OMG – Another Great Book! The Spell Bind is Terrific

All three OMG books - all worthwhile, terrific reading — All three OMG books – all worthwhile, terrific reading

If you’ve been reading the Oh My Godmother (OMG) series from Disney / Hyperion, you already know how funny, witty, and clever these books are, but if you’ve never read them before, you are in for a treat. Barbara Brauner and James Iver Mattson turn the fairy godmother genre on its head completely. Most of these stories focus on the fairy godmother recipient – Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty being the iconic examples. But the OMG series is all about Lacey Unger-Ware, a fairy godmother in training who is trying hard to balance life as a sixth-grader, her family, her friends, a boy, AND learning magic. As if that wasn’t hard enough, her mentor is a tough-as-nails dynamo named Katerina who has a penchant for doom and gloom. But through it all, Lacey’s resourcefulness, intelligence, and kind-hearted attitude carries her along. Lacey’s adventures will make you laugh, smile, and touch your heart.

A close up of the cover for The Spell Bind

Title: The Spell Bind (Book 3 of the Oh My Godmother series)
Author: Barbara Brauner and James Iver Mattson (with illustrations by Abigail Halpin)
Cost: $16.99 (Hardcover)
Age: 8-14 (or anyone who is young at heart)
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Genre: Fiction, Young Readers

At it’s heart, The Spell Bind is a story about friendship, acceptance, and love. Lacey ends up unintentionally picking up a new client – poor Martin Shembly, a boy with a penchant for innovation and disaster. All poor Martin wants is for life to not stink, but is Lacey up to the task? How can you make life not stink when everyone hates you? And to do it in just nine days! Or risk being banished to Antarctica.

Some of the great interior art by Abigail Halpin - this one of Lacey and Martin using magic backpacks — Some of the great interior art by Abigail Halpin – this one of Lacey and Martin using magic backpacks

This book is more about the trials and tribulations of growing up than it is about magic or fairies or anything else. Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of magic, but the magic enhances the plot instead of overtaking it. Brauner and Mattson do a masterful job of weaving together different elements of the story to make it feel real. I love that they include people who are not perfect, who make mistakes (including Lacey), who learn from those mistakes, and who keep growing. This is a book any child (and any adult) will walk away from with a smile on their face. If you haven’t yet given this series a try, please pick it up!