The Secret Science of Magic

In alternating chapters, Keil (Life in Outer Space, rev. 11/13; The Incredible Adventures of Cinnamon Girl) presents Aussie high schoolers Sophia (a math-and-science whiz) and Joshua (an amateur magician whose love for Sophia is longstanding and unrequited). Sophia is preoccupied with three things before graduation: tracking down a reclusive Russian mathematician ("like so many of my kind, the prevailing opinion is that he is both brilliant and batshit crazy"), passing her hated drama class, and spending as little time as possible with others. She has one BFF, Elsie, and that's enough for her. Longsuffering Joshua does manage to catch Sophia's attention, using a science-inspired magic trick, and their budding romance moves at a realistic-seeming pace-i.e., slow. Excellent ?character development of the protagonists (Sophia and Elsie are "brown girls" of South Asian descent; Joshua is white), their diverse group of friends, and their families (Elsie's brothers, especially, are a hoot) makes the romantic relationship just one among several satisfying story strands, and witty dialogue keeps pages turning. Sophia is self-aware, if oblivious to others' feelings, and her commentary is humorously arch. To her well-meaning but clueless drama teacher: "Argh, stop!...Did you ever think that maybe I am in touch with myself?...do you get that I never felt inadequate until people started telling me I needed to be fixed?" elissa Gershowitz