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If you have ever wished you could zap away a mean girl with a flick of your wrist, Spells and Sleeping Bags is the book that will make you feel seen, heard, and thoroughly entertained. Book three in Sarah Mlynowski’s beloved Magic in Manhattan series delivers summer camp chaos with a magical twist, and it does so with wit, warmth, and pitch-perfect teen voice.
The Synopsis: Magic Meets the Adirondacks
Rachel Weinstein has finally done it. After two whole books watching her younger sister Miri wield witchcraft while she remained stubbornly spell-free, Rachel has arrived as a full-fledged witch, broom and all. The timing could not be better, because Manhattan summer has been swapped for Camp Wood Lake in the Adirondacks, and Rachel is determined to make the most of it.
The problems stack up fast. Mosquitoes in the Adirondacks are incredibly thirsty. Her stepmom keeps sending embarrassing feminine hygiene care packages. She accidentally zapped away all her clothes. And there is a backstabber in her cabin intent on making life miserable. Oh, and the boy she has been pining for since book one is somewhere at this camp. No pressure.
What unfolds is a breezy, funny, and surprisingly layered story about learning to control new power before it controls you. Rachel discovers that having magic does not automatically mean knowing how to use it well, which is, honestly, one of the most relatable lessons a teenager can learn. Every attempt at a spell introduces a new disaster, each mishap funnier than the last. Yet underneath the comedy beats a real story about friendship, loyalty, self-trust, and growing up on your own terms.
What Readers and Critics Are Saying
The critical reception is warm and consistent. School Library Journal called it “sure to delight,” while Booklist noted the book “will be eagerly grabbed by fans of Bras and Broomsticks and Frogs and French Kisses,” praising its “plenty of entertaining mishaps.”
Reader reviews echo the professional praise with even more enthusiasm. ThriftBooks reviewers call the series “the funniest books but with a depth that makes them memorable,” singling out the “non-stop drama” and pacing. A mother-daughter book club review on the same platform noted that both a nearly-thirteen-year-old and a forty-something mom loved it equally, which says a great deal about the book’s cross-generational appeal.
Goodreads readers describe it as “a cute, breezy read,” with reviewers praising Mlynowski’s ability to blend comedy and creative storytelling, noting the series rewards readers who want something “light, youthful, fun, and quirky full of girly magic, crazy friendships, and of course cute boys.” Goodreads
Where some readers wish the book were longer and packed with even more drama, that is the highest complaint a light YA novel can receive. Booklist also confirmed the book “can stand alone,” making it a reasonable entry point even for new readers, though series fans will get the most from it.
One notably consistent thread across reviews is Rachel herself. A long-form series analysis noted that even before her powers arrived, Rachel possessed “a power all her own: determination,” sticking out her chin and trying again every time she failed. That character core is what elevates this beyond a pure beach read. Rachel is genuinely likable precisely because she is imperfect.
About the Author
Sarah Mlynowski is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author and coauthor of over fifty books for teens, tweens, kids, and adults, including the Whatever After series, the Magic in Manhattan series, the Best Wishes series, and the Upside-Down Magic series, which was adapted into a Disney Channel movie. Originally from Montreal, Sarah now lives in Los Angeles with her family.
After graduating with an honors degree in English literature from McGill University, she moved to Toronto to work for Harlequin Enterprises, and her early romance publishing experiences fueled her first adult novel. Her books have since been translated into twenty-nine languages and optioned to Hollywood. She is also a co-founder of OMG BookFest, a community reading celebration designed to bring books to underserved young readers.
You can follow Sarah on TikTok, Facebook, and X, and explore her full catalog at sarahm.com.
The Bottom Line
Spells and Sleeping Bags is summer reading in its purest form: funny, fast-paced, romantic in just the right measure, and grounded in a character worth rooting for. Whether you are thirteen or forty-three, Rachel Weinstein’s messy, magical summer will have you smiling and maybe, just maybe, wishing your own camp backpack had a little more levitation in it.
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