Review: Chucked full of fun fantasy
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 8, 2014
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.J.J. has had enough of his sisters. All they do is make his life miserable. Yes, they are witches! When his best friend finds an advertisement for Witchcamp, it seems like the perfect stop to get rid of them. Does he have to convince them to go? Oh no. With a funny ritual including a sock and hair, the girls are shipped away over-night. No one is surprised. But now, J.J. feels terrible. What has he done?This story takes a cute turn on something most of us can relate to -- irritating siblings. And despite the sister's horridness, it was sweet to see that J.J. was still concerned about them. Yes, he does loves them despite everything. I had to laugh when his solution to get them back included posing as a girl and getting his best friend to do it too was even better. Friendship is golden even here.There isn't much scene description in this book; the concentration is definitely on the situations, which are packed together--one right after the other. I loved the idea of the Witchcamp. The witches were somewhat evil (at least, they weren't going to let the kids go), and the tasks they had for the kids were fun and slightly dangerous. Wielding the kids with vacuums and spoons was simply fantastic.There are tons of different creatures J.J. and his friend have to battle, which keep the story moving along. Only the first chapter or two lagged a little. The one reluctant sister at the end (the one with a possible real witch core) was a nice twist, which added a little more depth to an otherwise quick paced adventure.At times, I felt there wasn't enough dialogue and a bit too much of J.J. simply talking through the action, but this was mostly in the beginning, and I'm sure it won't bother kids (the intended audience). In other words, this is a fun, light-hearted tale which I think kids will enjoy--especially those who dream of sending their sisters to Witchcamp.