Publishers Weekly Review
Sure, having a younger sister can be annoying. But what if your kid sis was a witch? Such is the predicament of ordinary, mortal 14-year-old Rachel, whose 12-year-old sibling, Miri, has suddenly shown an affinity for powerful spell casting and wish fulfillment. Meyers's solid energy and dead-on teen voice renders Rachel an entertainingly shrewd narrator and generally likable character. As the elder, Rachel takes her role seriously, persuading Miri to help her mend fences with friends, learn how to dance and land a hot date with her biggest crush. And more importantly, Rachel and Miri craft a plan to prevent their dad (divorced from Mom, who it turns out is a retired witch) from remarrying. The fun blend of humor, magic, grand adolescent dreams and honest emotions gives Meyers lots to work with as she leads listeners into this diverting teen-chick-lit fantasy. Ages 12-up. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved All rights reserved.
Library Journal Review
Gr 6-9-Sarah Mlynowkski's novel gives listeners the best examples of high school angst (Delacorte, 2005). It is the story of two sisters, Rachel-a Manhattan high school freshman, B-lister, and math wizard, who can't dance to save her life-and her sweet 12-year-old sister, Miri-a vegetarian who excels in the martial arts and has just discovered that she's a witch. When an opening comes up in the highly sought after fashion show extravaganza, Rachel convinces Miri, who is forbidden to use her magic, to come up with a potion to help her become a great dancer. In an additional plot twist, their father is about to remarry. The girls don't like their "soon-to-be-stepmonster," and they don't want to inherit a stepsister or have to wear hideous bridesmaid dresses. Could a spell take care of this, too? Needless to say, the sisters get in over their heads and havoc ensues. The good news is that the author plans a sequel to this delightful book. Actress Ariadne Meyers gives each character a distinct voice and personality. She does a superb job or portraying both humor and adolescent desperation. Teen fans of Meg Cabot, Louise Rennison, and Sue Limb will enjoy Bras and Broomsticks and eagerly await its sequel.-Jo-Ann Carhart, East Islip Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
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 2005 Booklist
Horn Book Review
When high school freshman Rachel learns her younger sister is a witch, she schemes to get her to perform spells that would make Rachel popular and stop their father's remarriage. Predictably, everything backfires, sometimes with disastrous results, but the spells themselves are often creative. Although the book tries too hard to be funny, the relationship between the sisters is nicely portrayed. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Fourteen-year old Rachel is a high-school freshman who yearns to get in with the A-List. She has crushes on two popular boys who barely notice her. When Rachel learns that both her younger sister Miri and her mother are witches, she grabs the opportunity to use magic to achieve her goals. Miri casts a spell that makes Rachel an exceptional dancer, and Rachel seems to be living her dreams as she's cast in the school fashion show, and gets a date with one of her heartthrobs. When Rachel and Miri try to interfere with their divorced father's upcoming wedding, however, disaster strikes. Written entirely for humor designed to appeal to its target audience, this may be too long to attract reluctant readers. Nevertheless, plenty of young readers will find it screamingly funny. (Fiction. 12-16) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.