Hide and Seek

Upside-Down Magic #7

by Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle, Emily Jenkins

When Nory's magic first appeared, her father wanted her to go to fancy, selective Sage Academy, where he is the headmaster. But Nory's magic went upside down at the worst possible moment, and she was sent to Dunwiddle Middle School instead!

The good news? Nory loves Dunwiddle, and her best friends have upside down magic, too! The bad news? When a flood wrecks Dunwiddle, Nory and her UDM friends are forced to relocate. . .to Sage Academy!

Sure, there's a magical skunk garden, a school-wide Hand and Seek night, and expensive gloves that help Nory's friend Elliott with his flaring, but Nory's father and the rest of the teachers are super strict, and Nory doesn't feel like she fits is. . .at all. When she's offered the chance to stay at Sage for good, she has to decide where she belongs. . .and if Sage Academy can learn that magic comes in all shapes and sizes.



RUNNING TIME ⇒ 2hrs. and 50mins.

©2020 Scholastic, Inc (P)2020 Scholastic, Inc

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Fiction, Audiobook, Childrens, Magic, Young Adult

192 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2020

About the author

Sarah was born in Montreal, Canada. After graduating with an honors degree in English literature from McGill University, she moved to Toronto to work for Harlequin Enterprises. While she never met Fabio, she used her romance publishing experiences to fuel her first novel Milkrun.

Since then, Sarah has written four additional novels for adults: Fishbowl, As Seen on TV, Monkey Business, and Me vs. Me; the New York Times bestselling middle grade series Whatever After; the middle grade series Upside-Down Magic (with Lauren Myracle and Emily Jenkins); and the teen novels Bras & Broomsticks, Frogs & French Kisses, Spells & Sleeping Bags, and Parties & Potions (all in the Magic in Manhattan series), as well as Gimme a Call, Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have), Don't Even Think About It, Think Twice, and I See London, I See France. Along with Lauren Myracle and E. Lockhart, Sarah also wrote How to Be Bad, and along with Farrin Jacobs, she wrote See Jane Write, a guide to writing. Sarah also co-edited two bestselling charity collections (Girls' Night In and Girls' Night Out), and has contributed to various anthologies (American Girls About Town, Sixteen: Stories About That Sweet and Bitter Birthday, 21 Proms, First Kiss (Then Tell), Fireworks, and Vacations from Hell).

Sarah is also a co-founder of OMG BookFest, a celebration of books aimed at the early to middle grade reader (ages 7-12) that brings together commercial and award-winning authors with underserved local communities for an exciting experience of books, games and activities.

Sarah's books have been translated into twenty-nine languages and optioned to Hollywood. She now lives in New York City with her husband and two daughters.

Reviews

[Dani(elle) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I continue to love this series and the metaphor of upside-down magic as a stand in for special education classes. As a 30 y.o. I probably shouldn't be as emotionally invested in Nory's relationship with her father, but man that hits me right in the feels.

[Anne (ReadEatGameRepeat) · Rating 4 out of 5]

After Running this through CAWPILE it turns out its a 4 star. I really enjoyed this book and the ending was really surprising, I didn't think this book would be ending in anything remotely like a cliffhanger?? I can't wait to read the next book (hopefully it comes to Storytel next month). Although I was a little dissapointed the second POV this book was Elliot again (I was hoping it would be Sebastian since he's character is more or less ignored for most of the books in the series and I think his magic is one of the more unique and interesting in the series, especially when compared to other series with a similar premise). That being said I really like Eliot as a character he is very interesting to listen to and he is a really nice balance to Nori.
I really enjoyed seeing more about life at Sage and what it is like for the students and the emphasis on how everyone is different and something that might be great for one person might not be good for someone else. I do wonder if book 8 will be the last book or if there will be more books in the series.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 7 of the series and my two sons and I continue to enjoy these for our nightly read aloud. I was very disssaponted in the Disney TV movie that was recently made and advertised on the cover of this book. This book is nothing like that movie version.
I will have to add that this book 7 leaves the reader with quite a cliff hanger! It had my boys screaming that they have to wait until book 8 comes out to find out what happens.

[Shilo Quetchenbach · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first half of this book is starkly different than the previous books but it opens up a lot of possibilities. After reading the summary of the movie (and how much it veers from book canon), I almost feel like they were trying to merge book-universe and movie-universe which was an interesting choice. It was cool to see Sage Academy from the inside, and to see the different ways the different kids responded to it. It was especially interesting to get two POVS showing different experiences -- Nory absolutely *hated* Sage and it was diminishing her magic. Elliot thrived there and his magic power grew a lot.

