Cover Image: Spell Sweeper

Spell Sweeper

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Member Reviews

This is a really fun middle-grade magical adventure story about a young wizard in training and her classmates, family and friends. It is well-written and full of humor, heart and great characters. I really like how the magic works and loved the idea of "spell sweepers"-wizards that clean up the mess left behind by "spell casters." That's a unique and interesting premise. I'd recommend this to 4th-8th graders who like light-hearted adventure and fantasy with a realistic feel.

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Protagonist Cara Moone is attending a school of magic, which should rock. Instead, she's relegated to the lowest position-spell sweeper. Basically, the clean-up crew of the magical world. It's not a glamorous position, but someone needs to do it.
I love that Cara is not the chosen one, but the one who has to get things done. Full of humor and heart.

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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

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Adventure and humor, along with real emotion make Lee Edward Fodi’s new addition a real winner.
Well developed characters and an interesting plot will draw readers.

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SPELL SWEEPER is such a delightful, fun read! I adored the MC, Cara, a somewhat-magical girl attending a very magical school, and her friends in the M.O.P. program (basically the program where not-quite-magical-enough wizards are taught to clean up magical messes). Zuki (a talking three-tailed fox) is delightful, as is the maybe-not-so-perfect “Chosen One,” Harlee Wu. Cara is smart, sassy, and headstrong, and is fantastically gifted at facing a situation and making split-second decisions when cleaning up hazardous magical messes (I would not fare as well). Her fierce loyalty to her sister and the exploration and the slow reveal of how their relationship has shifted since the death of their father is beautifully done. I laughed out loud during many moments, and was moved to tears by others. There is an undercurrent of grief to the book, and it is exquisitely touched upon. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good twist on the magical school/Chosen One trope, and anyone who loves a good underdog story.

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This story had such a unique twist on classic middle grade fantasies. Our main character does not have magic but she does sweep it up. Even though she gets lost in the background she still has the grit and bravery to save the day. What a great blend of the thins we love about fantasy and adding some fresh new ideas!

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Perfectly serviceable MG fantasy. Occasionally Cara's complaining got on my nerves (but to be fair I am also not the target audience!). But generally it was fun! I especially liked that Cara's bff is a kitsune. The (tense) dynamics between Cara and her sister read as very authentic. Puberty's hard, y'all. The concept of the people who do blue collar work in the magical world is always interesting. I just thought this one was longer than it should be. Would definitely read another book in this universe with a hopefully more mature Cara.

Thank you to NetGalley for a preview copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Love this wizard school book and it’s delightful twist on the “chosen one” trope! With a high-stakes mystery, an ultra-secretive wizard society, and a cast of colorful characters, this is a book for all kids, but especially those who struggle to find a place of belonging! Plot twists galore, and a fantastic new voice in Caradine Moone - I truly hope this is just the beginning of her spell-sweeping adventures!

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This was a fun read. If you like Harry Potter or The School for Good and Evil then I’d recommend this. The age range is probably elementary to middle school. The main character is easy to connect with and root for. My students will love this and I will definitely be purchasing for the library.

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Spell Sweeper is a fun, quirky and even endearing piece of middle school fiction that plays around with the ever popular magic school backdrop. The main character, Cara, is intelligent, snarky and flawed. She draws you in to her story right away. Fodi does a wonderful job of taking those tales of the chosen one and writing the book from the perspective of someone who isn't. Readers learn that not everyone is meant to be the one, but like Cara, we determine our self worth. Overall, this is a pretty solid read. Fodi plays with some heavy themes as well such as rivalry, betrayal, death, and PTSD, but handles them very well. While written for the middle school age, as an adult, I enjoyed this fantastical read and will definitely look into Fodi's other books.

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This was a fun take on a magic school and a fun and whimsical new middle grade world. This is one I will be recommending to librarians and teachers alike for years to come.

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This waa such a fun read! Loved this book and hope more are made in the series. Such a unique style of magic and learning!

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First of all I would want to thank netgalley for providing me with an advance reader copy in an exchange for my honest opinion.

I enjoyed reading this book but from the very beginning I could see a lot of similarities with Harry Potter. There is nothing bad with Harry Potter similarities or references for I enjoy Harry Potter. I also want to say that even though it had those similarities it was also a unique story with unique characters that really pop out in the book.

Our main character is Cara Moone who is a spell sweeper at Dragonsong Academy. She’s always wanted to be more of a wizard. Harlee Wu is popular she is what you would call “The Chosen One” and of course Cara Moone doesn’t like Harlee. Then we have Zuki the magical fox that has three tails; super cute and cool.

