Angela Ashby had been looking forward to attending the school carnival with her mother, but since the divorce she is working more, and Angela hardly gets to see her mother, or her father who left and married Holly, the homewrecker. Luckily Angela has a close friend, Mallory. The two of them enjoyed the carnival together, savoring the moment until their wandering put them in front of a rather unusual tent, one belonging to a fortune teller. She gives each of the girls a reading and a gift, and Angela's gift, a journal, has power beyond measure, anything she writes in it comes to pass. With a school struggling with a bulling problem, her parents' divorce, and so many changes she wants, Angela decides to use the journal. But actions have consequences, and even the most innocent thing can have profound effects.

The Journal of Angela Ashby is a middle grade fiction by Liana Gardner and is perfectly written for the target audience. A combination of magic, childhood troubles, social messages, and the need to think before acting is prevalent, and a lesson well ingrained into the pages, There is some good tension building, injections of humour, and character development. Angela and Mallory make a great team, perfectly complementing each other in the way close friends do. This is certainly a book I will read with my son when he is older, as I think it instills some important lessons and values, much like the old 80's and 90's cartoons used to do. While the book itself has a clear beginning and end, there are hints that a sequel may follow, and it's certainly something I would consider picking up. If you're looking for a story of friendship, childhood problems, and a healthy sprinkling of magic in everyday life, then look no further.

The Journal of Angela Ashby by Liana Gardner is a charming story of action and consequence. As the main character, Angela finds herself in what she thinks is a horrible situation. Her parents are divorced, she misses her dad, and bullies are picking on her best friend, Mallory. When she and Mallory go to a school fair, they meet up with a strange fortune teller who gives them each a special present. Through Angela’s new gift, she makes her situation far worse than she could imagine as she misuses the magic without thinking of what might happen. Next thing she knows, she gets people into trouble and almost loses her best friend. Will she ever figure out what she really wants instead of reacting impulsively before her whole life falls to pieces?

I enjoyed The Journal of Angela Ashby. In this story, Liana Gardner presents her characters and their problems with an equal touch of magic and reality. This allows the message of the tale to come through while entertaining instead of preaching. Gardner does a great job of taking what could be a clichéd story and putting a few twists in it to keep it fresh and humorous. As well, Gardner portrays Angela’s worries and issues through the experience of a young girl instead of an adult putting an adult perspective on a child. I enjoyed the artwork too. It is well-suited to the story and does not take away from my picture of the tale in any way. I highly recommend this book to readers who want a little meat to their story without losing any sense of enjoyment.