A sky full of dragons

A young witch searches for her missing aunt while attending her first year of magic school. Spella De-broom Cauldroneyes, who's just turned 8 and has bright blue freckles, was found as a baby by Mathilda Cauldroneyes, a green-skinned magical milliner. Also living in their house in Hungry Snout Forest are many anthropomorphic hats, from miniscule fairy hats to a giant hat that solves jigsaw puzzles. When Spella receives an invitation to attend Dragon's Knob, a school for wand magic, she initially resists, not wanting to leave her beloved home. But when Aunt Cauldroneyes disappears into the maw of a hat that was dropped off for repairs by a mysterious wizard, Spella travels to the school in search of answers. Once there, she befriends a boy named Tolden Tutters, who uses a tiny dragon as a hearing aid, and studies topics such as the ancient languages of unicorns, all while trying to find information on her aunt's whereabouts. This series opener is bursting at the seams with charming details such as cauldron-shaped windows and chocolate-flavored curtains. The characterization and plot development sometimes take a back seat to worldbuilding, but there's enough action to keep readers invested in Spella's quest to find her guardian, and the sheer charm of Spella's world will win over fantasy lovers. Rubio's spot art adds to the sense of whimsy. Sure to please fans of magical boarding school adventures. (Fantasy. 7-11) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.