Hailey Twitch and the great teacher switch

Review by Booklist Review

Fresh off of Hailey Twitch Is Not a Snitch (2010), Hailey and her mischievous sprite, Maybelle, are back for another adventure. For Maybelle to get her magic back (she lost it because she wasn't having fun), she has to make a new friend. The timing of a cranky, new ex-actor moving into the neighborhood and the second-grade class play is perfect for Hailey to set the stage for success. Will she save the play? Will Maybelle find a new friend? Of course there has to be a next book, right? Black-and-white drawings bolster the situational humor.--Cummins, Julie Copyright 2010 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

---

Review by Kirkus Book Review

The cantankerous Mr. Frisk doesn't stand a chance against precocious Hailey Twitch and her impish fairy Maybelle. Both aspire to befriend their elderly neighbor for personal gain; Hailey's efforts intensify as she enlists the seasoned actor as director in their school play. While the child's wacky attempts at friendship prove disastrousMr. Frisk does not appreciate his morning breakfast doused in syrup and left soaking in raw eggher off-base efforts to apologize prove more appalling still. The dynamic between the lively youngster and her strong-willed sprite takes center stage, and Beaky's drawings make the most of the situational humor. Hailey's child-centered perceptions remain spot-on, combining laugh-out-loud moments with gentle insight. "But I know deep down in my heart that it is not true. Cereal is the easy way out." This winning series depicts one youngster's balancing act between her sweet and spunky sides and provides a welcome resource for kids waiting for the next Clementine or Moxy Maxwell. (Fantasy. 6-9)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

---

I have a very big secret. And that secret is that I have a magic sprite. Her name is Maybelle and she has long sparkly blond hair and beautiful glittery wings and she came flying out of my magic castle last week. She lived in there for two hundred whole years and I, Hailey Twitch, am the only one who can see her.

There are some good things about having a magic sprite, and some bad things. The good things are that no one else can see her. So it is like a big secret you have to keep to yourself! The bad things are that sometimes your sprite might get you into trouble for something that you did not even do. Like when Maybelle used a marker to draw on my skin and my teacher Miss Stephanie thought it was all my fault.

Also, Maybelle cannot even do any good magic. She got her magic taken away because she was not fun, like a sprite should be. But she is working on it. Which is why I am in the bathroom at school right now, even though we are right in the middle of having a Countries of the World Party in room four, Ms. Stephanie's second grade. I had to leave that very fun, fun, fun party because Mr. Tuttle is in the girls' bathroom.

Mr. Tuttle is the head of the Department of Magic. And he is here to make sure that Maybelle is getting fun. Otherwise she will not be able to get her magic back.

"Now," Mr. Tuttle says. "We have to talk about Maybelle. It is very important."

Mr. Tuttle is a little scary. He is just as tall as me with a very big belly. Also, he has big black glasses and a clipboard. A clipboard is where grown-ups write bad things about you. Like if you start being bad and need a good punishment. Unfortunately, I know all about that.

"I guess so," I say. I wonder if I can tell him to hurry up, please. I am missing the party where Antonio Fuerte is maybe going to do a special Mexican dance. Antonio Fuerte is one of my friends. He has black hair and black eyes, and today he is wearing a sombrero.

"Maybelle needs to work on having more fun," Mr. Tuttle says. He looks at me over his glasses. His eyes are very big under there. "And so you, Hailey, are going to be in charge of her."

"You mean...you mean like the boss of her?" I say. Suddenly, I am paying very good attention! This is very happy news, even better than being at the party! I love being the boss of people! And now I am the boss of my very own magic sprite! It is official.

"Yes," Mr. Tuttle says.

Maybelle just sits there on the sink. She is getting her new sparkly green dress all dirty on the bottom. And she looks very nervous. I give her a little pat on the back. But she does not seem too cheered up.

"Now, one of the things Maybelle must do in order to become more fun," Mr. Tuttle says, "is to make one new friend."

"One new friend?" I try not to seem like a snob about this. But making one new friend is very easy. I just made one new friend named Addie Jokobeck. "Are you sure that's all?"

"Yes," Mr. Tuttle replies. "And you will report back to me on how she is doing."

Excerpted from And the Great Teacher Switch by Lauren Barnholdt All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

---