Kathy McCullough paints the perfect picture of an outcast teenager, full of angst, in Don’t Expect Magic. Her name is Delaney and after her mom dies, she has to move from New Jersey to California to live with her estranged (and in her eyes, annoying) father. Everything starts out dreadfully, as expected, but when she spies on her dad and his client she’s in for a HUGE surprise! The surprises keep coming throughout this fun modern-day fairytale. It’s a little humorous and emotional due to the high school drama yet light and heart-warming with some magic involved. I never would have guessed that this is McCullough’s first book and I hope it’s not her last. I highly recommend this enchanted tale!
This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Random House
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: 14 religious exclamations; 6 mild obscenities; 1 derogatory name; 4 scatalogical words; 1 anatomical term.
Violence/Gore: Few (2) brief incidents including joking about animals being hurt (didn’t actually occur); suggesting that a character could get killed if they hitchhike.
Sex/Nudity: Few (6) brief incidents including kissing; character thinking an adult is “skanking around”; touching arm; thinking a couple will be kissing; homosexual couple holding hands.
Mature Subject Matter:
Character’s mother dies.
Alcohol / Drug Use:
Teenager smoking cigarette; metaphor of character acting like they’re a crack addict but addicted to non-drug.
