Parties & Potions (Magic In Manhattan, Book 4)
Mlynowski’s fourth book featuring teenage witch sisters Miri and Rachel is just as funny and appealing as the first three. In this installment, Rachel is looking forward to sophomore year and her budding relationship with Raf. She definitely enjoys her new powers but is determined to keep her witchhood secret from her father, her friends, and especially from Raf. When Miri convinces her to undergo training for a Samsorta ceremony (a “débutante-slash-bat-mitzvah-slash-quinceañera witch party thing”), Rachel meets dozens of teenage witches and warlocks and gains a new perspective on witchery. Mlynowski balances Miri’s delight at finally having a social life with Rachel’s very real fears of what will happen if her friends and father find out that she is “different,” as, of course, they do. But the story is clever, Rachel is a hoot, the girls’ concerns are valid, and, best of all, Mlynowski leaves the sledgehammer in the closet and handles the “importance of being yourself” theme with a light touch. Grades 6-9. --Chris Sherman--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.