The second half is where the familiar zany UDM and Nory-ness kicked in. We read the entire second half of the book in one sitting and kiddo was laughing so hard he almost fell out of bed. He definitely loved it. (Skunks feature *heavily* in the second half.)

The ending was really interesting, as Elliot had to make a decision and the last sentences were something along the lines of "he gave his answer" but it ended before we got to know the answer. I guess we'll have to wait for the next book.

Overall, there was a lot of frustration at the beginning which made it a little hard to read, but then it got so silly and wacky that made up for it. Definitely recommend.

[Jaymie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun addition to the series. The new setting gave this a fresh feeling and launched all of the UDM kids into some new situations. I love how different groups reacted to the UDM kids - the kids at Sage were more accepting than the other Dunwiddle kids, some of the instructors welcomed the new kids in and worked to help them develop their magic despite their differences, and then there were some who were as uptight and snooty as you would expect from the set up of the series.

Nory's journey is front and center in this, but I actually found Elliott's journey to be my favorite part. The MAJOR cliffhanger at the end of this will leave readers clamoring for a sequel asap. I definitely have book 8 on my TBR list!

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The part I liked most, though, was how Sage ended up being a good fit for one of the Dunwiddle students. While Sage is proud of its rules and its uniform, there are teachers and clubs who are willing and able to see the potential in upside-down magic. Another bit I liked was seeing Rory interact with her siblings and more importantly, how they stood up to their father on her behalf.

One star off for skunks not acting like skunks. For skunks being skunks, I recommend A Boy Called Bat.

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[Robofox42 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t put it down

I really enjoyed this series. I read it to my kids and they love it. I especially like how the authors teach self-knowledge and self-acceptance using magic as a metaphor.

[Sting Key · Rating 5 out of 5]

This actually was an very good book!!! At first I thought it would only be so-so, but then I started it, and could hardly stop!
I would totally recommend!

[Charlotte Fairbanks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't stop!!!

[Myrtle · Rating 4 out of 5]

WAY better than the last two in the series. It was a little different from the other books but in a good way. Total cliffhanger!

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one quite a bit. I think one thing this series does very well is writing "bully" characters and also realistic strict parents. I think this is one of the best series for kids since it brings up a lot of issues that kids deal with, yet it's kept fun. I honestly am inspired, and I'd love to write a kids series like this someday.

[Penguin · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourites so far!! I really like how the author can really make it sound like a kid wrote this book, it makes it really enjoyable. I am super excited for the next one too! I reccomend this for people who like magic, dragon-cats(lol), fantasy, and things like that!!

[Kate Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ugh, cliffhanger ending! I hope the answer is yes.

[Billie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series a lot and can't wait for the next book to come out.

[Karen McKenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great adventure in this fantastic series. I did miss Ms. Starr and hope we will see her again next time. I did not read the audiobook and wish I had. They have been fantastic! I love recommending this series to my 4th graders.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was great. It was complicated. I've been thinking about this world as a liberal paradise, except the children are still children, and they, therefore, belittle children who are different, but Sage Academy is a traditional, Victorian, no-laughing-or-you'll-be-sent-to-bed-without-pudding kind of school. Nory gets accepted. At the beginning of the series, Nory failed the entrance exam because of her wonky magic. Now her magic is under control because of the special help she's been getting at Dunwiddle, so she gets into Sage, and father is thrilled, in his reserved, emotionless way. Then, coincidence!, there's a structural emergency at Dunwiddle and all the fifth graders are sent to Sage for a week. Andres is pumped, because the Sage Flyers look upon him as a kind of god, and that continues to work out for him. Elliot, the kid who has parallel chapter with Nory in this novel, also does well at Sage. The Flare teacher encourages him to use his flare magic as well as his freezing magic, and he gets to join the double talent after school club. Nory, meanwhile, isn't allowed to be a dritten in Kittenball (which sounds fair, honestly. It's Kittenball, not Enhanced Random Animal Ball), she's not allowed to stand up during lunch, the teachers are strict in a way Nory can't handle, and living at home is bleak. Her unique magic is unappreciated and her accomplishments (fish!, bug!) are ignored.

