Synopsis (Spoiler Alert!)

Chapter 1 (Nory)

Upside-Down Fluxer Nory Horace enters Dunwiddle Magic School soaked. She asks her friend, Upside-Down Flare Elliott Cohen, if he has extra shoes since Nory doesn't have any extra shoes in her locker. Elliott gets Bax's wheelbarrow and takes Nory that way to class.

When math finishes later in the day, Elliott, Shrinker Marigold Ramos, and Nory try to do an experiment on Upside-Down Flyer Andres Padillo, but Ms. Starr catches them in time before the experiment happens adding the rule "Do not ride on your fellow students" to the rules in the school's halls. Ms. Starr then tells Nory and Fierce Pepper Phan to go to the art room to get paint for their two hours of magic study at Dunwiddle. They were going to do foot painting, similar to finger painting, but with feet.

When Nory and Pepper enter, they seen the 14-year-old Fluxer class, led by Fluxer Mr. Hamil, doing a painting of Mr. Hamil in chimpanzee form (Carmen Padillo, Andres' older sister, in also an elephant in the art room). Nory knows that the Fluxers-in-animal-form are in danger.

Chapter 2 (Pepper)

Pepper freaks out internally, knowing that if she moved, the animals will be terrified even more. Chimpanzee-Hamil sees Pepper first and immediately darts to Jamie, one of his students. A girl urgently tells Jamie to "flux into something small". He turns into a hamster and the students realize Hamil is crushing Jamie to death. Three students then flux into a pitbull, a boxer, and a gorilla to rescue Jamie, but they freak out once they see Pepper. Nory then turns into a dritten on accident and starts breathing fire and flying the hallway, allowing one of the students to close the door and trap Pepper inside. Elephant-Carmen breaks windows with her feet and the Fluxers-in-animal-form escape from the art room with her. A girl then screeches at Pepper to leave and boy tells her "Your magic is really wonky" as Pepper leaves.

In the hallway, Nory and Pepper run into each other and Nory explains that she "flew into the [invisible water] fountain. I must have pressed the lever by accident. But on the bright side, the cold water was such a shock, I fluxed back into me." They then tell Flicker Principal Gonzalez, who then tells Coach Vitomin and Nurse Felix Riley. Nory asks Pepper about training with Ms. Starr and says it's awful. When they reach the classroom, Ms. Starr demands where's the paint.

"They had some explaining to do."

Chapter 3 (Nory)

The UDM kids do foot painting and it goes awesomely. At the end of the day, Ms. Starr takes her class to the auditorium for an assembly, led by Fluxer Coach Vitomin, about the Show-Off, a school-wide talent show. When the class is lined up to go the auditorium, they are next to the 11-year-old 5th-grade Flares, which contains The Sparkies. The Sparkies are made up of Flares Lacey Clench, Zinnia Clarke, and Rune, who bully the UDM kids on a daily basis. During the assembly, a group of 14-year-old 8th-grade Flyers, who were previously 13-year-old 7th-grade Flyers, perform their act from the last Show Off, a living planetarium. Nory tells Pepper the Show Off is awesome, while Pepper says it'll be a disaster.

Chapter 4 (Pepper)

Backstory Time!

Pepper Phan is the oldest of the Phan children. She has a younger sister named Taffy and two twin brothers named Jam and Graham. Pepper's father, Mr. Phan, is a powerful Fuzzy and runs a business, Furry Friends, in which comfort animals are brought to old people in nursing homes or retirement communities and some are either in "stuck in wheelchairs or hospital beds". When Pepper turned 10, the first she thing she did was greet the Phan's former Golden Retriever, Toothpaste. The dog, fearful of Pepper, trembles, pees, moans, and tries to escape her by running out the front door and ends up turning white and breaking his shoulder in the process. As a result, he is sent to live in the Furry Friends building, far away from Pepper.

Present Day....

Pepper is picked up from school after the Show Off assembly and automatically hates the talent show. Pepper is in her room when her sister Taffy asks for the "clappy thing". The five-year-old also calls her sister "Pep-Pep". Pepper says no to the "clappy thing" and Taffy wheedles that her father said that she "can't play with the spray cleaner anymore" and wants to go to the playground.

Pepper takes Taffy to the playground which "was just a couple of blocks away. It had swings and a big sandbox, a climbing structure shaped like a fire engine, and a statue in the shape of a dragon." As Pepper and Taffy enjoy being on the swings, Zinnia Clarke's younger sister, Violet Clarke, is being chased by angry wasps. Instinctively, Pepper runs over to where the wasps are screeches "Go!" at them, effectively scaring them off and saving Violet's life (although Zinnia's sister only got stung once by them).

