UPSIDE DOWN MAGIC -Part II by Guest Blogger, Elliott Kurta

In May Elliott Kurta reviewed the first four books in the lower middle grade series, Upside Down Magic. In this post, he shares his thoughts on the second four books written by Sarah Mlynoski, Lauren Myracle, and Emily Jenkins.

If you missed the first part, you can find it here. This is Elliott's introduction to the series: 

"The Upside-Down Magic series spreads a message of positivity and acceptance by using magic as an analogy for individuality. Perfect for upper elementary and middle-school students, these novels capture a fifth-grade class as they make friends, confront bullies, and define themselves in today’s world. Each book features the protagonist, Nory, and one of her friends."

REVIEW

With four new additions to their series, Mlynowski, Myracle, and Jenkins continue to explore each of the eight students of the UDM (Upside Down Magic) class, with each book bringing in a new character’s perspective. As the UDM class’s magic begins to grow stronger, their adventures begin to grow more and more spectacular. In the second half of the Upside-Down Magic series, Nory and her friends become more audacious. A school protest, invisible owls, a skunk stampede, a magically salvaged parade, and, finally, a new student will bring the friends even closer.

Weather or Not (Book 5)

            Nory’s excited to celebrate Bing Day, a holiday dedicated to Zeponiah Bing, a town hero. The class is being grouped into pairs to make their Bing Day presentations. But when Nory is paired with Willa, her happy mood evaporates. Willa and Nory are complete opposites; Nory is friendly and loud, while Willa is shy and quiet and, in Nory’s opinion, a crybaby. Willa’s equally upset about who she’s been partnered with, but for a different reason. Nory’s been mean to her ever since Willa started spending time with Nory’s best friend, Elliott. Willa’s getting tired of how Nory’s been controlling their project and mocking her magical flare-ups. With Bing Day at stake, can Nory learn to be a better friend and can Willa learn how to manage her emotions? Or, will their fighting ruin the celebration for everyone?

 

The Big Shrink (Book 6)

            In The Big Shrink, Nory and Marigold team up to make big changes. Marigold’s powers are upside-down, even for the UDM class. She has the ability to shrink things, but can’t make them big again. Fortunately, her teacher, Ms. Starr, may have found a solution. Marigold’s excited to meet her new tutor, who also has shrinking magic. Unfortunately, Layla Lapczynski isn’t the ideal tutor. She’s irresponsible and reckless, but Marigold is too mesmerized by her new tutor’s rebellious nature to notice. Meanwhile, Nory’s discovered a wonderful new toy: Dreggs! Short for dragon-eggs, Dreggs are plastic eggs that release a tiny dragon when squeezed. When Nory goes to bring her Dreggs to school, she realizes that the principal has banned all Dreggs. With Marigold’s help, Nory starts a protest; the UDM class is going to hold a shrink-in! While Marigold is at first delighted to cause some change, she quickly realizes that things might have gotten out of control.

 

Hide and Seek (Book 7)

            Lately, Nory’s been conflicted. Last year, she failed to test into Sage Academy, where her father is the headmaster. But last week, Nory was offered the chance to retake her entrance exam and she passed! But Nory’s grown to love her new friends, and she doesn’t know if she wants to leave. Luckily, a happy coincidence gives Nory the opportunity to sample both worlds. As a blizzard storms through town, damaging Dunwiddle middle school, the entire UDM class will have to continue learning to control their magic at Sage Academy for a week. But Sage Academy is full of ordinary students who have never seen Upside-Down Magic. How will the UDM class readjust? For Nory, this trip is just another reminder of how Sage will never measure up to Dunwiddle. Her friend Elliott, on the other hand, is excited to be a part of Sage. The Flare teacher, Dr. Vogel, has been helping Elliott work on his Upside-Down magic. Each day, Elliott’s magic seems to be getting stronger and stronger. Nory’s magic, however, has been acting differently since she arrived at Sage. Coincidence? Now, Elliott is determined to find a way to stay at Sage, while Nory will stop at nothing to get herself expelled. And she already has a plan…

 

Night Owl (Book 8)

Big Night is here! Nory is ready to celebrate the longest night of the year by having a sleep-over at Dunwiddle Middle School, where she’ll make her Big Night resolutions. And, of course, she is looking forward to participating in the main event: a school-wide scavenger hunt. Even more exciting is the prize to the scavenger hunt—a key to a secret room in Dunwiddle Middle School. Divided into two teams, the UDM class is determined to win, one way or another. Sebastian, now a rival teammate, is ready to win the scavenger hunt. His magic lets him see invisible things, like soundwaves. That’s perfect for a scavenger hunt! But his teammates are too busy leaving the actual work to him to take advantage of his powers. As the night goes on, Sebastian’s head is beginning to hurt from too many loud noises. His magic has been getting stronger and more annoying, but none of his teammates are concerned about him. Meanwhile, Nory doesn’t understand why none of her teammates understand that they have to win. With all of the fifth grade competing for access to the secret room, Nory and Sebastian will have to make things right with their teams before they can win the scavenger hunt. Finally, an unforeseen element will make Big Night even more exciting: next semester, a new student will join the UDM class!

                                        *****

Remember to stop by Greg Pattridge's MMGM blog post on Monday for more MG reviews.