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Spellbound
Last year, when eleven-year-old Abby Clutts discovered she could cast spells she catapulted her clumsy big brother into local superstardom. Now Abby is taking center stage, using her talents for more ambitious pursuits. Like fighting bullies.
What begins with three "targets" soon spirals out of control. Her first stunt shuts down the school system. The second embarrasses the new principal in front of the entire student body. From there, Abby takes on anyone who dares to get in her way, even as her brother-suddenly the responsible one-warns her to cut it out. But it isn't until her mother schedules a tour of a mysterious private school no one's ever heard of that Abby vows to stop with the spells cold turkey.
Easier said than done. After putting bullies in their place, even thwarting a real live robbery in a way that has the whole town talking, it's not so easy to go back to being precocious little Abby Clutts. Chess Club, Debate, Spelling Bees...please. Abby is destined for bigger things. But with each spell, as the principal follows her every move and the sheriff comes calling, Abby loses focus of the person she set out to be and moves one step closer to becoming what she set out to stop all along.
What begins with three "targets" soon spirals out of control. Her first stunt shuts down the school system. The second embarrasses the new principal in front of the entire student body. From there, Abby takes on anyone who dares to get in her way, even as her brother-suddenly the responsible one-warns her to cut it out. But it isn't until her mother schedules a tour of a mysterious private school no one's ever heard of that Abby vows to stop with the spells cold turkey.
Easier said than done. After putting bullies in their place, even thwarting a real live robbery in a way that has the whole town talking, it's not so easy to go back to being precocious little Abby Clutts. Chess Club, Debate, Spelling Bees...please. Abby is destined for bigger things. But with each spell, as the principal follows her every move and the sheriff comes calling, Abby loses focus of the person she set out to be and moves one step closer to becoming what she set out to stop all along.
202 pages, Paperback
Published October 4, 2022
4 people want to read
About the author
Pete Fanning
19 books18 followersPete Fanning is the author of several middle grade and young adult novels. He can be found at www.petefanning.com, where he's posted over 200 flash fiction
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 30, 2022
Pete Fanning's Spellbound is a follow-up to his Fairy Dust Fumble, which I have not read, so I approach this review from a stand-alone story perspective. Spellbound is sure to delight teens and younger teens with its scenes of the bullied taking revenge on their bullies through the means of what amounts to a superpower - what awkward tween/teen on the "outside" has not wished for some kind of magical power to get back at the popular kids and bullies who have made their life hell?
Abby is both nerdy and awkward, and she is out of her depth as a tween younger than most of her classmates as she's skipped grades because of her intelligence - and these elements combined with her newfound magical powers and often out of control emotions make her a threat to teachers and fellow classmates that she perceives as bullies and enemies. It is a potent mix which often scares her. She is, therefore, a highly relevant and relatable character for the tween and young teen readers for whom she stands as a metaphor of the angst that accompanies changing bodies and hormones.
The frenetic pacing of the story, given its first person narration, will keep its intended readership interested and on edge - appropriate to the story's developing plot. The cast of characters runs the gamut from the annoying, mostly uncompassionate older brother Colton to pretty oblivious parents, to a variety of clique fellow students we've all encountered, to both compassionate and unlikable teachers, to a principal who turns out to be not what he seems.
Overall, I liked the story, although I found the annoying older brother truly annoying - given he seems to be the only person who seems to know Abby's specialness, it would have been nice to have him be her ally rather than constantly admonishing her about "behaving" - I got tired of reading him tell Abby "I mean it, stop!" And I found it problematic that Abby's mom was not more aware and involved in giving her obviously struggling daughter guidance, considering what happens at the end of the story - that just stretched my suspension of disbelief too thinly, and savvy tweens/teens will question this, too. Finally, I felt the end "reveal" was too rushed, coming in the last 20% of the book, although there were some subtle hints leading up to it. As such, the first 80% of the book felt like a series of episodes in which Abby does her magic and feels out of control rather than a coming of age journey leading to an important understanding of who she is - and again, tween/teen readers may feel that the payoff wasn't appropriately set up well enough.
