Don’t Judge a Book By Its Magic

Colleen’s world turning upside down began with a book.  After reading the book about magic, she started seeing strange things, making her believe craziness is her fate…

“A super-hot guy glared at me. Somehow, I had pissed him off. In my craziness, I’d probably insulted his mother in Swahili without knowing. I gave him an apologetic shrug. Sorry, hot guy. I’m crazy and so, inherently offensive.”
“Are you a moron?” he yelled, forgetting to keep his crazy secret.
“No, I’m crazy. Are you crazy too? Do you work at the grocery store?”

Luckily for her, it turned out it wasn’t craziness, just magic. So, Colleen goes to SPROO, the school for people like her. There she has to face complicated, dramatic engagements, everyone questioning her belief that witchcraft is wrong, three boys who want her and The Red Txenar. And, she thought being crazy was difficult!

Hilarious, highly enjoyable and riveting! Kate Policani has succeeded in creating a beautiful world of magic, laughter and teenage woes!  Colleen is a very amiable and relatable character, and magic schools were fun even before Hogwarts and infinitely more afterwards. While a glossary exists, some of the terms are very cumbersome and difficult to follow, so the reader will need time to get into the story completely. Although characters could’ve been more tangible and the plot a bit more developed, this novel is a success in terms of what it’s meant to be: a light spirited story conveying feelings and actions of a teenager who’s newly discovered magic - and romance!

Mimi Smith