Review: "Showdown at the Mall" by Diana Gallagher

 

Showdown at the Mall by Diana Gallagher
Published 1997
★★★

Picked this up because I thought it was the one in which Sabrina and her aunts get trapped in a magical mall (and I have nostalgic, if vague, feelings about that book), but...nope. Maybe that's book three. (Will have to read further; how sad.)

In Showdown at the Mall, Sabrina and her classmates are given weekend work assignments. Sabrina lucks out and gets her first-choice assignment at a chic store with hilariously awful-sounding clothing, but luck does not stay on her side—among other things, a random cousin of hers is in town and determined to create chaos. It's a test of...well, not epic proportions, but as it turns out, Sabrina has to prove her worth as a witch with a conscience (as opposed to a witch who is happy to wreak havoc in the mortal world, just for the fun of it). Never mind that her cousin, who wants nothing more than to wreak all the havoc and then leave the mortal realms and all the chaos she's created behind, doesn't seem to be held to the same standards...

Anyway, the plot itself is a bit silly and not much to write home about, but the clothing descriptions! It disturbs me that I remember all of this sounding very fashionable when I read it in the 90s/early aughts:

Jenny tugged on her multicolored paisley vest and smoothed her short skirt. (12)

Sabrina sifted through a rack of velour tunic tops and pulled out one in sea-foam green. "This is perfect for you. Especially if you coordinate it with those." Turning abruptly, Sabrina moved down the aisle to get a pair of dark green pants made of a tight stretch knit fabric. (27)

Inspired by the fashions depicted in a recent teen magazine, she had wished up a short, light-brown flared skirt, laced brown shoes with stubby two-inch heels, and a sky-blue Shaker sweater worn over a white knit shirt. (85)

The manager was looking fashionably hot in belted, dark brown, flared pants and a long-sleeved, light green blouse with a dramatically tapered collar. A scarf with a swirling pattern in shades of the same colors was loosely knotted around her neck, and brown platform shoes easily added three inches to her height. (95)

The cheerleader was wearing a stunning, loosely knit beige vest over a stylish light blue blouse tucked into a short, dark blue skirt. (114)

Never mind the plot, that's what I came here for.