The Salem Witch Tryouts
Grade 7-9–At Beverly Hills High, Prudence is a big deal: popular, star and soon-to-be head of the cheerleading squad, and a straight-A student. She is also half-witch, half-mortal, and, though she doesn't use her magic in public, her younger brother, Tobias, has been unable to control his abilities. To avoid what could be a major scandal if the family's heritage were to come to light, Prudence's parents have decided to move to Salem, MA, where both children can learn to hone their craft at Agatha's Day School for Witches. There, Prudence discovers that her lack of formal training has made her somewhat of an outcast. She has to attend remedial classes and can't fully participate in the school's cheerleading squad because the routines involve magic. This fish-out-of-water story is truly terrible, and neither Wicca enough nor romantic enough to allow it to fit in either of the genres to which it aspires. Much of the narrative tension and humor are supposed to revolve around the dual existence of magic and mortal worlds and the fact that the pure witch group seems clueless about the lives and lifestyles of the mortals. Because the magic and mortal worlds seem to exist on the same physical plane, this confusion is a little ridiculous.–Amy S. Pattee, Simmons College, BostonCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.