“Wild fantasy, sly satire, and sharply observed family dynamics are the hallmarks of this tasty, effervescent series (along with mouthwatering recipes); this volume’s the most delectable yet.” — Kirkus Reviews “Mabel’s hijinks will appeal to readers of Roald Dahl’s Matilda and Diana Wynne Jones’s Howl’s Moving Castle ….Mabel will inspire readers with her confident creativity; a solid secondary purchase, especially where Lowe’s previous title is popular.” — School Library Journal “This lovely celebration of quirky individualism applauds both creativity and science.” — Booklist Penderwicks meets Edward Eager in this charming coming of age tale about a young witch found in a flowerpot who’s on a journey to discover her roots. The morning Nora Ratcliff finds a baby in the flowerpot on her front steps her life changes forever. She had always wanted a child, but after her husband passed away, Nora never thought she would have one, but her flowerpot child was a miracle and she decided to name her Mabel. As Mabel grew up, she showed a distinct talent for magic. When Mabel is accepted to the prestigious witch school, Ruthersfield Academy, she excels at the magic curriculum but is constantly in trouble for experimenting and inventing her own potions. One day she is asked to write a paper on her magical roots and discovers the truth about her birth after a mean classmate blurts out what everyone seems to know except Mabel. Mabel is shocked but the revelation does explain a lot. In rebellion, Mabel changes her name to Magnolia and tries to understand why she was left in the flowerpot and who her birth family might be. Will Mabel find the answers she’s looking for—or will she discover that families are people who love each other and look after each other and that’s most important of all. Gr 4–7—Mabel Ratcliff, the witchy great-great-grandmother of Cat (The Courage of Cat Campbell), stars in her own book about resourcefulness and feminism. It's 1881, and Nora Ratcliff, a widow, finds baby Mabel in a flowerpot by her door. Nora falls in love with Mabel, only later discovering that Mabel is a witch. Nora enrolls Mabel in Ruthersfield Academy, a magical school where her innovative spells challenge her teachers' unshakable adherence to rules and traditions. Mabel argues that girls should ride broomsticks astride for safety and brainstorms magical solutions to everyday problems like her housemaid's brittle hair. When the Society of Forward Thinking Witches sponsors a competition for a useful household spell, Mabel's clever idea and the machinations of her archenemy Winnifred make for a disastrous magical muddle that Mabel must unravel. Lowe taps into relevant themes for today's youth with her characterization of Mabel as an inventor and an agent of social change. Through Mabel's trials and errors, Lowe subtly impresses upon readers the ideas that trying and failing can lead to genius and that one should never abandon one's convictions because of others' opinions. Through the lens of the suffrage movement, Lowe also examines the so-called proper roles of women. The subplot involving the restrictive Nanny Grimshaw seems extraneous to the story, further delineating Mabel as a figure of pity and oppression. The historical setting may narrow the audience slightly, but Mabel's high jinks will appeal to readers of Roald Dahl's Matilda and Diana Wynne Jones's Howl's Moving Castle. VERDICT Mabel will inspire readers with her confident creativity; a solid secondary purchase, especially where Lowe's previous title is popular.—Caitlin Augusta, Stratford Library Association, CT "Wild fantasy, sly satire, and sharply observed family dynamics are thehallmarks of this tasty, effervescent series (along with mouthwateringrecipes); this volume's the most delectable yet. " Kirkus Reviews -- Kirkus Reviews ― 5/15/16 "Mabel’s high jinks will appeal to readers of Roald Dahl’s Matilda and Diana Wynne Jones’s Howl’s Moving Castle. ... Mabel will inspire readers with her confident creativity; a solid secondary purchase, especially where Lowe’s previous title is popular." School Library Journal -- School Library Journal ― August 2016 "This lovely celebration of quirky individualism applauds both creativity and science. " Booklist -- Booklist ― 7/21/16 "A tale full of rich imagery, it embraces the idea that family is not always where you come from, but who you are with. A fantasy story with a strong message of family, and believing in yourself. " School LIbrary Connection -- School Library Connection ― 10/01/16 Natasha Lowe knew as a child that she wanted to be either a writer, an adventurer, or to open a fancy teashop. So she did a little bit of everything, traveling from her native London to America where she ran The Tea House bed and breakfast and wowed guests with her grandmother’s shortbread recipe. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and four children. She is the author of the Poppy Pendle series and