Skip to main content

Five Faves: Witchy Intermediates

By
Hee hee hee! Hello, my pretties! Here are five short, illustrated chapter books for the season of the witch - some sweet, some spooky, all magical. 

Written by Norma Kassirer
Illustrated by Mark Richardson.
Oakland, California : The Collective Book Studio, 2024. Intermediate. 88 pages.

Outrageously spoiled Ivy Lou meets her match when a witch appears and tries to trick her into becoming her child. Ivy Lou must unravel the witch's dark magic and save her parents. A modern classic in the register of Roald Dahl, with mischief, humor and spookiness.

Written by Kara LaReau
Illustrated by Ariane Moreira.
New York : Random House Children's Books, 2025. Intermediate. 76 pages.

Witchycakes owes a lot to Kiki's Delivery Service: a cute newbie witch making and delivering baked goods to the residents of their dreamy seaside town. It's cozy and sweet with lots of glowy illustrations.

Written by Perdita & Honor Cargill
Illustrated by Katie Saunders
Wilton, CT : Tiger Tales, 2023. Intermediate. 113 pages.

Bea Black's dad accidentally enrolls her in the local witch school, without knowing that she actually does have magical powers! Can she keep her magic a secret? This funny, expressive series is written in diary entries filled with doodles, asterixis and asides. 

Written by Anna Elizabeth Bennett
Illustrated by Helen Stone
New York : Sky Pony Press, 2013. Intermediate. 127 pages.

This sweet, classic read aloud was originally published in 1953. Minx is the daughter of a wicked, fearsome witch, but she longs to be a normal girl. Minx runs away to go to school and so begin her adventures with mortal classmates and magical creatures alike! 

Lucy Lancaster Has a Secret
Written by Willow Coven
Illustrated by Priscilla Burris
Publication Information: New York : Little Simon, 2025. Intermediate. 119 pages.

A case of hiccups reveals that Lucy Lancaster, Heidi Heckelbeck's best friend, is, in fact, a witch! Sweet, expressive illustrations and large, easy-to-read text make this a great little book for newly independent readers.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

If You Like...KPop Demon Hunters

By
KPop Demon Hunters has been one of the most talked-about movies of the summer. If you loved this movie as much as I did, you don't want the magic (or the music) to stop. Try reading these books that touch on some of the same topics and themes as the animated hit! Brick Dust and Bones By M. R. Fournet New York: Feiwel and Friends, 2023. Fiction. 247 pages. Orphaned Marius works in the family business--as their cemetery's ghost caretaker. However, Marius also moonlights as a monster hunter in order to earn the costly Mystic currency he needs to bring his mother back from the dead. As the window to bring his mother back begins to close, Marius's exploits get more and more dangerous, and he may have set his sights on a monster too big to handle on his own. Like Mira, Marius longs for familial connection, and his work as a monster hunter will satisfy the thrill of demon hunting for fans the movie. Where's Halmoni? By Julie J. Kim Seattle, WA: Little Bigfoot, 2017. Comics. W...
Post a Comment
Read more

Books That Take You There: Hawaii

By
As summer turns to fall, I always wish for more warm days before the cold comes. So if you, like me,  want to ship yourself to a tropical paradise, try out one of these books that will take you straight to Hawaii, even if it's only in your imagination. Aloha Everything Written by Kaylin Melia George Illustrated by Mae Waite Brooklyn, NY: Red Comet Press, 2024. Picture Book. This book, which won the 2025 APALA Award for Best Picture Book, tells the story of a Hawaiian girl who gains connection to her culture through hula. She learns about her ancestors, native folklore, and the true meaning of aloha. This book, which is written in verse, is lengthy and is probably better for elementary-aged kids rather than toddlers, but kids will be drawn in by the excellent story and the gorgeous, bright illustrations. Punky Aloha By Shar Tuiasoa New York: Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2022. Picture Book. Punky's grandmother needs butter to make her fresh, baked from scratch b...
Post a Comment
Read more

Dragon Run

By
Dragon Run by Patrick Matthews Scholastic, 2013.  336 pgs.  Fantasy      Al Pilgrommor is excited for Testing Day, when he will receive his rank, a tattooed number on the back of his neck, and a path forward to his future occupation and life.  He feels confident because his parents were fours on a scale of seven, but he is worried for his friend Wisp who doesn't have much of a chance of scoring above a two at best. But when Al is scored a zero, he not only has no prospects, he may lose his life as the dreaded Cullers are unleashed to kill him and his family to purify the land's bloodlines.  Al's world is ruled by dragons--the lords and supposed creators of humankind--so he thinks that even if he survives, he will have to make his living as a beggar or thief. But when Al sticks up for his Earther friend in front of Magister Ludi, he is drawn into the struggle of a secret organization hoping to destroy the Cullers, and perhaps the dragons them...
1 comment
Read more