven for thinking the world is out to get you. The remarkable star of Barry Jonsberg’s wonderful new novel doesn’t take it personally though. Grace goes to school. Grace takes on the full-time care of her Gran, despite only being in Year 9. And Grace performs magic. She is obsessed with it, she loves it; doing magic tricks so good they go viral on social media is her escape from a world that can be cruel and confusing.

Grace’s magic brings her a new friend, a new business and helps her get through each day. While the descriptions of the magic tricks Grace performs can get a tiny bit tedious, Grace herself never is. She is extremely funny. Her interactions with her Gran are hilarious, and I loved them both. Despite everything Grace has been through, by the end of this book I wanted to be just like her, and I am certain anyone over the age of 12 who reads it will too. She is truly something special.