5 stars A stunning follow-up to Sheets. This one wonderfully captures some of the hardships of growing up female with crush confusion, toxic friendships, and the pressure to fit in. Despite such difficulties, it is filled with hope, kindness, empathy, supportive friendship, and the little moments that bring joy. It shows the power of doing the…
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Illustrated by Joanna Cacao 5 stars What a fantastic read! Though I typically am not drawn to realistic fiction, cheerleading is a topic I can’t resist. As I was reading this, I was pleasantly surprised that the book was about much more than cheerleading. Christina Soontornvat recounts her experiences in seventh grade, centered around the…
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5 stars I wasn’t intending to spend all day reading this, but here we are. Once I started, I did not want to put this book down. I forced myself to take breaks so I wouldn’t speed through and miss out on the great storytelling and wonderful artwork. Still, I read the whole thing in…
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4 stars Another wonderful story following Nory and her friends in the Upside-Down Magic program, along with some new ones made along the way. In the fourth book, the kids in the Upside-Down Magic class head to Dragon Haven for three days to learn about and interaction with real dragons. Yet unexpected surprises are in…
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5 stars Another awesome adventure at Dunwiddle Magic School. While this is the third book in the series, there is enough backtracking and explanation of what happened in the previous books that it could be read alone. However, the first two books are just as engaging and fun so I’d still recommend reading them first…
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3 stars A book celebrating a love of theater and the journey to discovering what you want out of life. Much of the book centers around friendship, crushes, and the sometimes-blurry line between the two. One aspect I enjoyed about the book is that while Callie loves theater, she’s not much of a performer, preferring…
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5 stars Another fantastic story in the Upside-Down Magic series. Wonderful themes and messages around inclusion and acceptance of the ways people are different from one another. This one deals with a lot of heavy topics including bullying, divorce, depression, and stress. Such topics are handled well, allowing the characters to understand and learn from…
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