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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Charming second book in a series that can stand alone. Cute, humorous, and fun, a great read for those not quite ready for Harry Potter. This series will be making its way into my library.
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Everyone is gifted with some sort of magic ability. There are the Fluxers (shape-shifters), Flares (make fire), Flyers (can fly), Flickers (invisibility powers), and Fuzzies (communicate with animals). And then are those whose magic is not quite, well, normal. Their magic is called Upside-Down Magic (UDM). Flares with the ability to freeze things or make it rain. A Fuzzy who repeals animals or a Flyer who cannot seem to stay on the ground on his own. And a Flicker who sees sound waves. Then there are Fluxers like Nory and Bax--Bax can only flux into a rock. Nory's fluxes seem to be inconsistent--she often changes into two creatures at once. The UDM students are in a class, separate from their classmates who have "normal" magic abilities. They are often the butt of jokes and looked down on by their peers for being different.
Mouse and I broke the cardinal rule of not starting with the first book in the series, and so Sticks & Stones was our introduction to the wonderful UDM kids. Mouse and I enjoyed reading this book together. There were quite a few laugh out loud moments as well as more serious moments, taking on difficult issues school-aged children often face. Like dealing with divorce and a parent's job loss, bullying, overcoming obstacles, self-doubt, learning that it is okay to make mistakes (and that everyone makes them), and how to embrace our differences. The three authors handled each of these subjects with sensitivity and in a knowledgeable way, capturing the feelings of the characters and making them even more relatable. My 9-year-old was struck by how these great kids were treated so poorly by their peers. "They are normal, Mom. They are unique and may have different talents, but they are just like everyone else." She is unable to pick a favorite character among the UDM students, but she did say that her favorite part was when Marigold accidentally shrunk Lacey Clench, the school bully ringleader.
Both Mouse and I would like to go back and read the first book in the series and continue on with it after. We love the cast characters. I have not told Mouse yet there is a Disney television series coming out this summer based on the books. She is going to be over the moon when she hears that bit of news.
Review originally published on Musings of a Bookish Kitty: https://www.literaryfeline.com/2020/04/weekly-mews-back-to-rehearsal-fluxers.html
Mouse and I broke the cardinal rule of not starting with the first book in the series, and so Sticks & Stones was our introduction to the wonderful UDM kids. Mouse and I enjoyed reading this book together. There were quite a few laugh out loud moments as well as more serious moments, taking on difficult issues school-aged children often face. Like dealing with divorce and a parent's job loss, bullying, overcoming obstacles, self-doubt, learning that it is okay to make mistakes (and that everyone makes them), and how to embrace our differences. The three authors handled each of these subjects with sensitivity and in a knowledgeable way, capturing the feelings of the characters and making them even more relatable. My 9-year-old was struck by how these great kids were treated so poorly by their peers. "They are normal, Mom. They are unique and may have different talents, but they are just like everyone else." She is unable to pick a favorite character among the UDM students, but she did say that her favorite part was when Marigold accidentally shrunk Lacey Clench, the school bully ringleader.
Both Mouse and I would like to go back and read the first book in the series and continue on with it after. We love the cast characters. I have not told Mouse yet there is a Disney television series coming out this summer based on the books. She is going to be over the moon when she hears that bit of news.
Review originally published on Musings of a Bookish Kitty: https://www.literaryfeline.com/2020/04/weekly-mews-back-to-rehearsal-fluxers.html
The kids in this story have special magic powers. Nory and her friends have upside-down magic because their powers don’t work the way they are supposed to. Though these kids have special powers, they still have to deal with ordinary school problems in this story.
Someone at the school is turning everything into stone. The other kids think it must be the upside-down magic class who is pranking them. Bax seems like the most obvious culprit because he can turn himself into a stone, but he claims he didn’t do it. Nory and her friends have to fight to remain in the school while they investigate the strange pranks.
What I love about this series is that it’s a well developed story. I enjoyed it and I was intrigued until the end, even though it’s aimed towards a younger audience. I didn’t guess what was happening, so I was surprised at the end but it also made sense.
This is a great series and I’m excited to see what happens next.
Someone at the school is turning everything into stone. The other kids think it must be the upside-down magic class who is pranking them. Bax seems like the most obvious culprit because he can turn himself into a stone, but he claims he didn’t do it. Nory and her friends have to fight to remain in the school while they investigate the strange pranks.
What I love about this series is that it’s a well developed story. I enjoyed it and I was intrigued until the end, even though it’s aimed towards a younger audience. I didn’t guess what was happening, so I was surprised at the end but it also made sense.
This is a great series and I’m excited to see what happens next.
3.5/5. I didn't love this one quite as much as the first one, but it was still enjoyable.
I just love this series! I think it's such a cute idea and so well written. These are books that I can't wait to share with my daughter one day.
Much like the first book in the series this one was so freaking cute!!! it dealt with some interesting topics I hadn't before seen in a middle grade - so it was extra interesting to see - can't wait to keep reading the series (although I might save them for further readathons )