In this lighthearted kids’ fantasy from debut author Syed, a young witch gets herself into a lot of trouble as the result of trying to get back at her younger sister for her bad behavior.
Thirteen-year-old Zara “Zoey” Williams, who comes from a family of wizards and witches, is tired of her little sister, Allie, causing trouble with magic. She gets particularly annoyed after Allie makes a mess in her room while trying to turn her pet frog, Lilly, into a puppy. In retaliation, Zoey decides to turn Allie into a bunny, which backfires when Zoey accidentally spills the potion needed to restore Allie to her original form; unfortunately, she has no idea how to fix the problem. This sets off a series of misadventures. Zoey gets help from the eccentric head of witchy society, who claims to be Cleopatra—according to her, she wasn’t killed by an asp; she merely time traveled. Eventually, Zoey travels to the future in order to get some needed though currently unavailable ingredients for reversing spells. There, she’s assisted by a girl named Jenny and her mom. This extremely imaginative book stars a clever, young first-person narrator who will greatly appeal to middle school readers. With remarkably strong prose, the author, an 11-year-old, manages to conjure up not only exactly the sort of magical adventure that would appeal to her age group, but also a protagonist to whom they can truly relate. While an older reader might have some trouble embracing the novel due to a few plot holes, such as how Zoey is able to keep her sister’s disappearance a secret from her parents for such a long time, and some far-fetched conceits—if Zoey has to go to the future (a presumably complex spell) to reverse a seemingly simple spell after spilling one potion, what do other magic-users do in even worse situations?—such concerns won’t likely bother the target age group, who will be delighted by the novel’s magic, humor and heart.
A warmhearted, fun children’s story that young fantasy fans will enjoy.
Pub Date: May 2, 2014
ISBN: 978-1494276966
Page Count: 210
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: July 24, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A moving tale of baseball, magic, and former rivals who come together to solve a problem.
A middle schooler struggles to adjust after moving to an idyllic Massachusetts town.
Trish Das is at a crossroads. Not only is the 12-year-old unhappy that her family has moved yet again due to her mother’s cardiology career, she also has to try out for a new baseball team. The fact that one of her new teammates is a former archrival further complicates matters. Math prodigy Ben Messina went head-to-head against fellow math whiz Trish at last spring’s Math Puzzlers Championship. When Trish emerged victorious, Ben was stunned. The two get closer when the team’s mysterious pregame snacks start making everyone play better while also causing magical side effects during games. Equally surprising are the cryptic puzzle booklets Trish and Ben receive in the mail that lead them to even more wins. But as the puzzles get harder to solve, the risk of failing to do so increases. Alternating between Trish’s and Ben’s perspectives, LaRocca’s novel—a companion to 2019’s Midsummer’s Mayhem—is a Much Ado About Nothing homage that explores parental expectations, complicated friendships, and teamwork. The protagonists’ love of problem-solving shines through, and the puzzles themselves are clearly explained. As a third-generation Indian American, Trish also has moving conversations about the circumstances that led her grandparents to emigrate and how those decisions still impact their lives. Ben is implied White. Final illustrations not seen.
A moving tale of baseball, magic, and former rivals who come together to solve a problem. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: June 15, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-4998-1101-8
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Yellow Jacket
Review Posted Online: March 30, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2021
Ultimately more than a little full of itself, but well-stocked with big themes, inventively spun fairy-tale tropes, and...
Good has won every fairy-tale contest with Evil for centuries, but a dark sorcerer’s scheme to turn the tables comes to fruition in this ponderous closer.
Broadening conflict swirls around frenemies Agatha and Sophie as the latter joins rejuvenated School Master Rafal, who has dispatched an army of villains from Capt. Hook to various evil stepmothers to take stabs (literally) at changing the ends of their stories. Meanwhile, amid a general slaughter of dwarves and billy goats, Agatha and her rigid but educable true love, Tedros, flee for protection to the League of Thirteen. This turns out to be a company of geriatric versions of characters, from Hansel and Gretel (in wheelchairs) to fat and shrewish Cinderella, led by an enigmatic Merlin. As the tale moves slowly toward climactic battles and choices, Chainani further lightens the load by stuffing it with memes ranging from a magic ring that must be destroyed and a “maleficent” gown for Sophie to this oddly familiar line: “Of all the tales in all the kingdoms in all the Woods, you had to walk into mine.” Rafal’s plan turns out to be an attempt to prove that love can be twisted into an instrument of Evil. Though the proposition eventually founders on the twin rocks of true friendship and family ties, talk of “balance” in the aftermath at least promises to give Evil a fighting chance in future fairy tales. Bruno’s polished vignettes at each chapter’s head and elsewhere add sophisticated visual notes.
Ultimately more than a little full of itself, but well-stocked with big themes, inventively spun fairy-tale tropes, and flashes of hilarity. (Fantasy. 11-13)Pub Date: July 21, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-06-210495-3
Page Count: 672
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: June 25, 2015
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