Like A Charm

Fantasy is a genre I rarely review, rarely read through to the end, rarely select for that matter. Some is set in outer space. Some is too darn dark and dystopian.
Elle McNicoll's Like A Charm is an exceedingly rare book in this genre. It actually captivated me. As it starts out 5-year-old Ramya is serving refreshments at her parents' Christmas party. She's delighted when her beloved grandfather arrives.
Suddenly Ramya senses that one of the guests is a malevolent being. She refuses to do what the woman orders her to do. Her parents try to force her to apologize to Portia. Her grandfather defends her. It's the last time she sees him alive.
In the second chapter Ramya is seven years older. Her family has moved from London to Edinburgh. Her mother is overcritical, her father distant.
School is torture. Ramya is neurodivergent. She has a disability that affects her coordination, manifesting itself in her penmanship. Her special education exercises are exceedingly boring and ineffective. Her attempts to advocate for herself are considered to be trouble making.
Then Ramya's grandfather dies. He has left her something in his will—a mysterious book with no writing on the pages except the cryptic message: beware the sirens. Ramya can discern magic and the non human creatures such as kelpies who must hide from the neurotypicals who fear them and would destroy them. And Ramya is the only one who can save them all from the merciless sirens.
Like A Charm is a highly enchanting and suspenseful tale that provides literary representation for neurodivergent children. It's a great acquisition for school and public libraries.
On a purrrsonal note, finally I was able to take precious Tobago for her long overdue (another thing we can blame on the pandemic) check up. Emily provided transportation. Tobago's primary care vet (I've never heard this term I but believe it would be for animals what primary care physician is for humans) pronounced her to be the picture of feline health. Much to my relief weight was no longer a concern. Indoor cats, lacking the exercise involved in chasing prey while dodging predators, do have a tendency toward overweight. (But enjoy better health and greater longevity). In her first years with us Tobago had packed on the ounces to the point where I was told to watch her weight. I was terrified of her getting diabetes. But instead of further gain she plateaued and has weighed the same nearly two years. It's quite possible that she came to us underweight. Anyway I am overjoyed that she my beautiful girl is enjoying perfect health.
A great big shout out goes out to:
*Dr. Julie Keene, the cat whisperer, who has tended to Hathaway cats for decades. She's the rare vet skilled in communicating with not only her patients, but the humans who bring them in for her compassionate care;
*Emily who helps me so often and never makes me feel in her debt;
and, of course *precious, beautiful, loving Tobago Anna Hathaway.