The Popularity Spell

cattyluver - I read this book it is pretty nice. It is very sad and made me want to cry. It brought out my emotions. Here is my summary of this story. Cleo is a regular girl who has moved from Ohio to California, has a new school, and it was just her birthday. Cleo's mother died when she was born. Madison, the bully in this story, is making fun of Cleo and her new friend Samantha ( Sam for short ). Sam is smart and ALWAYS has a comeback for Madison. One day Cleo comes home and there is a package waiting for her. She opens it and finds a voodoo doll and some instructions. In the very bottom there is a birthday card from her uncle, Arnie. It is called the Positive Happy Voodoo Doll. Cleo and Sam do a voodoo trick, and it works! Then they do a trick on Madison. It ends with Madison running out the door ( farting ) and everyone laughing with and NOT at Sam and Cleo. The next trick Madison ends up cursing during their science projects. I forgot to mention that Cleo's dad has a girlfriend, that Cleo despises, and Sam's mom is single. Sam wants to do a trick so that Cleo's dad breaks up with his girlfriend and gets closer to Sam's mom. This ends with the girlfriend getting in a car accident and me wanting to cry. They make many visits and Cleo tells Sam that she wants to stop tricking her dad's girlfriend. Sam gets angry and yells in the cafeteria. Madison is not a bully any more. Cleo becomes friends with Madison and tells her the WHOLE story. Madison is more curious than angry. Sam has the voodoo doll and they need to get it back. They make a story about having to go to Sam's house and trap Sam. They run to a graveyard that Sam visits many times and look for the doll. They find it, but Sam has gotten out of the trap! She is angry and chases after them. Sam leaves them alone after special circumstances and they destroy the doll. That way it can do no more evil. I look forward to reading the next book. Until then my friends. Farewell.

July 15, 2015
A belated birthday gift creates havoc for 11-year-old Cleo. In the decade since her mother's death, it has always been just Cleo and her father, and that's fine. But recent events cause turmoil for the sixth grader. After relocating to Los Angeles from Ohio, Cleo's transition to her new school is complicated socially, due in part to the taunts from popular girl Madison. Also, her dad's growing relationship with Terri further disconcerts Cleo. When Cleo receives a "Positive Happy Voodoo Doll" from her eccentric uncle, she is intrigued by the possibilities. Along with her new friend, Samantha, Cleo decides to use the doll's voodoo to boost their popularity. But Cleo soon becomes ambivalent about the voodoo doll, even as Samantha insists they continue. Gallagher's tale addresses concerns familiar to preteens about fitting in and friendships. When a hex appears to have a serious consequence, Cleo decides she's done with magical manipulation, despite Samantha's dismay. In a comically frenetic denouement, Cleo's attempts to undo the voodoo complications garner an unexpected ally and a surprising new friend. While the effectiveness of Uncle Arnie's magic remains a mystery, Gallagher ends the book by foreshadowing Cleo's next magical misadventure. Gallagher's tale evolves beyond a simple popularity quest, as amid the commotion wrought by her voodoo experiments, Cleo gains an appreciation for authentic friendships. (Fiction. 9-12)

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September 1, 2015
Grades 4-7 Cleo receives an unusual gift from her unclea voodoo dollthat is supposed to make happy and wonderful things happen. She cannot wait to try it out with her best friend, Samantha. They start out with a small wish for a treat, and when that occurs, they decide to make themselves popular, but it takes the embarrassment of another girl to get their wish. As their wishes get bigger, the costs get higher, leading to a car accident involving the woman Cleo's dad is dating, and soon Cleo wants to stop. Samantha is furious, calls off their friendship, and refuses to give back the doll. But Cleo and former mean girl Madison join forces to reclaim and destroy the doll. Readers will likely empathize with Cleo's desire for easy fixes as well as her growing realizations that every action has a consequence and people are not always what they seem. A gift at the end sets up the action for the next book in the series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)