Lia and Beckett’s Abracadabra

Gr 7 Up–Given their families’ contentious history, Lia and Beckett shouldn’t be falling in love. Once upon a time, Lia’s grandmother and Beckett’s grandfather were a married magical couple—literally—working as magician and assistant, until Grandma divorced that philanderer. (No worries, Lia’s grandfather was husband number two!) More recently, Beckett’s cousin Eliot dated (and scammed) Lia’s older sister. Of course, Lia and Beckett must meet-cute, back in Mirror Lake, WI, where magic still happens—not just that lovey-dovey kind, but also the abracadabra variety in which Lia is determined to win the summer contest and definitively prove women belong center stage. Rachel Jacobs delivers a delightful performance subtly upping the girl power, from Lia’s ongoing self-empowerment to smaller yet crucial moments—Beckett’s Indian mother when introduced to Lia insists, “It’s Ms. Awasty, actually. I kept my name.”