Interference Powder Book

Fifth-grader Nina Zabin happens upon a strange powder that causes events in her life to change, and not always for the better, as the school's Brain Buster Extravaganza ...

Publishers Weekly

Nina, the 11-year-old protagonist of Korelitz's first novel for children, struggles with school but loves art and music. When a substitute art teacher recommends she jazz up a picture by adding some interference powder (in real life, it's a medium that adds luster to paints and inks), Nina gets more than she bargained for: the powder "interferes" with reality. Suddenly it is Nina, not her friend Isobel, who has the top score on a class test-and who is entered, reluctantly, in a "brain-buster" competition. Later, when Nina uses the powder to wish for singing lessons, she finds herself singing beautifully-even when she wants simply to talk. Korelitz brings little novelty to familiar conventions. The magic predictably misbehaves even as it teaches Nina valid lessons about being true to herself; a cooling-off period between Nina and a newly jealous Isobel ends with apologies that forge an even stronger friendship. Tepid entertainment. Ages 8-12. (Oct.) FYI: Korelitz's novels for adults include Sabbathday River; she is also the wife of poet Paul Muldoon. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.