The XYZs of Being Wicked by Lara Chapman (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: The XYZs of Being Wicked by Lara Chapman Amy Atkinson Chapman, Lara The XYZs of Being Wicked. Aladdin, 2014 [256p] Trade ed. ISBN 978-1-4814-0108-1 $17.99 Paper ed. ISBN 978-1-4814-0107-4 $6.99 Reviewed from galleys Ad Gr. 3-5 Now that’s she’s eleven, Hallie Simon can leave her regular school—and her bullying former best friend, Kendall—to make a fresh start at the Dowling Academy School of Witchcraft. Since Hallie is the descendent of an illustrious hedge witch, her family and new teachers have high hopes for her, though even they are surprised by the type and intensity of power she displays. Her joy in the discovery of new powers and new friends is hampered by the presence of Kendall, who, it turns out, is not only also a witch but Hallie’s new roommate. Social struggles mingle with magic in this fanciful boarding-school story, where massive dining halls, sentient portraits, and the discovery of one’s inner darkness call to mind a certain boy wizard, but which has a plot that focuses on tween drama rather than an epic struggle between good and evil. As a protagonist, Hallie is approachable and inoffensive, if not compelling, while her antagonist counterparts lack both nuance and motive; without much dimension, the characters provide their audience with moderate entertainment but no challenge. Similarly, a plotline involving Hallie’s accidental and rather implausible theft of a Dowling heirloom may capture readers’ interest, though not necessarily their investment. Superficial but sufficient, this makings-of-a-series gives tweens enough wish fulfillment (wouldn’t you want your enemy’s curse to backfire and make you gorgeous?) to satisfy if not to long remember. Copyright © 2014 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois