Do you love witty, plucky, teen-mystery novels? Then you'll love reading "Wilhelmina Quigley: Magic School Dropout". This hilarious children's book is cleverly written by author, Liese Sherwood-Fabre. Wilhelmina is a teen witch (well...half-witch) who is banned from magic school because of her untamed magic. She is sentenced to live with her mother in the Englischer world. This is the ordinary world, untouched and untainted by magic. For young Wilhelmina Quigley, this is a cruel and unjust punishment. The situation is darkened by the fact that she hasn't seen her Englischer mother in 12 years. She is already convinced that her mother doesn't care about her. But with her father missing, and presumed dead, she has no other option but to go live with this strange woman that she feels no familial connection to. While living with her mother in the Englischer world, Wilhelmina quickly senses something awry. She fears that her parents are in danger, and she is the only one capable of unmasking the unknown threat. Can Wilhelmina use her malfunctioning magic powers to save the day, or will she make matters worse? Sorry, no spoilers here. You'll just have to read a copy of the book to find out.
Wilhelmina's character is very humorous and determined. That's a rare combination to successfully pull off, especially for a main character in a children's novel. She's tenacious and has a vibrant can-do attitude. She has a distinct way of rallying others to her side, even when she's clearly the underdog in the story. I recommend this book to both teenagers and adults. It's easy to mentally digest, and the storyline is exciting. It's quite funny actually, so be prepared to laugh. Wilhelmina's can-do spirit is the key element that really wins me over. Also, I'm a sucker for happy endings. Thus, this book is worthy of 5 gold stars. Thanks for the laughter, Mrs. Sherwood-Fabre. Job well done!