What Magic Is This?
Summary:
Three friends Sophia, Mia, and Alexis form their ‘coven’ in an effort to help Sophia get over her broken heart when she is rejected by a boy she likes. Not only are they dealing with Sophia’s sadness over the rejection she has experienced, and the death of Alexis’s family dog, but also with their friend Mia’s deep distress and her attempts at self-harm. By the end of the book, these three friends have weaved very important strands of the magic of friendship, support, and trust.
Edited by: Dublin City University
Comment:
Though the book focuses primarily on one night of benign witchcraft, many important themes and issues are addressed pertinent to the lives of teenage girls. Topics that are more typical in literature for this demographic, such as rejection by a sought-after boy, are entangled with the distress of rejection of a parent who has left, feelings of not being good enough, and the importance of friendship. Mia’s mental health issues and her attempts at self-harm are dealt with in a way appropriate for the age group and the book focuses primarily on Sophia’s worry for Mia and the depth of anxiety Sophia feels herself at not being able to solve her friend’s problems. This is complicated and perhaps made realistic by the fleeting annoyance Sophia feels when having to deal with these problems that seem more a part of the adult world.