Wild Water Magic

Magical Mix-Ups #4

by Lynne Jonell, Brandon Dorman (Illustrations)

The reviews are in! Magical Mix-Ups is a high-quality, standout early chapter book series.
 
Tate Willow is pretty and nice, and most people think she’s smart. But Tate doesn’t feel smart . . . until she falls into an old well in the backyard and her mind starts working double-time. She sails through her homework and can read a book in minutes. But keeping Tate in line is becoming a full-time job for her brothers and sister. She’s strangely attracted to water of all sorts—streams, sprinklers, waterfalls. Can they get herwild water magic under control?
 
Lynne Jonell follows up her Minnesota Book Award finalist, Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List Title, and Junior Library Guild selection, Hamster Magic, with a fourth story of the Willow family’s rowdy run-ins with mixed-up magic.

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy

112 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Lynne Jonell is an author (and occasional illustrator) of sixteen books for children, from picture books to novels for ages 8-12, all with an element of fantasy: magical hamsters, talking cats, tiny planes with a secret fuel, rodents with special powers, and more. Her novel Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat won the Minnesota Book Award; her latest book, The Sign of the Cat, is a swashbuckling sea adventure. Coming in 2018 is Far Sight, Deep Time, a time-travel novel set at her ancestral castle in Scotland.

Her books have received starred reviews in Horn Book, Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Sesame Street Parents, and have been published in nine languages. She teaches writing at the Loft Literary Center, is married and has two sons, and lives in Plymouth, Minnesota.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/lynnej...

Reviews

[Kate McGinty aka Caryn Caldwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tate's so mad after her first week at a new school that she just has to run off her anger. But then she steps through the rotted-out cover of an old well and lands in the water -- water that, it turns out, has special magic. Suddenly Tate's thinking, reading, and planning faster than she ever has before. But the magic has a downside, too -- one that will require all three of her siblings' help to conquer.

This is a quick, cozy read with enough suspense to keep children turning the pages but not enough to scare. What it lacks in humor it makes up for in creativity, and the siblings' relationships and Tate's love of books are admirable. While this is the fourth in the series, it stands on its own quite nicely, with few references to earlier adventures.

[Yahweh37 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice little kids book.

[Dena McMurdie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fourth book in Lynne Jonell’s magic series but it can be read as a stand-alone book. Tate is a young girl that feels like she isn’t good at anything, but when she falls down a forgotten well and drinks the water at the bottom, she is suddenly good at everything. The only problem is that she can’t stay away from water – even the dangerously high river with the waterfall.

I was really happy to find this book. So many chapter books for this age group are exactly the same, but this was something different. It’s a fun adventure with light suspense that’s perfect for fans of magic.

[Yapha · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this fourth book in the Magical Mix-Ups series it is big sister Tate's turn to encounter the magic on Hollowstone Hill. While the siblings are searching for an old well, Tate finds it by falling into it. After she formulates a plan for her brothers and sister to get her out, she realizes that she is thinking much faster than normal. She is also inexplicably drawn towards all types of water. Can Abner, Derek, and Celia keep her safe until the wild water magic wears off? Recommended for fans of the series, and beginning chapter book readers looking for magic in their worlds. Grades 2-4.

[Breezy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very entertaining and random. I love the focus on the characters facial expressions when something unexpected happens. The illustrations were detailed enough to catch my attention and simple enough to not distract from the story. Kids who are fascinated with water might find this book interesting and fun to read.

[Gail Shipley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very easy read about a girl who falls in a well finds the water has magical properties. Tate starts having unusual adventures and experiences due to the water. Good for beginning chapter book readers.

[Angela Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun book. Magical water giving you powers is good food for the imagination. I also love the idea that the main character, Tate, doesn't feel like she's good at anything compared to her siblings at the beginning of the book. I think many kids will be able to relate to that element.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. A different type of magic and likeable characters. A little suspense during the story, but not much. Easy, gentle fantasy story for younger grades.

[Books Kids Like · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hopefully there will be more books in this series! Very good chapter book series!

[Nitza Campos · Rating 4 out of 5]

4th book in the series by Lynne Jonell. Great series for students who are beginning to read chapter books.