Review: The ideal society
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 3, 2013
Debora Geary is definitely starting to touch on more serious issues as this series progresses.  In this book she touched on alternative lifestyles and got more in depth on the subject of autism.  She made it very clear on how difficult it is to understand and deal with autistic people and that this tends to baffle the so-called “normal” person who doesn’t have experience dealing with this condition.  She explained that autistic people don’t like to be touched and that they need to be in a calm and quiet environment to allow them to process the everyday noises and events that most of us take for granted and can be overwhelming for them.  I especially appreciated how all this affected the “leader” of Witch Central, Nell, and how she felt so guilty at not being able to understand and help Beth but she kept trying different things and realized that there are others capable of training people, even small children can be very wise, and she was willing to let them take the lead for a while.  Debora Geary has, in essence, created the ideal society in Witch Central.  The characters are all ages from all parts of the world and have different lifestyles.  They are very accepting of all, from meddling old ladies to juvenile delinquents to cranky old men, impish children, and non-witches; they all have a place and part to play.  It may take them awhile as shown in this book with Nell, but they eventually come around and are very willing to help everyone.  They are especially open to listening to the other characters, even the young children.  Debora shows us that life isn’t always lighthearted and easy but that it can be difficult to handle at times, but she also gives us suggestions on how to deal with those difficult times.  The way the characters talk to each other and guide each other through the difficult times makes me wish I lived in Witch Central.