April 2015, Hot Key Books, 256 pages, Paperback, Review copy
Content: parental relationship issues, illness,
Summary from Hot Key Books
Courtney is a worrier - she's worried about EVERYTHING, from her mum and
dad's constant fights, to her Gran being ill, to the fact that her best
friend Lois suddenly seems to be more interested in growing up and
hanging out with mean girl Bex than with her.
But then one day, during a particularly bad argument kicked off by her dad's discovery of a pig in their lounge (don't ask...), Courtney begins to feel a bit funny... a bit woozy... a bit like a dream is coming on - and then when she wakes up everything is better! Mum and dad are being nice to each other, the pig is going back to the animal shelter (really, don't ask...) and even Kyle, her older brother, seems to be making an effort.
Courtney becomes sure that each time she feels woozy and has her dreams, she's magicking her problems and worries away. Her mum, dad and brother aren't so sure though. Can Courtney convince everybody that her worry magic dreams are the perfect way to solve her problems? Or should she learn to worry a little less and to ask for help in some non-magical places more?
But then one day, during a particularly bad argument kicked off by her dad's discovery of a pig in their lounge (don't ask...), Courtney begins to feel a bit funny... a bit woozy... a bit like a dream is coming on - and then when she wakes up everything is better! Mum and dad are being nice to each other, the pig is going back to the animal shelter (really, don't ask...) and even Kyle, her older brother, seems to be making an effort.
Courtney becomes sure that each time she feels woozy and has her dreams, she's magicking her problems and worries away. Her mum, dad and brother aren't so sure though. Can Courtney convince everybody that her worry magic dreams are the perfect way to solve her problems? Or should she learn to worry a little less and to ask for help in some non-magical places more?
Nayu's thoughts
Whoohoo!
I adored Dawn's other book, Little Celeste
so was delighted to get my hands on this
latest book by Dawn. Worry
Magic
is a bittersweet read centring on parents whose rocky relationship
has a negative effect on Courtney. I could understand and feel her
pain when life went wrong, and had a theory about her worry magic
which was mostly true. I came to love Kyle and want him as my big
brother (I have no brothers whatsoever and happen to love them in
most stories) by the way he looks out for Courtney even though she
thinks he is being horrid to her.
This
isn't quite the best wording but I enjoyed how Courtney felt about
her grandmother being ill – adults can try to hide the full reality
of illness to children, which makes them frustrated for being left in
the dark and not being able to visit when they feel it will help them
cope. It made Courtney resort to drastic measures, which had a happy
outcome (& features Kyle!) despite the seriousness of what
Courtney did. The end is realistic, it isn't sugary sweet, life still
could go very pear-shaped for Courtney, but the realism made it more
captivating and secured its place on my reread shelf. Dawn has done
it again! You'll be as glad to hear as I was that book 3 will be out
next year – a similar style to Worry
Magic
but different characters, different problems and a different story. Yay!
Find out more on Dawn's website.
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