With a dusting of magic, middle school life hits unexpected roommates, new friends, and a touch of homesickness, too.

Heidi is off to boarding school, which would be awful (she does love her regular middle school) if this wasn't the only school where she can learn more about magic. Plus, she won't have to hide her abilities from everyone anymore, since among the regular usual students, there will be other witches and wizards there, too (duh!). Leaving home does make her anxious, and her nerves shift into high gear when she discovers who her roommate is. Any hopes of having a good year shatter as now she wishes she could find a way to ditch the worst roommate ever.

This is a great book to hit that middle path between those first chapter books and longer reads. At 300+ pages, it looks thick, but the text is written in larger font (sometimes, very large font) with lots of spacing in between to keep the feeling of being bogged down by words far away. There are many illustrations to break it up and bring scenes to life, and these are sprinkled in every few pages (not every page). The chapters are longer from page length as well. So, it soothes nervous readers, while preparing them for larger readers.

Heidi narrates this one almost like a diary entry or speaking with the reader like a best friend. She's open, has understandable thoughts (even when she's not always right), and is genuinely a kind person...but also has her slightly mischievous side. The interactions with her family are wholesome and fun, while the ones with friends and classmates invite in. It's easy to feel part of the group and experience the familiar settings and issues. The problems she faces are pretty straight-forward and fit the age group very well.

The magical end is like icing on a cake. The story is well-grounded in normal life as are the interactions. The moments of magic are enough to spark the imagination but don't go to the extreme. There is the secret door to the magic school, which adds a nice bit of mystery. There's an original atmosphere to this school, which sets it apart from many magic-academy-reads. For example, the school store is located in what was once a barn. Since the humans aren't supposed to know about the magic, even these aspects are as usual as usual can be. It creates an easy world to connect with and sink into, while adding just the right pinch of fantasy and dreams. I received an ARC and enjoyed everything from the sparkly cover to the illustrations to the enjoyable character. ( )