This book was so kindly sent to me by its author, Lauren, not long before she was the guest for the season finale of my book podcast “Try Reading.”

I have loved Lauren’s work for so long but it had been a while since I had read a book of hers. And let me just say, it was good to be back.
This is a wonderful middle-grade fantasy and knowing it’s shorter, it cuts to the chase right away and you are well-informed of the way the society works and how these five fantastic girls, Pippa, Hailey, Kit, Ember, and of course our main character, Marina, have to go on a quest to gain their mythical familiars.

From the start, Lauren writes Marina’s voice so well and the reader can tell she has a very distinct personality. Each book will follow one of the five girls, and so seeing how Lauren can write one voice so distinctly, the other’s will be just as amazing. Anxiety is done so well within Marina. We can see she worries a lot but her worries can be calmed by her new friends. However, they do not dismiss her anxiety, they acknowledge her worries and feelings and can surround her with love and happiness. That is so important for young readers to see similar feelings in a character they can relate to and know that the feelings they have are valid.

I want to be able to travel the world like these girls do, and the aspect of coming together and working as a team to overcome obstacles gives the readers such a rush of adrenaline. And we love those feelings of found family, (it’s like the best hug and cup of tea). 

Of course, since this is just the beginning to a five-book fantasy series, Book One was getting you introduced to the world and the characters, but I cannot wait for these adventures to pick up the pace as the books go on and for the danger to get dangerous–just from book one, readers can tell, Golden Jumpsuit is not giving up. Furthermore, the beautiful illustrations from Mirelle Ortega bring this story to life with magic and beauty. 

Overall, Lauren Magaziner has crafted yet another fantastic middle-grade novel that will capture readers instantly and won’t let them go. If you’re looking for the perfect book for an adventurous younger reader in your life, look no further. 

I can’t wait to see where this series goes and how it blossoms. 

(You can catch Lauren on the finale of season one of the Try Reading Podcast!)