Maggie Malone and the Mostly Magical Boots by Jenna McCarthy (review)

Maggie Malone’s father has lost his job, so she’s forced to transfer to Randolph J. Pinkerton Middle School—or, as the kids at Maggie’s private former school call it, “Stinkerton”—for her sixth grade. She winds up with the worst possible locker location, gets whacked in the head by a falling history book, and has to wander around school in a giant reindeer sweatshirt from the nurse’s office after said history book causes her to bleed all over her clothing, all on her twelfth birthday. When she arrives home and finds a birthday package from her favorite aunt, she doesn’t know what to make of the scuffed-up brown boots inside; that is, until she tries them on and inadvertently summons a genie named Frank, who tells her she can be anyone else for a single day. She soon finds herself living the life of teen pop icon Becca Starr, with a personal assistant, all the red and black jelly beans she wants, and a stadium of fans cheering for her as she belts her top hits. With snappy prose and plenty of wit, McCarthy and Swann give young readers an enjoyable and accessible heroine in Maggie Malone. Her dabble with stardom (and, presumably, future adventures) may literally be pure wish fulfillment, but Maggie still walks away having learned a valuable lesson about appearances versus reality. The authors deliver this moral with a light touch, letting Maggie put the pieces together and then translating her wisdom into action in her new school and with her new classmates, all while maintaining her charming narration. Playful and imaginative in plot while practical and approachable in tone, this is for readers wanting a dash of the authentic with their escapism.