Description
Kristy Jackson is a member of Whitefish Lake First Nation #128 (Goodfish Lake) and lives near Saskatoon, SK. Illustrated by Rhael McGregor, a Métis and two-spirit/queer comic artist based in Winnipeg.
When someone secretly signs up Belinda Houle, the school’s shyest kid, to audition for a play, Belinda turns to her best friend, Sally, for help. Sally isn’t like the other kids. Unlike Belinda, she isn’t embarrassed by anything. Also, Sally thinks she’s a witch.
Belinda doesn’t believe in magic, but if Sally has a spell for confidence—well, it couldn’t hurt to try it. Could it?
What follows the spell is a series of tragedies so tragic they would have been funny—if only they weren’t happening to Belinda! First, Belinda’s ex-best friend tricks her into eating dog food. Next, she’s forced to wear a wig when her hair-straightening session goes very wrong. And then, Belinda slips on a plate of paint, wrecking a mural, and ends up with globs of green, brown and yellow paint all over her head!
Things get worse and worse, until Belinda must face the facts: One piece of bad luck can be explained away, but this? This is a straight-up curse!
Can she break the curse before the dreamy Ricky Daniels takes more notice of her crooked wig? More importantly, how can Belinda battle the very thing she hoped the spell would take away: her embarrassment? Audience: Ages 8-12.