This was a really fun read! I previously loved the author’s other work so I knew I was in for a treat with this one. I thought the meditation and chakra elements of the story really added an interesting factor to it and Sabina being able to see visions of the future as a result was so cool! I really felt for her as a character and it hurt to see that she felt so out of control with her powers, and that her new “friends”, the popular girls, seemed to take advantage of this. Ultimately I loved how the book ended and I think it was a really unique story with some super cool abilities! Definitely worth checking out, no matter what age you are.

Wish I knew the future. Also wish I didn’t.

PRE-READING THOUGHTS
After loving Radhika’s debut, I was keen to see how she’d tackle tweens, magic, and the sticky web of school popularity. I expected relatable awkwardness, a pinch of sparkle, and a heroine who doesn’t quite fit in - yet.

POST-READING
As I thought...
Sabina’s story is warm, funny, and genuine, with the classic highs and lows of school life wrapped in a light magical twist. Her journey is less about saving the world and more about saving herself from the pressures of being “enough.”

It surprised me by...
Exploring the anxiety of foresight - knowing the future can be as much a curse as a gift. The book balances the fun of newfound powers with the realness of wanting to just be normal. Sabina's overwhelm was tangible and anxiety inducing in spots. The nod to Sanghani’s first novel was a sweet Easter egg for fans.

✦ RECOMMENDATIONS ✦
📚 FOR FANS OF:


Lottie Brooks series by Helen Peters

Dork Diaries by Rachel Renée Russell

Anne with an E (TV)


✦ MUSIC PAIRING ✦
Because sometimes, the heart of a story plays out like a song.

🎵 Featured Song: “Dog Days Are Over” – Florence + The Machine
🎶 Vibe Album: Haim – Women in Music Pt. III
🎧 Artist Recommendation: Maggie Rogers

✧ VIBE CHECK ✧
🎨 Colour Palette: pastel pinks, sky blues, fresh green grass
🎬 Soundtrack: Anne with an E meets A Wrinkle in Time
🌞 Season: Early spring, bright and hopeful
💭 Mood: Playful, tentative, and just a little bit nervous
🌸 Scent: Freshly sharpened pencils, cherry blossoms, and new notebooks

★ TAROT CARD PULLED ★
Page of Cups – Kids Tarot
A boy stands upright in a canoe, wide-eyed as flying fish leap around him - uncertain, amazed, and a little wobbly on his feet. That’s Sabina in a nutshell: adrift in new waters, surrounded by wonder she doesn’t fully understand yet. This card captures the heart of the story - discovery, intuition, and the awkward joy of figuring things out one splash at a time.

Radhika Sanghani's 'How to Get Magically Popular' is an enchanting middle-grade novel that cleverly combines familiar school-life angst with a dash of whimsical magic. The narrative centers around Sabina Patel, an outsider in town who longs to be popular and leave her perpetual unhappiness behind. When she inadvertently discovers magical abilities that grant her flashes of the future, Sabina thinks all her popularity issues are behind her.

But as she weaves through the challenges of rising fame, foresaying everything from test scores to prom dates, Sabina soon discovers that viewing the future isn't always a blessing. Hilarious and true, the book reveals the pitfalls of seeking outside assessment and the definition of friendship. The author presents a heartwarming, hilarious, and ultimately uplifting story of self-acceptance and embracing the moment, and it is an ideal read for preteens struggling with identity and belonging. Teenagers who loved "Mean Girls" or "Never Have I Ever" will love this delightful magical realism.

This was a fun, ultimately fairly predictable, story that will appeal to Middle Grade readers.

Sabina has moved to a new school in a new town and doesn't have any friends. When she suddenly discovers that she has magical powers, and experiences visions of the future, she is equally suddenly befriended by some of the most popular girls in school. But are they really her friends? And is seeing the future always a good thing?

The ideas of meditation and chakras will appeal to many but didn't really work for me. The 'morals' of being true to yourself and the importance of honesty and true friendship are valuable but the message felt quite predictable, despite the more original context in which these were set.

I love Radhika's style and I think all her books are unique. This is a bit niche in terms of interest in some ways, but in other ways the issues our main character has with fitting in, making the 'right' friends over the popular ones, the pressure she feels of supporting her family and all the teething problems that come with moving to a new school are universally relatable. The magical and yoga side is different and adds an extra layer to make a good book about friendship a great book about individuals and choices. Loved it - more please Radhika!

How to Get Magically Popular by Radhika Sanghani demonstrates that while common tropes of an outsider moving from city to country (or vice versa) persist, adding a "novel" concept such as magic to the mix does not reinforce the bad decision-making of tweens or the emotional range written into characters. A classic approach to foresight in which the main character fails to notice that prediction does not mean truth (not to mention misinterprets context) reinforces emotionally stale characters that lack depth.

Already socially awkward, Sabina Patel is not excited the prospect of fitting into a new educational set up after they move to a new place. Things are not made any easier by her realisation that her newly discovered magical powers are most definitely a double-edged sword...

This is a charming story about growing up, fitting in and realising that the present is really all you have any influence over. It is likely to be a hit with the target audience and gets 3.5 stars.