Skip to main content

Curse of the Night Witch

By

 


Curse of the Night Witch
Written by: Alex Aster
Sourcebooks Young Readers, 2020. Fiction.

Tor Luna lives on Emblem Island where everyone knows their lives will be dictated by the emblem they are born with. Tor was born to be a leader, just like his mother, but he hates his emblem and wants more than anything to change his fate. One night during the annual New Year's Eve celebration Tor throws a wish into the fire asking for a different emblem. The next morning he awakens to discover that instead of  his wish being granted he has been given a curse which could only come from the Night Witch. Tor, his best friend Engle and Melda, the smartest girl in Tor's class, decide they must find the Night Witch and ask her to remove the curse. So begins an adventure that will change their lives forever.

One of my favorite things about this tale is how the author weaves in myths and Columbian folklore into the story. These ancient myths provide clues and answers to the obstacles that Tor and his friends face as they encounter odd creatures and greedy people who are hungry for more power.  As they travel from place to place on their way to find the Night Witch we are introduced to these mini stories from the book of Cuentos.  I enjoyed this look at the nature of stories, where they come from, why they are told and how story tellers influence the way we see people and view the world around us. 

If you are looking for a middle grade book with magical adventures and mythology then this book is for you. A perfect fantasy book for readers who love an exciting new adventure.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Funny Farm by Mark Teague 2009

By Anonymous
There are things I liked about Mark Teague's newest book, Funny Farm , and things I didn't like. Where should I start? I'll do the "didn'ts" first. The illustrations show animals personified. Well, some of the animals are. The main characters, Edward, and his farm family relatives, all dogs, are humanized. They stand upright, do farm chores, eat at a table, wear clothes, knit (yes, with paws) and sleep in beds. Most everybody else on and around the farm, who are also animals, act like animals. They are outside, roll in mud, live in the barn, and require care from their owners. It struck me the most on the page spread where there are pigs playing in puddle in the rain and Edward, a black and white boxer, watches from inside the house. I thought "You're a dog! Go play with them!" But, alas, he can't, seeing as how he goes through his entire visit to the farm wearing a suit and red bow tie. Another picture that bothered me was the maple syrup pa...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: Super Boba Cafe

By
Super Boba Café By Nidhi Chanani New York: Amulet Books, 2023. Comics. 215 pages. 14-year-old Aria is excited to spend her summer in San Francisco getting quality time with her Nainai. She loves helping at her grandmother's Super Boba Café. But she can't help but notice that her grandmother is acting strange and secretive. She refuses to let Aria into the kitchen at all and she disappears at the same time each night without telling Aria where she goes. Meanwhile, Aria is eager to drum up more business for Super Boba Café. She gets a major windfall when the shop cat, Bao, surprises them by having kittens, and Aria realizes this is a major social media opportunity. She knows this will help Nainai's shop, but she is apprehensive to get back on social media after a terrible cyberbullying experience she had back home. As the shop starts to get busier, Nainai is more and more anxious about her secret project. This prompts Aria to investigate with help from her Nainai's neighb...
Post a Comment
Read more

Plain Kate

By
Plain Kate by Erin Bow Scholastic, 2010. 314 pgs. Fiction Katerina Svetlana is named after her mother, who died giving birth. Her father, Piotr the woodcarver, calls her plain Kate and she is soon known as Plain Kate, after the butcher's witticism, because she is "plain as a stick." But her father calls her Kate, my star. Piotr teaches his daughter to carve and she is on her way to becoming a master when her father dies of a strange sleeping sickness that plagues her town and the country round about. In a magical land, Kate has no magic but her skill. Still, she is so good her neighbors think her a witch and drive her away, but not before a real witch comes along and she trades him her shadow for the promise that she won't have to travel alone. He gives her a talking cat. Kate falls in with gypsies who also find reason to hurt and abandon her and she is rescued by the witch who takes her upriver in a terrible quest to avenge his dead sister and bring her back from...
Post a Comment
Read more