Louise Brueggeman (Booklist, Jan. 1, 2004 (Vol. 100, No. 9))
What could be worse for a shy middle-school girl than to be under a love spell? When Juliet runs off after hurling vicious insults at a girl who's teasing her, she finds herself in Mr. Elives' mysterious magic shop, where a strange woman presses her to take an amulet to wear around her neck. Over the next few days, Juliet starts attracting boys by the dozens. By the time she realizes the amulet is somehow responsible, she can't take it off. Two talking rats appear to help her out of her jam, and as the impossibilities pile up, she discovers that she's caught up in a story-- not just any story, but the Greek myth of Cupid and Psyche. The love god himself is trapped in the amulet, and Juliet needs to find the way to release him before the chaos gets out of hand. Coville's easy style works well in a tale that has it's share of both humor and heartache. Fans of the Magic Shop series will enjoy this latest installment. Category: Books for Middle Readers--Fiction. 2003, Harcourt, $17. Gr. 4-8.

Barbara L. Talcroft (Children's Literature)
Sixth-grader Juliet Dove is painfully shy, although she is capable of responding rather wickedly if teased. In this volume of Coville's "Magic Shop" books, Juliet wanders into the mysterious, ever-shifting shop, where she acquires a strange ivory amulet that causes all the boys she knows to become enamored of her. How embarrassing! The quest to rid herself of the charm, which becomes much more weighty when Juliet discovers that Cupid is trapped inside, takes her to unexpected places and introduces her to Greek deities Athena, Eris (goddess of discord), Hera, and Aphrodite. Along the way Juliet finds the courage to overcome her shyness, learns a bit about Greek mythology (as will readers), and something about love and discord as well. Although this story is not as engaging as, for example, Coville's Magic Shop tale of Jeremy Thatcher and his dragon, nor is it (as claimed on the flap) "side splittingly funny," middle readers who like the idea of magic suddenly appearing in the lives of kids like themselves will probably enjoy the reappearance of crotchety shop proprietor S. H. Elives and the spooky librarian Hyacinth Priest. How do they manage to pop up in so many different towns? And what about the two talking messenger rats who sprout wings to muddle the situation even more? Well, that's magic for you, and, judging from the final message the rodents deliver to Juliet, middle readers who love such mysterious happenings will be meeting both Juliet and Mr. Elives'intriguing shop again. 2003, Harcourt, $17.00. Ages 8 to 12.

Leta Tillman (The Lorgnette - Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 16, No. 2))
Juliet Dove is the kind of girl who doesn't like to be noticed. But even though she is shy, she has a sharp wit. When someone does notice her, she tears into the person with vengeance, which has earned her the nickname "Killer." She leaves Mr. Elves's magic shop with Helen of Troy's amulet. The amulet causes all the boys in her town to fall madly in love with her. The unwanted attention is there to stay because Juliet cannot get the amulet off, and the power of the amulet seems to be increasing. The amazingly funny book is by the award-winning author of My Teacher Is An Alien and The Unicorn Chronicles, Bruce Colville. The whirlwind of a novel tells of the high cost of living and the courage it takes to speak from the heart. This will be a good addition to the middle elementary reading selections. (Magic Shop). Fiction. Grades 3-6. 2003, Harcourt, 190p., $17.00. Ages 8 to 12.