Zinnia thanks Pepper for saving her sister's life and Violet asks if she and Taffy could have ice cream with each other. Pepper is shocked to find that her sister and Violet know each other and Taffy says that Violet is "in Mr. Grapefruit's class". Zinnia also invites Pepper to join them, but she doesn't join them, knowing that would never trust one Sparkie in her entire life.

Chapter 5 (Nory)

Nory wakes up and wears all red the next day (except that her "white shirt" has "cherries on it"). She eats Fruit Loops-esque cereal called "Fruity Doodles" and when she leaces for school, she sees a package sent by Dalia Horace, her 14-year-old Fuzzy sister (she was 13 at the beginning of the series), with purple-and-white rainboots in it. Nory is excited she got them and wears them to school that day.

At school, Ms. Starr asks her students what they feel about the Show Off. Bax says he doesn't have feelings and Marigold and Pepper say they have feelings of dread. Upside-Down Flicker Sebastian says he has multiple emotions inside of him. Bax grumbles that they don't have to one and Andres says that it's a requirement, according to his sister Carmen, and says he feels eagerness. Nory, Elliott, and Willa are excited.

At lunch, the band thinks about ideas for the Show Off. They agree not to do dancing in the rain or skating. Elliott suggests Marigold shrink something and she says no and says that Bax should turn into a rock. Bax says he would be embarrassed by it.

The UDM kids have no idea what to do for the Show Off without being weird.

Chapter 6 (Pepper)

During tutoring, Ms. Starr and Pepper meet in the supply closet hideout and Ms. Starr brings a Miniature Cashmere Lop rabbit named Carrot with her. When Pepper says "hello" to her, the rabbit responds and Ms. Starr tells Pepper that her Upside-Down Fuzzy magic is making animals speak the English language and reason she became a teacher was that a teacher at her high school had Upside-Down Magic and who thought that you shouldn't be ashamed of Upside-Down Magic and Ms. Starr learned a lot from her. Pepper then pets Carrot.

At the playground, Taffy and Pepper meet up with Violet and Zinnia again and Taffy asks Pepper if Zinnia was named after Zinnia the raccoon ballerina on an animated TV show called "Biscuits BeBop", to which Pepper says no. Violet and Taffy head to the swings and Pepper and Zinnia talk. Zinnia says she was named after the zinnia flower and was into "Biscuits BeBop" before Lacey bullied her for it and got "Everyday Cake" apparel because of it. Then, she tells Pepper that Lacey is not what she seems: she had really cool ideas like digging a hole in the yard and playing dolls in it, "bike races in the vacant lot down on Cherry Blossom Road". When Lacey doesn't get into Sage Academy in "Upside-Down Magic (Book 1)", her parents were disappointing in her, so she tries to make others feels bad because of it. Zinnia them asks for forgiveness when Pepper blurts that she was named after the pepper spice and both girls end up discussing how their former classmates treated them before they got their powers.

They have sun until sunset, which looks "like mixed-berry ice cream".

Chapter 7 (Nory)

It's Tuesday Night Tigerball TV and Nory, Margo, and Pharmacologist Fluxer Figaro "Figs" Russo watch a tigerball game between the Burlington Bengals and the Mandalay Saber-Tooths. During the game, Dalia Horace and Hawthorn Horace, Nory's 16-year-old Flare brother, call her. They mention that "Hawthorn's entered the hot wax competition at Father's school, Sage Academy but I don't think he has a chance" and "Dalia got a fish tank for her birthday with a squid in it". Then, they say that their coming over to Dunwiddle to see her perform in the Show Off. Nory feels like gelatin and she hears her father, Headmaster Flicker Stone Horace, enter the Horace household. Dalia quickly asks her younger sister about the boots, and the pieces fall into place in Nory's mind. Suddenly, the conversion is cut off and Margo asks her niece if she's coming to watch the rest of the game. Nory says yes, but she really want to "turn into a beaver-kitten, build a bitten lodge in the backyard, and hide in it after the Show Off was done".

Chapter 8 (Pepper)

The next day, Pepper meets Ms. Starr and Carrot early. Carrot tells Pepper to scare her, to which Pepper says "Um... boo" and Carrot overreacts. When Pepper tries again, she pushes her magic out like a flood and effectively scares Carrot. The rabbit's reward is broccoli.

