Summary
When a fifth grade spot comes open at Sage Academy, Nory’s father, the headmaster, brings her in for another audition. Thanks to her work at Dunwiddle in the UDM class, Nory displays enough control over her magic to get the spot. After winter break, she’ll be a student at Sage with her brother and sister.
Nory’s friends from Dunwiddle get the chance to check out Sage, too, when a flooding issue sends all the Dunwiddle students to alternate schools for the last few days of term.
While the UDM kids expect some trouble from the mean kids from Dunwiddle who always hassle them, they aren’t sure what to expect from the Sage kids. They are in for some surprises – maybe Nory most of all when she sees the impact Sage has on her magic.
Review
I have enjoyed this series from the beginning. Each of the kids has interesting magic. But the core of the series is Nory. And this book brings Nory and her family dynamic back to the forefront.
It’s still tragically sad that Nory’s father doesn’t “get” her or really even listen to her when she expresses how she feels about Sage. At least her friends truly see and hear her.
I liked how the kids at Sage responded to the UDM kids. Sure, there were some who were sticklers for the rules. But otherwise, the Sage kids were more kind than even some of the “normal” magic kids at Dunwiddle.
A major cliffhanger at the end of this will leave fans FRANTIC for the next book in the series. (At the time of this writing, there is no release date posted for book 8, Night Owl!) Readers who love ensemble stories or middle grade fantasy as well as fans of this series should not miss this one!
Rating: ♥♥♥♥*
*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read