The Forgetting Spell

March 1, 2017
Thirteen-year-old Darya Blok struggles to unravel the mystery of her mother's eight-year absence and to do the right thing on her return.There is powerful, unpredictable magic in Willow Hill, where, on the third day of the third month of their 13th year, girls make three wishes which may or may not come true. If you are one of the three white Blok sisters, with Baba Yaga in your family tree, they will. You'd better use them wisely. Darya's mother, who left when Darya was 5, is back in town, shakily recovered from serious depression and not yet ready to resume her old roles. She wants Darya to use one of her wishes to right a wrong she committed at 13. Darya finds this unfair. She isn't even sure she believes in magic. Aching and angry, she's also infuriated by her new friend Tally's insistence that Darya's lucky. Tally lives in a foster home, and her mother, diagnosed as schizophrenic and institutionalized, refuses to see her, so her perspective is understandable. In this second book in the Wishing Day series, readers are drawn into middle-child Darya's changing moods by the first-person, present-tense narrative. Though set in the present day, occasional flashbacks provide insight into childhood events. A convenient conclusion offers plenty of room for her little sister's story. A poignant tale about missing mothers that will leave readers anxious to read more. (Fiction. 9-13)

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February 1, 2017

Gr 4-6-In this somewhat uneven sequel to Wishing Day, readers follow Darya as she enters her 13th year and gets closer to her own wishing day. Through flashback chapters, readers see a young Darya just after her mother left, and get some insight into her distance from her family. In the now, Darya's mother is back in town, but secretly. Darya and her sisters have been instructed not to tell Papa or Aunt Vera. Darya had always thought that Mama's return would solve everything, but it's actually ruining things. Mama is not whole-she's smoking and confused, and above all else she wants Darya to use her wishing day wishes to fix her own mistakes. Darya feels betrayed, again. Her relationships with her friends and family are suffering, and she truly has no one to turn to. While the beginning of the book suffers somewhat from too many loose threads, the second half is much stronger.

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

13iamgroot - This is the second book in the wishing day trilogy and it is told in Darya's perspective. I really liked the first book and it ended in a cliffhanger which is why I decided to read the second book. I definitely liked the first book way better than this one. In "The Forgetting Spell" I felt like the same things were just happening over and over but in different ways. The story also moved along really slowly and I felt like most of it was just Darya being mad or feeling sorry for herself. The main character Darya does not model good behavior at all, and I understand that she might be acting this way because of the situation she is in, but she takes her anger and frustration out on the people that love her the most. Most of the book was this happening again and again, and I didn't really get what the plot was. I felt that this book was a bit unnecessary, and the series would have been better if it just went from the first book to the third book with a little modification. Overall, it was an okay book and just wasn't my favorite from this author. I liked the first book better and I am reading the third book currently and it is pretty good. All of this is just my opinion and I think the book was still written really well, it was just that the story and plot line didn't hit the mark for me.

January 1, 2017
Grades 4-7 In Wishing Day (2016), Myracle introduced three sisters whose mother had disappeared some years ago. It focused on the eldest, Natasha, and the three wishes she made on her Wishing Day, a rite of passage for girls growing up in Willow Hill. Now her sister Darya turns 13, and it's her turn to repeat the ritual with wishes of her own . . . maybe. After unexpected revelations send shock waves through her life, Darya feels pressure to wish for her mother's desires instead of her own. Struggling to recall long-hidden memories, she makes her wishes and deals with the consequences. Feisty and independent, though loyal, Darya brings a fresh outlook to her family's ongoing troubles. While the Bird Lady's cryptic comments suggest magical elements, and the occasional flashbacks to four-year-old Darya's experiences with her mother add complexity to the novel, the straightforward, present-day narrative remains the most satisfying element of the novel. The second volume of the Wishing Day trilogy will leave fans eager for the story's resolution in the final book. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Myracle's current flagship series is being supported by a tour, exclusive author content, and more.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)