SAYONARA MAGIC

The Japanese Tanaka triplets—Akira and her brothers, Hiro and Naoki—haphazardly and mischievously use their magical abilities.

First-person narrator Hiro and his siblings have inherited spell-casting abilities from their father; their mother, like most people, is nonmagical. Through a blend of appealing manga-style illustrations and expressive text, the story follows the trio’s antics. Whenever a sibling casts a spell to address an issue, something goes awry, and the others must intervene and attempt to undo the damage. The triplets fear that their public use of magic will be discovered by their parents (or the troublesome reporter who keeps hanging around), which would result in their being sent away to a school for wizards, ruining all their fun. When Hiro casts a spell of invisibility to get a peek at an upcoming math test—he’d rather watch his favorite show than study—it turns out that everything he touches also becomes invisible, and he makes the test, various classroom objects, and even a fellow student disappear. Naoki and Akira help him find a powerful spell that will undo everything, but they discover why their dad warned them about “side effects.” Next, Akira casts a “super-confidence” spell to help the extremely shy Naoki talk to his longtime crush. Unfortunately, Naoki’s excessive confidence leads him to blurt out honest but unkind remarks and leads to an uproar. The expressive illustrations, fast pace, and humorous sibling dynamics will hook readers.

An engaging mix of magic and chaotic energy.