The book is called and Hide and Seek and and you'd think the annual Sage Academy All School Hide and Seek Game would be the denouement but it ends up a wash because Sebastian Boondoggle's upside down magic, usually a crippling disability, turns out to be the perfect adaptation for winning a game of hide and seek with invisible people. After that, the Sage kids turn on the Dunwiddle kids a bit, but the week is almost over. Nory hates Sage Academy, Elliot loves it. The real denouement comes when Nory comes up with a stupid plan involving skunks that probably works in the mind of a fifth grader. It doesn't work.

This series is great. Is the next book Sebastian's? How will the cliffhanger end? What will be next? Oh boy.

[Hiroko Z · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 7th book in the Upside-Down Magic series, Hide and Seek is about Nory and her best friend and classmate Elliot. Both go to Dunwiddle Magic School and are in the UDM(upside-down magic) program. Nory is an upside-down fluxer, which means instead of fluxing into regular animals, she combines the 2. Elliot is an upside-down flare because his fire magic is very weak, but he has very strong freezing magic.
After not passing The Big Test to get into Sage Academy, the magic school her father works at the first time around, Nory is given another chance to get in. When she does get in, she starts dreading going to Sage, because she loves Dunwiddle. But when Dunwiddle floods and closes for a week, all the UDM kids and 5th grade flares are sent to go to Sage Academy for a week. Which means Elliot is stuck with the mean kids who call UDM kids “wonkos”. But as the week progresses, Elliot is finding that his flaring is getting stronger, but Nory is finding her fluxing is getting weaker. Is there a way to get through this week that'll benefit both of them?

I’ve been waiting for an Elliot UDM book for a while now, and it did not disappoint. I really enjoyed this and I was excited to see different sides to the relationship between Nory and her father. I recommend if you read any of the other books in the series or if you like fantasy.

[Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is just a great series. I have read the whole thing with my 9 year old son and we both enjoy these books. This one is a little different in how it develops and it leaves with a bit of a cliffhanger of sorts -- my son and I disagree on how that cliffhanger is going to be resolved in the next book. But it definitely continues to develop the characters, digging into Elliott more this time along with Nory. Another success that I can highly recommend.

[vy (laufey’s version) · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOW. I went through this within thirty minutes, and a fresh wave of nostalgia just hit me. I’ve just revisited an old childhood friend and it’s wonderful as ever, though slightly simplistic for this time and age. I’ve just about forgotten how much of a fucking Karen Lacey Clench was, but the contrasting perspectives from Nory and Elliott about Sage is the trio of Jenkins, Mlynowski, Myracle at their finest (my childhood heroes). I’ll definitely have to check out the next book.

[H.S. Contino · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know these books were technically written for kids, but I love them. 🤓 They’re so much fun, and I love the underlying message of accepting yourself regardless of if you “fit into a ‘box of normal’” or not. Being normal is overrated anyway.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an awesome book! The ending was such a cliffhanger and over all this book was my favorite book in the series! I can not wait for the next book to come out! This is my second book of 32 books!(for 2021) -Lily M.💕

[Eleanor Piglet · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could rate this TEN stars I would. So it’s about Nory and flood tears down Dundwiddle so they can’t go to school there and then her father comes to ant Margo’s house and there is a extra spot at Sage academy so Nory comes to Nutmeg where her father lives with Hawthorn and Dalia. But the fifth graders and the UDM class still need a place to go to school so principal Gonzalez calls Nory’s father and he says that the fifth graders don’t have a school to go to so Nory’s father says yes but the bad news is that the UDM class is going with the fifth grade flare’s which included Lacey clench. So when they get there marigold is put in the flicker class!!! And everyone else is put and their classes everything is going well but nory is getting in trouble for everything. She has to apologize for everything, but there is a hide and seek game, and Sebastian wins because he can see invisible things in the flickers were the ones who are hiding. But Nory is not happy so she lets the magic skunks out but then she stops them with help from her UDM friends then and her father, let’s her go back to Dundwiddle but then Elliott is offered a chance to stay at Sage and then they leave it off on a cliffhanger.

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

((Possible spoilers))
I love this series.
Yes I am a mature teen and yes I did read this entire series of children's books, don't ask.
I know, I know, it's a series for elementary schoolers and I shouldn't criticize it too harshly. But when it comes to ripping off other series, I can't not talk about it.

You're probably wondering why I'm accusing this book of ripping off another book. Well, let's look at the character Elliot from this series and see what new powers he gains in this book.
Elliot gains the power of fire and ice- to be specific, he can use fire with his left hand and ice with his right. Now, let's also look at one of the most popular characters of all time- Shoto Todoroki.
He has almost the exact same power as Elliot- fire on the left, ice on the right.
I feel like the authors saw that the fire and ice powers that Shoto has are very popular and fan-liked, and decided to give Elliot this power to make him more popular.