At lunch, Pepper notices that Nory is acting strange and when Elliott comes to the UDM table, he tells his friends that "The Fuzzies are commanding a camel. The Fluxers are doing a kitten dance. The Flickers are doing something called Oranges Away! The Flyers are doing a traditional flag dance, and the Flares have some sort of colored-light-firefly thing." Then, Pepper says she's not going to be in the Show Off and get ice cream that night. Bax eagerly wants to join her, but Elliott starts rambling on about his spider drama. Willa complains that her "Aunt Jen's a Fluxer and she always does spiders!" and Nory follows up, saying she can't do spider yet. When Sebastian joins them and says that hundreds of people will be there, Nory runs away and Pepper pursuits her.

As Pepper tries to find Nory, she stumbles onto Flares Lacey Clench and Zinnia Clarke arguing about Zinnia's alliances to the 5th grade Flares or the UDM class. Pepper then runs to the supply closet, where she finds Nory and they talk about Lacey and Zinnia's argument.

Chapter 9 (Nory)

That afternoon, Nory and Bax see Fluxer Coach Vitomin for tutoring and Bax turns into a swivel chair.

Later, after kittenball practice, Nory walks home with Elliott (since he needed more time to practice his Freezing and Flaring) and she tells him about the Fluxers' performance and the argument between Zinnia and Lacey. Elliott doubts her and they walk from Magnolia Street to Spiderweb Street to Pepper Phan's house. When they arrive, Nory and Elliott see Pepper babysitting and they perform their version of Everyday Cake's "Crazy-Daisy Shame", where Elliott realizes that Pepper took drumming lessons with his father before her magic came in and scared the Cohen's three cats Puffy, Cuddles, and Mike. Nory then comes up with the idea that the UDM kids should perform "Crazy-Daisy Shame" at the Show Off before Zinnia appears. Elliott hisses at Zinnia that she's been mean to them ever since her magic came in. Pepper then tells Elliott, Nory, and Zinnia to leave her house since she's babysitting.

Chapter 10 (Pepper and Nory)

Pepper pulls Nory aside from the crowd entering Dunwiddle Magic School and pleads with the Upside-Down Fluxer to like Zinnia, even though the Flare has done some bad things. She also tells Nory that she's been hanging out with Violet and Zinnia.

In the UDM class, the typical things are done and at the end of the day, ideas are flung around the classroom for the Show Off. Willa suggests that Nory dances in a rain puddle, and the gang rejects it. The Upside-Down Flare, in response, rains her rain on Bax and he turns into a swivel chair. Swivel-Bax rams into Elliott and Elliott accidentally freezes Willa's rain. Nory then turns into a "bitten" (she does it whenever she is "angry or embarrassed") and rides Swivel-Bax. Ms. Starr chastises her.

30 minutes later, after Bax returns to the UDM classroom after his new medication is applied to him. The gang then talks about what instruments to play in a band, due to Nory's idea of the class playing "Crazy-Daisy Shame" by Everyday Cake at the Show Off.

The next day, Pepper notices Zinnia on the climbing tower at recess and feels bad for her. But, she instead goes to supply closet and waits there until Ms. Starr finds her there. Pepper saved some broccoli for Carrot. Ms. Starr tells Pepper that one of her Flare friends, Ms. Winterbottom, who lives "on Oregano Street", has a ton of mice in her house and needs them to be removed. Then they talk about Pepper using a technique that will "pause" her Fiercing, to make sure no animals get scared around her accidentally. 

Chapter 11 (Nory)

On Saturday, Nory puts out snacks for her friends in Aunt Margo's yard during Show Off practice. Their parts for the Show Off are: Andres plays drums, Elliott plays guitar, Willa uses her rain and sings, Marigold plays clarinet, Bax plays piano, Pepper sings, Nory plays the tambourine while, later, turning into a flamingo and then a kitten-flamingo/"kittingo", and Sebastian is the conductor.

Chapter 12 (Pepper)

On Sunday, Mr. Phan the Fuzzy leads Fierce Pepper Phan to Baker Flare Mrs. Winterbottom's house, which is full of miniature porcelain figures. Pepper scares the mice naturally and soon they overrun Mrs. Winterbottom's house as they leave in terror from Pepper. The Flare gives the Fierce $20 for her work.

Pepper doesn't go home and instead goes to Zinnia and brags about her money. They then go get ice cream and talk about Pepper's power. On the way back, they talk about the band Everyday Cake and each tells hoe much they like the band when Pepper unintentionally tells Zinnia about singing "Crazy-Daisy Shame" in the Show Off. Zinnia promises to keep it a secret.

