From the TBR Pile: OMG...Am I a Witch? by Talia Aikens-Nunez

Author: Talia Aikens-Nunez, Alicja Ignaczak (Illustrator)
Publisher: Pinwheel Books
Date of publication: October 2013

April Appleton is so annoyed at her older brother that she searches the Internet for a spell to turn him into a dog. When the spell works, April realizes she has more powers than she ever dreamed of! Now she has to figure out how to turn him back to normal before her parents find out. She has little time, but with the help of her friends, Grace and Eve, she finds a book of magic that will hopefully reverse the spell. Will it work and will April's newfound magic save the day?

OMG...Am I a Witch? is a really cute middle grade story. One day on the bus, April's annoying older brother pushes her too far and she turns him into a dog using a spell she read off the Internet. She enlists her friends to help her try to reverse the spell before her parents find out Austin is now a dog.

One of the things that I liked about the book was how April begins to realize that even though her brother annoys her, he does care about her. He has defended her before and taken care of her when she was sick. I think that is a great message to send. The only thing I wish the book had was an explanation as to why April suddenly has powers. I felt like that wasn't explored enough. I'm not sure if this is going to be a series or not. If so, maybe a second book could explain her powers.

The book is short and is sprinkled with adorable illustrations. I think girls will fall in love with Austin is a puppy. He was very cute! This book would be perfect for any reader 4th grade and up. I know my 10 year old daughter would probably enjoy this book.

About the author:

Talia Aikens-Nuñez wanted to be a meteorologist, a politician and a lawyer. She never thought she

would be a writer. It was the birth of her daughter that caused her to start writing. Raising a bilingual child inspired Talia to write multicultural children’s books. Talia’s family loves nature so much that she and her husband vowed that they will always try to live close to water. She, her husband and daughter live on a river in Connecticut with their daughter Isabella.