Teen Review: Rogelia’s House of Magic

Rogelia's House of Magic

by Jamie Martinez Wood

Delacorte, 2008

Reviewed by Beth Curtis, 13

Pennsylvania

This story is about three friends, Fern, Marina, and Xochitl, who are trying to learn magic from Xochitl's Nana, Rogelia. Together, they venture through the steps to develop their individual skills, while healing relationships and letting go of hurt.

Wood tells a story about issues that all teen girls can relate to. She covers topics like problems with parents, getting over death, and learning if people are sincere, while dispersing fantasy and magic within the plot. This is a great story, and you really feel the character's emotions. Wood writes in an emotionally descriptive way, but the main issues within the plot seem to get repetitive.

Overall, I liked this book a lot because I could relate the main characters to my friends, our schoolteachers, and myself. Wood shows that love survives all things and crosses over all barriers. She shows that we should never lose sight of what matters most to us, and that we must simply rely on our heart to be our compass.

I give this book four out of five stars, and I would recommend it, but you should be warned that if you don't believe in real-life magic, you should view this book as you would Harry Potter -- simply fantasy -- and enjoy it that way!