Chapter 13 (Nory)

The week leading up to the Show Off, the teachers want their students to win. The 13-year-old 7th grade Fuzzies talk about their act: lizards jumping on trampolines. The 14-year-old 8th grade Fuzzies "carry fish tanks into their classroom for their squid ballet". On Monday and Tuesday, everyone doesn't listen to Nory about her singing in the talent show. On Wednesday, she hisses that she must sing and then sings verse 3 of "Crazy-Daisy Shame":

"I got my hair soaked!

This is a heart attack!

And the earthworms say:

You should love me back!"

Sebastian comments that Nory has an awful singing voice and that she can't sing the song. The others chime in and say Nory can turn into a flamingo for the Show Off. 

Chapter 14 (Nory)

Nory pleads with Coach to turn into a flamingo for the Show Off and he tells her to get on his shoulders to naturally and instinctual shock her into turning into a bird. It doesn't help and Coach says that it's "a technique we use for the seventh graders who are having a hard time with birds. It kind of shocks them into fluxing. They do it out of necessity." He then takes her to Fuzzy Cordelia Fitsnickle's 14-year-old 8th-grade Fuzzy room, which has a tropical island theme to it. It contains lizards, butterflies, alligators, and flamingos. Nory then turns into a flamingo when she sees them "behind a fence. It was like a kiddie pool, but nicer." The flamingos eat a mixture "of algae and the pink shrimpish creatures the flamingos liked to eat." Flamingo-Nory tries to get into the flamingo pen to eat their food, but the pink birds hiss at her, since Nory thought "I like shrimp... And if I were a flamingo, I could eat shrimp everyday. Yum" to turn into a flamingo. Coach and Mrs. Fitsnickle try to get Nory away from the flamingos, and Nory turns into a kittingo before turning back into human form. Mrs. Fitsnickle is surprised by Nory's magic, but is also confused about it. Coach thanks Mrs. Fitsnickle before he and Nory leave.

When walking home from school, Nory turns into a flamingo while practicing "vain flamingo thoughts" like "Everyone is admiring my pinkness" and "I have the longest legs of any flamingo in my neighborhood", even though she doesn't have a license to do magic publicly.

During practice, Nory's flamingo is awesome, but Pepper ruins it. So far, she has turned into a kittingo and an elephant-flamingo/"flalephant". The UDM band continues practicing, with some complications in the process. Sebastian corrects the band's mistakes and Ms. Starr makes the class do headstands.

The night before the talent show, Nory gets nervous and quietly turns on the radio while turning into a flamingo for practice. Even though the music is not her favorite artist's music, she manages to do a full flamingo for "two minutes and eleven seconds - that was how long the song ["Crazy-Daisy Shame"] was."

Chapter 15 (Pepper and Nory)

Pepper is sitting in the UDM classroom with Zinnia on Show Off night. To calm herself, Pepper tells Zinnia of the money she made from her harmless pest-removal job. She had "earned thiry-five dollars by channeling a colony of ants out of Mr. Bittle's kitchen and into his garden. She earned fifty dollars for ridding Maisy Brown's apple trees of worms". So Pepper has eighty-five dollars and considers herself the richest kid in school. Zinnia then heads down to the auditorium to check on the UDM kids and the Show Off.

Nory is nervous and doesn't see her siblings or father there. Mr. Cohen, Mrs. Cohen, and Baby Cohen, Elliott's family, are already in the audience.So are Aunt Margo and Figs. The 11-year-old 5th grade Flyer then perform "a traditional Flyer Flag Dance of the Harvest Season", with one kids being injured during the performance. Then, the Fuzzies try to command a camel, but it doesn't cooperate with them. The Flickers then do "Oranges Away!" in which they makes oranges disappear around them while wearing sailor costumes. The Fluxers (which include the five known Fluxers in the series: Alastair, Luciana, Akari, Finn, and Paige, out of ten students) turn into black kitten and butterscotch kittens and do a kitten dance to the song "Kitty Grooves". Nory thinks that she and her friends can't win the Show Off. Then the Flares do their act, which is called "Fireflies of Many Colors".

https://youtu.be/OKqefKVf3gk

Caption: What I imagine the music to the Flares' performance is

Nory then sees Hawthorn, Dalia, and Stone enter the auditorium and gets nervous. Elliott tries to calm her but fails.