So, in short- Elliot became a big, fat, Shoto Todoroki ripoff in the span of this book.

[Asher · Rating 3 out of 5]

A flood pushes the Upside-Down Magic kids into Sage Academy, a place that should have been brimming with magical possibility but never quite comes alive.

The theme of belonging is strong here—Nory caught between Dunwiddle and Sage—but the story rushes past it. Problems appear, then vanish almost immediately, leaving little time for the characters to truly struggle. I love magical school stories, but this one didn’t feel as magical as it could have; Sage seemed more like a backdrop than a fully imagined place.

The characters still bring warmth and humor, yet as the series goes on they feel stretched thinner, bending to the needs of each book instead of growing in deeper ways. That makes them come across a little shallow compared to earlier adventures.

Even so, there’s enough spark in the friendships and in Nory’s determination to make me want to keep going. It’s a lighter entry in the series, and not my favorite, but I’m still curious to see what the next book brings.

Want me to pull in the next set of reader-inspired questions for book #8 (Drama Llama) and go step by step the same way?

[Kris Sellgren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this installment in the Upside Down Magic series for kids. A flood makes Nory’s school unusable and she and her classmates have to take classes at her father’s prestigious academy during repairs. The kids in Nory’s school are either too poor or not good enough to go to the prestigious academy, so Nory and her friends are at the bottom of the classes. Her friends are able to weather this, since they know it is temporary. But Nory’s father forced her to retake the entrance exam, which she passed, and so this is just a preview of what next semester will be like for Nory. After a miserable week she is determined to have her acceptance revoked. I liked that Nory recognized that she was not cut out for a strict school without the tutoring in “upside down” magic that has helped her to improve her magical control. It takes a major disaster for her father to recognize it also, which has plenty of funny parts.

[Maya Ma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is so much better than "The Big Shrink".
I actually got excited during the book instead of rolling my eyes every 5 pages.
The frustration and emotions in this book felt real, and I am so happy that I read this book. Plus Lacy was back again! Her bratty attitude always makes me happy.
I also kind of understand how Nory feels about switching school and not feeling like she belongs. I feel like that sometimes and the way the authors wrote her emotions felt real and relatable. That is a really good part of this book.
So now let's talk about the ending.
Why the f did it end as a cliffhanger?!
Like Whyyyyyy.
I am so excited for the next book.

[Toni Girgenti · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like how Nori thought about going to sage and then realized she was better off at dunwiddel and the skunk thing was a little funny but lacy was a little to mean in this book doesn’t mean she wasn’t that mean in the others just maybe a little worse especially to Elliott. Who thinks that the udm kids might be happy there. If nori magic didn’t mess up like it did make her small that is. I think they might like it kids are a lot nicer there than at there normal school and they have some friends nori ,Andres ,and now Elliott have friends in there class at sage and I bet Merigold,Sebastian,Bax,Willa, and pepper would make friends if they had more time

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one wasn’t our favorite (though it was a bit better than #5 and #6, which I did not like). It was interesting to see how all the different UDM kids adapted to being in the regular classrooms at Sage Academy during that week, and how it actually helped a few of them to develop different aspects of themselves, but it overall just wasn’t as good as the first few books. Plus it ended on a *CLIFFHANGER.* In a children’s book?! My 7yo was really mad when the book just abruptly ended mid-conversation, instead of letting us find out what decision was made in that conversation.

[Alexia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nory's father gives her the opportunity to retake the Sage Academy entrance exam. While she passes easily she doesn't want to leave Dunwiddle nor does she want to disappoint her father. One day, while eating lunch with her friends, the school gets flooded. As a result, Nory and her friends must spend the week at Sage Academy while Dunwiddke Magic School is closed for repairs. It was refreshing to finally see more of a glimpse of Sage Academy campus life and see how different it was from Dinwiddie. This book also ends with a huge cliffhanger which makes me eager to read the next book.

[Caerigna Lunalti · Rating 4 out of 5]

This felt like a book that had to happen, and maybe that's why it read so quick. It is, in fact, right on par with the length of the other books in the series. I honestly went and checked. It was such a straight forward, needed to be gotten outta the system book. That, and it very much leads into the next book. Based on that you might wonder why it has the highest stars yet from me, in this series. It didn't over, or under, think the kid's reactions. Action and emotion didn't step on each other's toes. Basically the author simply told the story, and let the characters react as designed.