This book reminds me of Harry Potter in many ways! I feel like when the book has “the chosen one” trope they tend to be just okie for me but also very fun to read.

This is a middle grade fantasy that I would recommend for anyone 10 years and older. It is fun, magical, and full of adventure!

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A wonderful edition to the magic school genre. Readers will love the outrageous main character, Cara Moone.

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I absolutely adored this from start to finish. Starting with the snarky, but lovable main character, Cara Moone, to the spunky sweet magic fox, Zuki, I thoroughly enjoyed just about all the characters. Even the bad guys and gals added an interesting spark to the story,

Cara is your basic nobody, unable to really do a whole lot of magic and definitely not the chosen one. By the way, any and all references to our beloved HP are totally intentional and humorous. Another piece of added fun to this book. Although our main character is not the chosen one, she makes for such a great protagonist who almost always does the right thing! You’ll have to read the book to get elaboration on that!!

I laughed quite a bit and the story was so interesting that I was into it the whole time! That’s not always the case for a middle grade read, so I feel like that’s saying a lot. This was magical in every way and I wholly recommend this to those who enjoy a good wizardly middle grade read.

Thanks so very much to NetGalley, Lee Edward Födi, and Harper Collins for the opportunity, nay, the pleasure of reading this for my honest and unbiased opinion!!!

Will be posted on my blog and Amazon shortly.

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another good middle grade book with a lead female protagonist. centered around magic and wizardry, highly recommend.

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I feel like snarky books can be kind of a risk for me, because sometimes I love the quirkiness and confidence of the main character, and other times it kind of grates on my nerves and seems like the character can never be happy with anything. This book packs a lot of snark, but it brings an awful lot of fun, too, so I felt like the upbeat, quirky fun elements created the perfect balance.

I enjoyed the way the relationships developed and watching Cara learn new things about the magical world in which she lives as well as her journey toward finding her place in it. I really liked the idea that certain types of magic leave behind a residue that has to be cleaned by specialists like Cara. I’ve never seen anything like that before, and I loved that at the end of the story, there’s a note from the author about his family member who made his own brooms, too. How cool to be able to bring something so personal to life in a fantasy novel. I loved that it was part of the inspiration.

To be honest, I’m a little bit sad that SPELL SWEEPER is a standalone! I would definitely read another book about Cara, Harlee, Gusto and their friends. I feel like readers looking for stories about schools for wizard students will love this fresh, fun book.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Thank you, Lee Fodi, Netgalley, and HarperCollins Children's for the advanced copy of this book.
What a wonderful addition to the middle-grade fantasy books. I loved the main character Cara and her take on the magic system. She is so relatable and not the usual chosen one type of MC. I
I especially loved the unexpected twists and turns and also the funny moments this book offers. The writing is clever and drew me in right from the first page.
I highly recommend this book to all fantasy lovers. Can’t wait to read more by the author.

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It’s easy to compare any book that takes place at a school for wizards to Harry Potter but this book (it is out today if you are reading this on Tuesday) but Lee Edward Fodi has gone out of his way to build his own wizarding world that stands on its own, but does kind of poke fun and some of the differences between what people might think wizards are like and the way they “really are.”
Instead of the main character being the “chosen one,” like a certain scarred young boy, Cara Moone is practically flunking wizard school, and is given the role of cleaning up the messy spell dust left behind after the brilliant spells of others, including her nemesis, the real prodigy of the school, Harlee. Cara discovers that there is something peculiar that seems to happen when she is cleaning up after Harlee, and this becomes a mystery she must solve.
The story is filled with this mystery, its impact on the wizarding world and the world of the Bliss (similar to Muggles, they are ignorant of the wizarding world), as well as Cara and Harlee’s back stories. There are many humorous details along the way, creatures and for me the setting of the Pacific Northwest was well written and added to the story. This was a fun, entertaining read that I will be purchasing for my library.

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Pick up a copy of this book to be swept away to a magical wizard training school. Perfect for young and old alike.

Spell Sweeper by Fodi - Book cover image

This non-stop thriller of a book is sure to sweep you away to the fantastic world created by Lee Edward Fodi. Every scene is carefully crafted to advance the story and keep you on your toes.

Cara fails miserably while at Wizard School and is relegated to a MOP ( Magical Occurrence Purger}, otherwise known as a custodian, cleaning up magical residue left from spells.

The action is non-stop and humor graces nearly every page.

While the book obviously puts you in mind of a Harry Potter tale, Cara and crew make this book their own with fun antics,

Pick up a copy today and be swept away to Dragonsong Island, where nothing is ever quite as it seems.

I received a copy of the book for the tour. This review is my honest, unbiased opinion.

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