Rachel has finally come to terms with the outrageously unfair fact that her younger sister, Miri, has inherited magical powers from their mom. But now the whole witchcraft thing is spiraling out of control. Mom is a magicaholic, Miris on a Save the World kick, and the one teeny tiny love spell that Rachel begged for has gone embarrassingly, horribly wrong.
Suddenly, the fate of everything is in Rachels hands.
Her family.
The world.
Senior prom.
From the Hardcover edition.
From School Library Journal
Grade 6-8In this sequel to Bras & Broomsticks (Delacorte, 2005), Rachels younger sister, Miri, uses her magic to perform a safety spell on 50 about-to-be-slaughtered cows. Unfortunately, they are safely removed to the high school gym, causing $40,000 damage and ruining the venue for the prom. The administration thinks this was an obvious senior prank, but, of course, Miri and Rachel know better. Meanwhile, their mom, who has been a nonpracticing witch for years, has decided to resume her enchanted ways. She suddenly has more men to date than she can handle and replaces important mother/daughter time with magically zapped up ready-to-eat pizzas. Rachels first-person narration moves the story along, and subplots include her dealing with the school bully and falling in love with her crushs brother and Miris other accidentally misused magic. However, the part involving the girls father, who remarried, is a bit weak and contrived. While the story is predictable, its still enjoyable and will have a ready audience.Kelly Czarnecki, Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg, NC
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From Booklist
Gr. 7-10. This frothy sequel to Bras & Broomsticks (2005) is just as sweet and funny as its predecessor. Rachel is still jealous that her mom and little sister, Miri, are witches, while she remains annoyingly unable to levitate as much as a teacup. But when her divorced mom begins whipping up dating spells and using magic to enhance her cleavage, and Miri exhausts herself by zapping oil spills instead of finishing her homework, Rachel suddenly finds herself in the strange position of cautioning her family against their magical excesses. Complications ensue as Rachel tries to bring her normally levelheaded family members under control, while dealing with the results of a love spell gone wrong and a fast-approaching prom. Tempered with the message that nothing worth having comes easily, Mlynowski's sassy text surpasses a chick-lit label by being wonderfully fast-paced and clever. A surprise ending will have fans eagerly looking forward to Rachel's next adventure. Jennifer Hubert
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