Here’s a fun read for your younger middle schoolers. It’s light-hearted but thoughtful, easy-to-read but creative all the same. Introduce students to it during First Page Friday!
Title: Totally Psychic
Author: Brigid Martin
Genre: Paranormal fiction
Age range: 8+ (Target age: 9-12)
Summary: 12-year-old Paloma is a psychic—as is everyone else in her family. As a Flower Medium, Paloma can hold seances with ghosts where flower apparitions add layers of meaning. But having a special gift also comes with unique responsibilities. What do you do when the spirits you summoned won’t return? Add in having an Abuela who is the most famous psychic in the world and a mom who wants nothing to do with talking to ghosts and you have lots of drama for Paloma and her friends to navigate.
“Totally Psychic” is similar to:
If your students enjoy the spunky, go-get-them protagonists in Front Desk by Kelly Yang and Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston, they’ll be big fans of Paloma’s energy and problem-solving skills.
For your students into all-things spooky, if they enjoyed Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier, they’ll also enjoy the friendly nature of the spirits in Totally Psychic.
Why it’s an engaging addition to your classroom library…
October is (almost) here and as the wind whips through the trees outside your classroom, lean into the spooky season. If students are amped to watch scary movies, nudge them in a more literary direction by telling them about the sufficiently spooky Ouija Board scene in Totally Psychic that unleashes a hoard of spirits on Paloma and her friends. This is a fun, light-hearted read so for many of your students, it will be an easy sell.
While it’s light-hearted, the frequent seances offer varied depictions of grief. We know our students are dealing with loss and I appreciate books like this that honor the impact of loss but don’t focus the entire plot on grieving. Students will feel seen without having all of their emotions dredged up.
Paloma and her family are Cuban-American and the story is filled with references to Latin American culture. Students from these cultures will appreciate the inclusion of Spanish phrases and dialogue. Students from different backgrounds will have a view into a new way of life (and no doubt will find much that is similar to their own).
Finally, it has a great sisterly “enemies-to-friends” trope as we see the relationship between Paloma and her younger sister Magdalena go from squabbling siblings to supportive buddies. You know you have students who struggle to get along with their brothers and sisters—Paloma’s story will be relatable and educational.
Final Two Cents: The drama may be paranormal, but it is age-appropriate drama nonetheless. Hand this to your students who seem to find themselves in the middle of drama all the time. It just might help.
What do your students think of it? Drop me a line to share!
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