The Blurb On The Back:

Isadora Moon is special because she is different.

Her mum is a fairy and her dad is a vampire and she is a bit of both.

Isadora has got a maths test on Monday, and she’s worried she’s not going to do very well.  If only she was ill she could get out of doing the test …

But giving yourself the magic pox is never a good idea and soon everything is out of control.  Can Isadora make it all better? 

ISADORA MOON GETS THE MAGIC POX was released in the United Kingdom on 3rd March 2022.  Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

You can order ISADORA MOON GETS THE MAGIC POX by Harriet Muncaster from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

The Review (Cut For Spoilers):

When the teacher tells Isadora Moon’s class that she’s going to give them a maths test on Monday morning, Isadora is very worried.  She is not very good at maths and doesn’t want to fail.  She figures that if she can fall ill over the weekend, then she won’t have to go into school on Monday and so will miss the test.  But how can she do that when she feels fine?  Fortunately her cousin, the half witch/half fairy Mirabelle knows a spell that will give her the magic pox for a few days.

Against her better judgment, Isadora casts the spell but it isn’t long before she realises that something’s gone wrong and now there are pink fluff balls bouncing around the house!  Isadora knows that she’s got to fix the mess, but does that really mean she has to tell the parents the truth about what’s happened?

The 15th in Harriet Muncaster’s self-illustrated ISADORA MOON SERIES for readers aged 6+ takes something that most children can relate to – dread of doing a maths test – and turns it into a charming story about perseverance, trying your best and telling the truth without being preachy.  I liked Isadora’s naughty cousin Mirabelle (who has her own series) and enjoyed Isadora’s parents different remedies for being unwell.

One of the reasons I enjoy Muncaster’s ISADORA MOON SERIES is because she draws on so much that young readers can relate to and then creates a story that helps them to recognise situations and guide them on what to do.  This time it’s fear of doing badly on a maths test and I have to say that having not been good at maths as a child, I could hard relate to Isadora’s nerves about it and I have to say that I would have been tempted to fake an illness to get out of one.

I hadn’t realised that Muncaster had created a spin-off series with Isadora’s naughty cousin Mirabelle so she was a nice surprise addition to this book and I think fans of Muncaster’s books will appreciate the cross-over.  Although these are “cute” books and Muncaster generally avoids the trap of falling into being saccharine but adding a naughty agent of chaos like Mirabelle gives a bit of an edge that adds to the enjoyment.

Also good about this book is the way Muncaster puts in some twists to the story and also emphasises the importance of asking for help when you find something different and then working hard to do the best you can.  Isadora’s mum is a real star here in terms of her reaction to what Isadora’s done and how she helps Isadora (and there’s a bit of a tough love message here as well when Isadora tries to argue that she’s bad at maths because she’s half fairy/half vampire).

All in all, I thought that this was a fun book that younger readers will very much enjoy.  This is a series that’s showing no signs of running out of steam.