Enchanting Review: The Magical Ms.Plum

THE MAGICAL MS. PLUM
BONNY BECKER
Magical Middle Grade
Knopf
ISBN# 978-0-375-85637-2
104 Pages
$12.99
Hardcover--Available September 22, 2009

Rating: 4 Enchantments

To end up in Ms. Plum's third grade class is a real privilege as there's something magical about what happens in her classroom. And funny enough, none of her students are able to talk about it, even if they want to. Ms. Plum's supply closet hosts a magical secret. Whatever lesson a child seems to need to learn is taught by whatever animal follows them out of the closet. No one knows what's going to come out of there next, but one thing is for sure, almost everyone in class wants their turn.

I really enjoyed THE MAGICAL MS. PLUM. Every chapter is like a mini story all on its own, featuring a different student in her class. Everyone in Ms. Plum's class learns a lesson by the end of the school year, including Ms. Plum herself, which was one of my favourite chapters of the book. Though this can be a fairly fast read, it doesn't take away from the enjoyment of the book and the lessons that the characters learned. I really liked Ms. Plum and my favourite student had to be Darla. Out of the animals that emerged from the supply closet, it's hard to choose a favourite. The monkeys were great, the squirrels and I loved the peacock for Ms. Plum. I have to say that Ms. Plum and the peacock was definitely my favourite scene in the book, simply because you didn't expect anything to come out for the unusual Ms. Plum. The illustrations as well were really great and added a nice touch to the book.
A great read for boys or girls, even reluctant readers are sure to enjoy the magical glimpse into Ms. Plum's world.

Bonny Becker lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington. She hopes kids who read THE MAGICAL MS. PLUM will feel less afraid of making mistakes and will that stumbles are a part of how everyone grows and figures things out. Visit her online at http://www.bonnybecker.com

Lisa
Enchanting Reviews
September 2009