A review by emilykm
The Big Shrink (Upside-Down Magic #6), Volume 6 by Emily Jenkins, Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle

5.0

I don't know who's more excited to read each new book in this series, me or my kids (1st and 3rd grade). What a fabulous middle grade series! In this universe, everyone has a magical power that falls into one of five categories--Fuzzies can communicate with animals, Flares can make light and fire, Flyers can fly, Fluxers can turn into animals and Flickers can turn invisible. However, for the kids in the Upside Down Magic classroom at Dunwiddle Magic School, things aren't quite that cut and dried. These kids' magic functions a bit differently. Our main protagonist, Nory, is a fluxer, but she changes into mixtures of animals instead of just one. The Big Shrink focuses on Upside Down Magic student Marigold Ramos. Marigold shrinks objects and people but then cannot return them to regular size. In this installment, Marigold learns how to harness her power with the help of her new tutor, Layla. Soon, Marigold is putting her new skills to use to contribute to a student led protest at school, but not without learning some life lessons along the way! Like the other books, this series encourages young readers to accept and celebrate differences. Not only does it feature kids with "upside down magic," many characters are minority or mixed race, or who defy typical gender roles (the school nurse, for example, is a man). What a fun way to teach these values! I can't wait to read the next installment with my kids.