Upside-Down Magic

June 15, 2015
The writers behind How to Be Bad (2008) aim for a younger audience in this entertaining story about magical powers gone humorously awry. Ten-year-old Nory is mortified when she bungles her interview at the posh magical academy where her father is headmaster; attempting to morph into a kitten, she instead turns into a sequence of outrageous hybrid animals, including a “dritten” (dragon-kitten). She is shipped off to live with her wonderfully kooky Aunt Margo (who works as a flying taxi, zipping passengers around on her back) and enrolls in an “Upside-Down Magic” program. Nory’s fear that her classmates will be “the worst of the wonky” is delightfully realized. Magical shenanigans abound as the story celebrates individuality, self-acceptance, and tolerance, encapsulated in Aunt Margo’s advice: “Just be who you are, not who you think you should be.” Featuring short chapters and lively, funny dialogue, this novel should please kids who don’t naturally find reading to be magical, as well as those who do. Ages 8–12. Agent: (for Mlynowski) Laura Dail, Laura Dail Literary Agency; (for Myracle) Barry Goldblatt, Barry Goldblatt Literary; (for Jenkins) Elizabeth Kaplan, Elizabeth Kaplan Agency.

January 1, 2016

Gr 3-7-In order to enter fifth grade at Sage Academy, all Nory had to do was pass the Big Test-turning herself into a kitten. She succeeds...until she unintentionally fluxes into a bitten (bat-kitten). Nory's magic is strong but wonky. After a series of additional mishaps, her embarrassed headmaster father decides to send Nory to live with her aunt and enroll in Dunwiddle Magic School's Upside-Down Magic (UDM) class, which is specifically designed for students with wonky magic. Fortunately, Ms. Starr believes her students are special and encourages them to accept and make the most of their talent. The UDM students discount such wisdom until a playground bully strikes. Nory and her friends, using their individual talents and working as a team, save their classmate from certain tragedy. Narrator Rebecca Soler is exceptional, especially as an exasperated Nory. VERDICT This fun story is the first in a new series and provides a subtle reminder to embrace your uniqueness. ["Readers will enjoy the details of Nory's magical world and empathize with her struggle": SLJ 9/15 review of the Scholastic book.]-Cheryl Preisendorfer, Twinsburg City Schools, OH

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