Heidi Heckelbeck Casts A Spell (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
Still love Heidi. I love the lessons learned in these books, not in a cheesy way, but in a "I'll do it myself" kind of way. The truth around mean girls was so innocent, yet genuine, that I completely understood why Heidi followed through with casting her spell. However, the bitterness of revenge was also so well-written that it made me think and know that my youngest readers would be able to relate and understand the message. This book is trying way too hard to teach kids how to deal with bullies and totally failing at it.First off, Heidi meets a bully on the bus who knocks around her friend Bruce. Heidi unties the bully's shoelaces and causes him to trip, which of course makes everyone on the bus laugh at him. No one feels any sympathy for the bully at all; Heidi and Bruce even high five over it. Next, in the A plot, Heidi is planning to cast a spell on meanie Melanie who bullied her on the first day of school. Heidi's spell will make Melanie forget all her lines for the school play. When the time comes and Heidi gets to watch Melanie burst into tears in front of the parent audience, she starts to feel awful. Heidi quickly reverses the spell so Melanie can perform, and she realizes it is awful to make someone else feel awful. Mind you, she didn't feel that way on the bus with the other bully, but I suppose you could argue that Heidi has grown throughout the course of the book.Heidi's Aunt Trudy (also a witch) tries to deliver the after school special speeches by telling Heidi that she can't use magic to fix her personal problems- she's in school in order to learn to deal with the world without magic. Seriously? What is the POINT of magic in the first place if not to deal with your personal problems? Is she from the It's All An Academic Exercise school of magic? Taught by Gandalf?Aunt Trudy's second speech comes at the end of the book where she tells Heidi that she needs to give Melanie time to get used to her and she should just ignore the bus Bully so he'll stop tormenting her. Heidi calls Aunt Trudy on her BS by asking why, if Heidi feels awful when she made Melanie feel awful, Melanie doesn't seem to feel awful when she makes Heidi miserable? Aunt Trudy answers "That's Melanie's problem". Uh, if Heidi's being abused by Melanie then it SO is Heidi's problem. What a cop-out!
What do You think about Heidi Heckelbeck Casts A Spell (2012)?
My little girls are absolutely entranced by Heidi. I also liked the moral lesson in this book.
—oleg7r
Great for younger kids who like magic and spells, but aren't quite ready for Harry Potter. Fun!
—Jabbar
You can never find enough good early chapter books. Excited for more books in the series.
—Lily
It was a sweet story. It felt very light even for an early reader.
—alvi
The second in this series. A good early chapter book choice.
—Miguel2711
