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

Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) by Pamela Espeland & Elizabeth Verdick

By
If there's one book today's kids need to read, it is Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) . The authors provide a fun format for teaching etiquette to children. They discuss proper behavior at home, at school, at other people's homes and in public places. The information is completely up-to-date with cellphone manners and netiquette included. Fun, cartoony illustrations are on practically every page giving the book great visual appeal. This book is perfect for boys and girls in the fourth grade or older. WARNING: Bodily functions are discussed.
Post a Comment
Read more

Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin

By loo
Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin Illustrated by Leslie Evans Charlesburg; 2009; unpaged Faces of the Moon is a short nonfiction book that describes the different phases of the moon and why the moon appears like it does on certain nights. This book is short and sweet so even the youngest of moon lovers will enjoy it. The layout is simplistic and easy to follow. I don’t know much about the moon so I found it very interesting.
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: The Factory

By
The Factory By Catherine Egan New York, NY : Scholastic Inc., 2025. Fiction. 306 pages.  Thirteen-year-old Asher Doyle has been invited to join the Factory, a secretive research facility in the desert which ostensibly extracts renewable energy from the electromagnetic fields of its young recruits. But Asher soon realizes something sinister is going on. Kids are getting sick. The adults who run the Factory seem to be keeping secrets. And the extraction process is not only painful and exhausting, but existentially troubling. Asher makes a handful of new friends who help him with an investigation that turns into a resistance, which turns into...a cliffhanger! The Factory is a page-turning sci-fi with multidimensional characters, an intriguing plot, and refreshingly straight-forward writing. Egan weaves in detail about climate crises and social unrest, making the story's dystopian setting feel rich and plausible. With its sophisticated themes and accessible storytelling, I would recomm...
Post a Comment
Read more