I wasn't "wowed" by the book, but it is an enjoyable read and ride, and I think Abby is a great character that middle grade readers will want to root for.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Abby is both nerdy and awkward, and she is out of her depth as a tween younger than most of her classmates as she's skipped grades because of her intelligence - and these elements combined with her newfound magical powers and often out of control emotions make her a threat to teachers and fellow classmates that she perceives as bullies and enemies. It is a potent mix which often scares her. She is, therefore, a highly relevant and relatable character for the tween and young teen readers for whom she stands as a metaphor of the angst that accompanies changing bodies and hormones.
The frenetic pacing of the story, given its first person narration, will keep its intended readership interested and on edge - appropriate to the story's developing plot. The cast of characters runs the gamut from the annoying, mostly uncompassionate older brother Colton to pretty oblivious parents, to a variety of clique fellow students we've all encountered, to both compassionate and unlikable teachers, to a principal who turns out to be not what he seems.
Overall, I liked the story, although I found the annoying older brother truly annoying - given he seems to be the only person who seems to know Abby's specialness, it would have been nice to have him be her ally rather than constantly admonishing her about "behaving" - I got tired of reading him tell Abby "I mean it, stop!" And I found it problematic that Abby's mom was not more aware and involved in giving her obviously struggling daughter guidance, considering what happens at the end of the story - that just stretched my suspension of disbelief too thinly, and savvy tweens/teens will question this, too. Finally, I felt the end "reveal" was too rushed, coming in the last 20% of the book, although there were some subtle hints leading up to it. As such, the first 80% of the book felt like a series of episodes in which Abby does her magic and feels out of control rather than a coming of age journey leading to an important understanding of who she is - and again, tween/teen readers may feel that the payoff wasn't appropriately set up well enough.
I wasn't "wowed" by the book, but it is an enjoyable read and ride, and I think Abby is a great character that middle grade readers will want to root for.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
August 17, 2022
I received this book free of charge as an eARC so I could review it voluntarily. Thank you for the opportunity to do so.
Spellbound is the second in a series. I had not read the first book, but found it easy to follow as a stand alone. Abby is exploring her new powers, and wants to use them to make things better. Bullies cannot be tolerated… right?
This was a fun, magical school genre book that explored power and motivation in a kid friendly way, and would be an excellent discussion starter and shared read in a group setting, such as a classroom or book club. Abby’s motivations are relatable, yet her “getting even” is not shown as an unadulterated positive or without consequences. Overall, a well done book.
Spellbound is the second in a series. I had not read the first book, but found it easy to follow as a stand alone. Abby is exploring her new powers, and wants to use them to make things better. Bullies cannot be tolerated… right?
This was a fun, magical school genre book that explored power and motivation in a kid friendly way, and would be an excellent discussion starter and shared read in a group setting, such as a classroom or book club. Abby’s motivations are relatable, yet her “getting even” is not shown as an unadulterated positive or without consequences. Overall, a well done book.
August 11, 2022
Bullies - just no good! Pete has broached another topic we can all relate to! Who wouldn’t like to give a bully a taste of their own medicine? This story of Abby and the entire Clutts family will grab you from the first page. Another entertaining and enchanting book for all ages from Pete Fanning.
August 31, 2024
I haven't read Fairy Dust Fumble and didn't realize this was a sequel, but no worries, I had zero trouble catching up.
This was a cute story with an enchanting MC that made it a joy to read. I rooted for Abby from start to finish and really loved her family dynamic. I don't hesitate to recommend this one.
This was a cute story with an enchanting MC that made it a joy to read. I rooted for Abby from start to finish and really loved her family dynamic. I don't hesitate to recommend this one.
July 14, 2022
This book was so adorable. It’s been a while since I’ve read a middle grade and I fell in love with this one. I adored Abby as a character. Pete Fanning is a wonderful author and I look forward to reading more from him. Thank you to the author and BookSirens for an ARC of Spellbound.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews