The Marvelous Magic of Miss Mabel

May 15, 2016
Nora was thrilled to find Mabel in a flowerpot on her doorstep, even if the baby's unconventional arrival displeased their neighbors in 1881 Yorkshire.When Mabel's proven to have strong magical abilities, Nora sends her to Ruthersfield, a highly regarded academy for witches in Potts Bottom. Moving the whole household to Potts Bottom allows Nora to keep Mabel's adoption secret--even from Mabel: only kind Daisy and sour Nanny Grimshaw know. At Ruthersfield, Mabel makes friends and enjoys learning magic but chafes at the strict limits and senseless rules the academy places on its use by young ladies. Why must witches ride broomsticks sidesaddle when riding astride would be easier and safer? Learning to dance the "waft and glide," mastering sparkling conversation spells for dinner parties, and enhancing her complexion with unicorn-milk soap don't interest Mabel. Curious and daring, she experiments, creating new spells (with surprising results). Witchcraft runs in families, so Mabel's family tree must include witches, but Nora won't discuss them. Then a jealous classmate learns the truth about her flowerpot origins and reveals it to the entire school, devastating Mabel. She'll need courage and love to get through this--magic can't solve everything. Adoption is treated with sensitivity and in an age-appropriate way.Wild fantasy, sly satire, and sharply observed family dynamics are the hallmarks of this tasty, effervescent series (along with mouthwatering recipes); this volume's the most delectable yet. (Fantasy. 8-12)

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August 1, 2016

Gr 4-7-Mabel Ratcliff, the witchy great-great-grandmother of Cat (The Courage of Cat Campbell), stars in her own book about resourcefulness and feminism. It's 1881, and Nora Ratcliff, a widow, finds baby Mabel in a flowerpot by her door. Nora falls in love with Mabel, only later discovering that Mabel is a witch. Nora enrolls Mabel in Ruthersfield Academy, a magical school where her innovative spells challenge her teachers' unshakable adherence to rules and traditions. Mabel argues that girls should ride broomsticks astride for safety and brainstorms magical solutions to everyday problems like her housemaid's brittle hair. When the Society of Forward Thinking Witches sponsors a competition for a useful household spell, Mabel's clever idea and the machinations of her archenemy Winnifred make for a disastrous magical muddle that Mabel must unravel. Lowe taps into relevant themes for today's youth with her characterization of Mabel as an inventor and an agent of social change. Through Mabel's trials and errors, Lowe subtly impresses upon readers the ideas that trying and failing can lead to genius and that one should never abandon one's convictions because of others' opinions. Through the lens of the suffrage movement, Lowe also examines the so-called proper roles of women. The subplot involving the restrictive Nanny Grimshaw seems extraneous to the story, further delineating Mabel as a figure of pity and oppression. The historical setting may narrow the audience slightly, but Mabel's high jinks will appeal to readers of Roald Dahl's Matilda and Diana Wynne Jones's Howl's Moving Castle. VERDICT Mabel will inspire readers with her confident creativity; a solid secondary purchase, especially where Lowe's previous title is popular.-Caitlin Augusta, Stratford Library Association, CT

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