Upside-Down Magic!

Nory Horrace's magic doesn’t seem to work the way she would like it to- it’s wonky. Being able to turn into an animal should be easy, especially the small black kitten she needs to change into for the Big Test at Sage Academy. Every time she tries, she turns into the wrong animal- or rather a combination of animals, like a bat and a cat. Worst of all, she gets lost in the mind of the creature and ends up embarrassing herself. It only makes things harder that her father is the headmaster of the academy. When Nory fails the Big Test she is heartbroken, but when an aunt she doesn’t know comes to take her away, Nory’s heart sinks even more. Her dad doesn’t want her to stay at his house with her wonky magic. Now she won’t get to see her brother and sister. Plus, they won’t even answer her phone calls. At her new school, there’s a class for kids who have upside-down magic. Their magic does the opposite of what it’s supposed to do. The kids in class seem nice, but Nory thinks they are a little strange. She and another student, Elliot, who turns things to ice instead setting them on fire, decide they don’t belong there and devise a plan to get into the “normal” magic classes. Will Elliot and Nory be able to tame their magic? Is it possible to take the test again and get out of the class they're in? Will Nory talk to her family again? Why is her dad so disappointed in her? Read this fast-paced story and find out!  

I had fun reading Upside-Down Magic by Sarah Mlynowski! It was a book filled with unique characters, and I was easily able to read it in one day. I felt bad for Nory and her friends that they had trouble controlling their powers, also that they were often surprised by the outcome of their attempts. I imagine it'd be tough to lose control and have your magic surprise you all the time. It was fascinating to see what happened in the upside-down class. I thought their teacher was nice, and I liked how she pointed out what made them even more important was that their skills were different. Being able to do things that others can’t comes in handy! My favorite part was probably the end, but I don’t want to give anything away. I would recommend this book to kids (and adults) in second grade and up who enjoy stories with magic and characters that have a lot to learn. I know it will be exciting to read the rest of the books in the series!

Has anyone else read Upside-Down Magic? Or have you read another book by Sarah Mlynowski? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy Reading!

~L