Bras & Broomsticks (Magic In Manhattan) [Library Binding]

Sarah Mlynowski (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 22, 2005 | Series: Magic In Manhattan

What if all your wishes could come true? Blink your eyes, drink a fizzing pink potion, and poof! Life is perfect. That’s Rachel’s situation. Except she’s not the one who suddenly has magical powers. Her younger sister is. And as Rachel would tell you, spellbooks are wasted on the young!

Yes, yes, of course world peace and cures for horrible diseases are important. But so is dancing without looking like she’s being electrocuted, winning back her best friend, stopping her dad’s wedding, and finding a date for Spring Fling.

Rachel’s not bewitched. Yet. . . .


From the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9 - Rachel Weinstein, 14, wants many things - she'd love to remain best buds with her newly popular friend Jewel, get a date to the Spring Fling, and stop her dad from marrying her "Soon To Be Step-Monster." When her younger sister, Miri, discovers that she is a witch, Rachel just knows that her dreams are within her grasp. Though the girls' mother warns them that magic can lead to unexpectedly harsh consequences, the sisters secretly come up with plan after plan to stop their father's wedding and help Rachel find popularity. The plot is fairly predictable, but Rachel's cheeky voice and painfully obvious desperation to make her life perfect keep her appealing. The relationship between the sisters is the book's real strength. The pain they feel at watching their father remarry is real, as is the vulnerability they show while trying scary new adult roles. Minor characters, while briefly sketched, seem like real people, though their development is clumsily handled at times, and bends more toward plot needs than true growth. This is a busy book, but winning characters rise above the chaos. A breezy read that is sure to be popular. - Sarah Couri, New York Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 6-9. When 14-year-old Rachel learns that Miri, her "vegetarian, socially inept little sister" and her divorced mother are witches, her reactions run the gamut from incredulity and annoyance that she isn't similarly gifted to shrewdness as she plans how her sister's abilities can be marshaled to solve a passel of problems. Can magic move Rachel to the popularity A list? Revive a fading friendship? Prevent her father from remarrying? Guarantee a date for the Spring Fling? Yes, . . . but not before Rachel and Miri learn the hard way that all spells have consequences. Despite the provocative title and Chick Lit-ish cover, this isn't just another breezy teen read. Mlynowski has a real ear for dialogue, and she displays a keen understanding of teen mores as she pokes fun at high-school cliques. Several lovely scenes break up the comedy, including one in which klutzy Rachel revels in her newfound coordination and the pleasure of dancing. Rachel is sassy, self-absorbed, shy and insecure, and her concerns will be comfortably familiar to readers. Chris Sherman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Library Binding: 320 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (February 22, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385902182
• ISBN-13: 978-0385902182
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,919,740 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sarah is the author of MILKRUN, FISHBOWL, AS SEEN ON TV, MONKEY BUSINESS and ME VS ME for Red Dress Ink, GIMME A CALL, BRAS & BROOMSTICKS, FROGS & FRENCH KISSES, SPELLS & SLEEPING BAGS and PARTIES & POTIONS for Random House, and TEN THINGS WE DID (AND PROBABLY SHOULDN'T HAVE) and HOW TO BE BAD (along with E.Lockhart and Lauren Myracle) for HarperTeen. TEN THINGS WE DID (AND PROBABLY SHOULDN'T HAVE) will be out this June. Sarah has been featured in the short story collections, AMERICAN GIRLS ABOUT TOWN, SIXTEEN: STORIES ABOUT THAT SWEET AND BITTER BIRTHDAY, 21 PROMS, FIRST KISS (THEN TELL) and FIREWORKS. Sarah also co-edited the bestselling chick-lit collections GIRLS' NIGHT IN and GIRLS' NIGHT OUT and co-wrote the first ever guide to writing chick lit, SEE JANE WRITE.

Sarah's books have been translated into twenty-one languages and optioned to Hollywood. She was born in Montreal but now lives and writes in New York City.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magical YA Debut, April 20, 2005

By 

Stephanie Dodson "Author of Headgear" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bras & Broomsticks (Magic In Manhattan) (Hardcover)

High School gets crazy for Rachel when she discovers her mother and younger sister are witches. But just because Rachel didn't inherit the magic doesn't mean she's not going to take advantage. Goody-to-shoes Miri doesn't want to use her powers but when Rachel talks her into using magic to break up their dad and soon to be step mom all bets are off. Soon Miri is cooking up clear skin concoctions and potions to help Rachel dance so she can be in the schools Fashion Show. But soon the Fashion Show and being part of the A-List take over Rachel's life and she starts to forget what's really important.

This is Sarah Mlynowski first teen novel and she doesn't disappoint. Despite the supernatural aspect, Rachel is your typical freshmen just trying to fit in. The book is filled with humor and laugh out loud moments that keep you entertained. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars When is she coming ot with a "Magic & Miracles" book, September 27, 2007

By 

Linda Omdahl - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bras & Broomsticks (Magic In Manhattan) (Paperback)

My mom has ALWAYS been a fan of Sarah Mlynowski, unfortunetly these are the only children's books she has! I really hope that Sarah writes another book!

I started to read Bra's and Broomsticks when my friend Sammik (sam) told me that it was the best book that she's EVER read! So, she let me borrow it, and I read the first 4 chapters in ONE day! Then I told my mom that I had to get it!!!!!!!!!!!!! So, she let me get it, and I became an addict to the book, I just couldn't put in down, now I'm 1/2 way through the 2nd book, Spells and Sleepingbags!

This book is about a teenage girl named Rachel, and she has somewhat been a nobody her whole life. And yet, she finds out that her more developed sister is a witch! She finds out that it's passed down in your family jeans, but for some reason Rachel doesn't get powers! Now that her sister has powers, she starts to use her sister...

1. They try to stop her dad from marring a woman who's like Cruela Devil, they call her STB (soon to be)

2. They give Rachel a killer dance move potion

3. They try to get their dad to fall back in love with they're mother, who has been secretly crushing on him ever since they divorced

4,5,6,7 MANY MANY MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I LOVE THIS BOOK

<3 *dana*

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hijinks and Hilarity, January 21, 2007

By 

Little Willow (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bras & Broomsticks (Magic In Manhattan) (Hardcover)

There are plenty of stories out there about a young girl becoming a witch, learning how to control her powers, and embracing her destiny. What about being the only girl in the female who is NOT a witch?

Rachel thinks her life is pretty average - until she learns that her mother and her little sister Miri are witches and she is not. She's stuck being an ordinary high school girl while they're bonding over spells and potions. How unfair!

Maybe, though, she can get some of Miri's talents to rub off on her - or on her crush, to make his head finally turn her way. Filled with funny dialogue and pratfalls, great for fans of Bewitched and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, this series will leave readers spellbound!