Upside-Down Magic (Upside-Down Magic #1)

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. (Sept.)

Gr 4-6--Nory's father is the headmaster of an elite magic academy, but if Nory wants to enter fifth grade there in the fall, she'll have to get her "wonky" magic under control. She's a Fluxer, which means she can turn into an animal--but not an ordinary animal like a kitten. Unfortunately, Nory always turns herself into odd animal combos like a kitten and a beaver or a kitten and a dragon, and she has a hard time controlling herself in her animal form. When Nory fails Sage Academy's Big Test, she's sent to live with her aunt and attend a public school that has just started an Upside-Down Magic Class. Even though Aunt Margo is kind and her teacher, Ms. Starr, is supportive, Nory's magic mishaps alienate her classmates. When she is given the opportunity to train herself to keep her magic in "The Box of Normal," she must decide once and for all where she belongs. Readers will enjoy the details of Nory's magical world and empathize with her struggle. VERDICT The story is engaging enough to appeal to reluctant readers, and Nory's equally entertaining classmates make it likely that sequels will ensue. Count on plenty of publicity and the multiple (and well-known) authors to drive interest in this title.--Laurie Slagenwhite Walters, Brighton District Library, Brighton, MI