Nory has now been living with her Aunt Margo and attending Dunwiddle Magic School for a month. She’s one of eight students in the Upside-Down Magic class, a class for kids whose magic is unusual.
When the pennies the school was collecting for charity turn into rocks and Marigold accidentally shrinks Lacey, one of the bully Sparkies, the Upside-Down Magic class are in the spotlight. It’s easy for the other kids to place blame on the kids who are different and pretty soon Lacey has started a petition to remove the Upside-Down Magic class and its members from Dunwiddle Magic School.
While the rumour mill is working overtime at Dunwiddle Nory is hoping to join the school’s beginner kittenball club, Elliott is keeping a secret from Nory and Bax is trying to learn how to keep his human mind when he turns into a rock.
I liked that this book alternated between Nory and Bax’s perspectives, and enjoyed learning about Bax’s family, including his father who is an Upside-Down Fuzzy, with animals reflecting his emotions.
I definitely want to see more of Squippy-Nory, when she fluxes into a puppy with tentacles. This was a reread for me but I haven’t read any more of the series so I’m looking forward to seeing what Ms. Starr’s class gets up to next.
Once Upon a Blurb
The kids in Upside-Down Magic know their magic is a little out of control. But that doesn’t make them weird – it only makes them human.
Strange things are happening at Dunwiddle Magic School, and the Upside-Down Magic class is getting blamed!
Yes, Marigold did shrink Lacey Clench to the size of a gerbil. But that was an accident. And, yes, most people weren’t prepared for Nory to transform into a squippy (that’s half squid, half puppy), but it’s not like Nory meant to mix up paws and tentacles. And while Bax does have the unfortunate magical condition of turning into a stone, he swears he has nothing to do with the rocky magic that’s been happening in Dunwiddle’s halls.
When things get messy, it’s easy to point your finger at the kids with the messiest magic. But the Upside-Down Magic students aren’t going to let themselves get in trouble. Instead, they’re going to find out what’s really going on, and get their school back on track before something really wacky happens.
Schizanthus Nerd 