Excerpt from Upside Down Magic

Nory Horace was trying to turn herself into a kitten.

The kitten had to be a black kitten. And it had to be completely kitten-shaped.

It was the middle of summer. Nory was hiding in her family's garage. Kitten, kitten, kitten, she thought.

She was hiding in case something went wrong. She didn't want anyone to see. Still, if something went really wrong, her brother and sister would be close enough to hear her yell for help.

Or meow for help.

Or roar.

Nory decided not to think about that. Hopefully, she wouldn't need help.

Kitten, kitten, kitten.

She had to master kitten, because tomorrow was the Big Test. Tomorrow, after so many years of waiting, she would finally take the entrance exam for Sage Academy.

The school was very hard to get into. You wouldn't be accepted with anything less than amazing talents. Nory's friends weren't even bothering to try. They were all taking tests for easier schools.

If Nory passed the Big Test, she would start fifth grade at Sage Academy in the fall.

If she failed the test . . .

No. She couldn't fail. She wasn't taking tests for any other schools.

Excerpted from Upside-Down Magic by Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle, Emily Jenkins All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.