In the prop room, Elliott again tries to calm Nory down by making an ice pack, but ends up freezing all the instruments. Lacey walks in on Elliott's freezing and calls them "You guys are suck wonkos!" Zinnia then enters the room and Lacey finds out the the former Sparkie is helping them and Nory snarls at her that Zinnia must pick sides and that "Enough is enough."

Chapter 16 (Pepper)

Pepper worries about Zinnia and runs down to the prop room, walking in at Zinnia burning the piano, but she was trying to unfreeze the instruments and it got out of control. Pepper then accusses Zinnia of being a spy and forces her out of the room. Lacey then coolly tells her classmates that Zinnia is back on The Sparkies' side. The 7th-grade Flare teacher then finds the piano burned into ashes and tells the 5th graders that they should've used a fire extinguisher in time. The UDM kids then decide it's time to perform their song on stage.

Chapter 17 (Pepper)

Pepper feels like she betrayed Zinnia as she and the other UDM kids get on stage. Bax continually mumbles that without the piano, their number will be ruined. Nory then introduces the Upside-Down Magic class and Sebastian starts the song. Bax doesn't do anything and Elliott, Willa, Andres, and Marigold continue playing until Bax turns into a piano and starts playing himself. The applause from Bax's magic is so heavy, Sebastian stops the five and starts the song back up again. This time it goes perfectly. During verse three, Pepper urges Nory to turn into a flamingo and she does. The crowd goes wild, except for Headmaster Flicker Stone Horace. Nory then realizes the problem wasn't her all along, it was himself. Then, Nory turns into a kittingo and the audience is shocked and confused by her. Sebastian then announces, "Ladies and gentleman!.... The one.... the only... kittingo!" as the song ends as Willa sings:

"Don't don't don't

It's a crazy-daisy shame

Don't keep your honey bunch

Out in the rain

Open that door

I'll come in and get dry

Don't don't don't

Don't pass me by!"

The crowd then goes wild for the UDM class.

Chapter 18 (Pepper and Nory)

At the reception hall, Ms. Starr carries Carrot, who is wearing a bowtie, in her arms. The rabbit is crying happiness when Pepper runs throughout the school to find Zinnia after Pepper is greeted by her family. She find her in the supply closet. Pepper apologizes and Zinnia tells Pepper she "was never a spy" and overflared when she nervous with the other Flares in the room, since Flares usually underflare when their nervous. They then head to the reception hall for award announcements.

Nory tries find Hawthorn and Dalia in the crowd after getting Bax to Nurse Riley's and she does. Hawthorn admits that Stone got lost and confused on the street names of "Artichoke Avenue" and "Artichoke Street". She then introduces Ms. Starr to her father. Her teacher then tells the Sage Academy headmaster "Have you considered admitting Upside-Down Magic students to Sage Academy?" to which Stone responses that Nory is incapable of typical Fluxing. Ms. Starr then accuses Dr. Horace of being a "small-minded man" and leaves him in shock after saying goodbye to him.

In the auditorium, the awards are announced. The 8th-grade winners are the Flyers, who did a human-like flying circus act. The 7th-grade winners are the Flicker, who did their own version of tic-tac-toe with their invisibility powers. The 6th-grade winners are the Fuzzies, who made groundhogs actually listen to their instructions. The 5th-grade winners are the Flares/Sparkies and the Most Original Award goes to the Upside-Down Magic class.

As people leave, Nory notices her father is ashamed (probably Sage Academy's admission standards, we don't know) and tells her siblings goodbye and that Dunwiddle is her home. Figs and Margo approach Nory and Figs is proud of her flamingo and says they should get ice cream as a celebration. Nory, Margo, Figs, Elliott's family, Pepper's family, and peppermint tea-drinking Coach go get ice cream at the ice cream store.

Chapter 19 (Nory)

Mrs. Winterbottom is said to have two sons, both Flyers and lawyers, and a Flicker daughter, Arabelle Pumpkin Winterbottom, the leader of the Everyday Cake band. She also gave out ten VIP passes, seven for the UDM kids, "one for Mr. Phan, and one for Zinnia." At the concert when "Crazy-Daisy Shame" is played. Arabelle sings the first verse:

"If you've given me up,

I'll be okay without you!

I am one of a kind.

And I've got my crew.

It's true, I'm one of a kind.

And I've got my crew."

During the song, Nory finally feels what the lyrics of "Crazy-Daisy Shame" mean to her.

Note: I borrowed this book from the library 05/05/2018-05/26/2018. I thought this book was the funniest out of all of the book in the series (currently). And the name for Nory's flamingo-elephant ("flalephant") is completely my own word for one of Nory's Upside-Down forms in this book.