Critically acclaimed author Kimberley Griffiths Little brings to life a sweeping and heartfelt story set against the lush backdrop of the bayou.Twe...
read full description
reviews
Nov 03, 2011
Kristina
rated it: 
A really great book is a one that makes you feel more complete for having read it. I only finished reading The Healing Spell last night and yet I already feel like it has changed my life for the better. As I was finishing the book I cried for Livie, then I cried with Livie, then I found myself crying for myself and my own faults and the things in my own life that need healing. I felt uplifted to know, that like Livie, I am still loved by those I hurt and that through faith and love I can overcom
More...
0 comments
like
(3 people liked it)
Oct 24, 2011
Len
rated it:
This book was recommended by a good friend so when I finally got it after searching for it in all the bookshops around, I couldn't wait to start reading. It didn't disappoint. It was truly spellbinding.
Livie reminded me so much of myself when I was her age - my fears, my anxiety, my closeness to my father and differences that I had with my mother and that I had to work on...and still working on even now that I am an adult. It also reminded me of the time when my mother was taken More...
Livie reminded me so much of myself when I was her age - my fears, my anxiety, my closeness to my father and differences that I had with my mother and that I had to work on...and still working on even now that I am an adult. It also reminded me of the time when my mother was taken More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Jun 23, 2010
Kimberley
rated it:
This is one of those close-to-my-heart stories that I just never gave up on, although I wondered at times if I should just stick it in a drawer already. I guess I'm more stubborn than I realized because I worked on it for nearly 7 years and got lots of rejections (although lots of *very close* rejections) before finally snagging my #1 choice agent and then watching with utter shock as she sold it within weeks - in a 3 book deal to Scholastic! So I'll take a purple star sticker for every dozen re
More...
14 comments
like
(8 people liked it)
Feb 06, 2011
Carolina
rated it:
I have to admit, I didn’t expect to like this book as much as I did. I stupidly thought it would just be a sweet middle grade book that I whipped through and would say, “Aw, that was nice.” I can be a dork like that. But honest to freaking greatness, I bawled at the end of this. I was so absorbed, and when that climactic moment came, I was sitting on the edge of my seat, reading as fast as I could—and yeah, I gasped and felt a tug in my chest. So, not your average middle grade book. And there we
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Apr 29, 2010
Tara
rated it: 
This was a really good pre teen novel. I don't see it being the next Old Yeller or Black Beauty being passed generation to generation but I enjoyed it and I think young adults will enjoy it also as well as learn a few things from it.
Livie is eleven and her summer vacation is going to be spent taking care of her mother who is in a coma from an accident that Livie had some vague involvement in. Livie is carrying around a burden of guilt and hopes to redeem herself by using a healing More...
Livie is eleven and her summer vacation is going to be spent taking care of her mother who is in a coma from an accident that Livie had some vague involvement in. Livie is carrying around a burden of guilt and hopes to redeem herself by using a healing More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Apr 11, 2010
Abby
rated it:
The summer is off to a horrible start for eleven-year-old Livie Mouton. Her mother is in a coma after an accident on the bayou near their home. Only Livie knows what really happened - it was all her fault and she can't tell anyone or they'll hate her more than they do already. Livie goes down to the traiteur, a Cajun healer who lives all by herself in the middle of the bayou, to get a healing spell for her mother. But only after Livie has forgiven herself will the spell begin to work.
More...
More...
Oct 05, 2010
Cindy
rated it:
Livie’s mama lies in a coma inside their little home near a Louisiana bayou. While Livie’s daddy and her sisters can help care for her mama, she can’t bring herself to touch her. And Livie holds a powerful secret inside herself about the day of her mama’s accident. When Livie starts a quest to find a way to heal her mama, she finds that she must first heal herself.
The Healing Spell by Kimberley Griffiths Little is a story of love and forgiveness and the complicated relationships moth More...
The Healing Spell by Kimberley Griffiths Little is a story of love and forgiveness and the complicated relationships moth More...
Jul 26, 2010
K.
rated it:
***I read an Advance Reader Copy****
The book begins with Livie's Pa bringing her mother home from the hospital- in a coma.
While Livie's sisters care for her Mother and the home, Livie is busy catching frogs at night with her Pa, poling around the bayou in her pirogue, and risking the wrath of her Aunt to do anything but touch her Mother.
Livie's got a secret, and the weight of that secret, as well as her complicated feelings based on her being a tomboy and not More...
The book begins with Livie's Pa bringing her mother home from the hospital- in a coma.
While Livie's sisters care for her Mother and the home, Livie is busy catching frogs at night with her Pa, poling around the bayou in her pirogue, and risking the wrath of her Aunt to do anything but touch her Mother.
Livie's got a secret, and the weight of that secret, as well as her complicated feelings based on her being a tomboy and not More...
Jul 26, 2010
Joan
rated it:
Livie has a frightening secret; her mother is in a coma and she's responsible for it. She's terrified her mother might die, and even more terrified her family will hate her if they find out her secret. She already feels so alone that losing their love would be unbearable.
Burdened with the truth, Livie tries to come to terms with her guilt, but guilt isn't the only weight on her eleven-year-old shoulders. She's trying to find her own place in the world. Unfortunately, her world is ch More...
Burdened with the truth, Livie tries to come to terms with her guilt, but guilt isn't the only weight on her eleven-year-old shoulders. She's trying to find her own place in the world. Unfortunately, her world is ch More...
Dec 06, 2010
Bri Meets Books
rated it:
Eleven year old Olivia or “Livie” has a secret that’s greater than the whole bayou in which she lives. Her mother’s in a coma and only Livie knows the real reason why. But she can’t tell anybody, so she waits for the secret to swallow her whole. Maybe she’s better off that way anyhow, as she tries to find her place as one of three girls. Not young and girly, like the oldest, Faye, and not small and cute, like the youngest, Aimee (or Crickett, as she’s better known). Livie would rather go frog
More...
Dec 11, 2010
Danielle
rated it:
Each of us carries secrets, sometimes those secrets become burdens so large it feels as if the world may come crashing down on top of us. For Livie her biggest secret revolves around her mother, not only that but the circumstances surrounding her mother's coma. With a house full of people to constantly pester her and watch her every move Livie's only escape is the bayou and a wonderful little pet alligator. In her desperation she seeks outside help in the restoration of her mother, but at what c
More...
Oct 20, 2010
Cindy-Rae
rated it:
This is a beautifully spun tale of healing and forgiveness. Was that healing facilitated by magic or a miracle, faith or a spell? Or was it simply that a wise teacher used a simple, mysterious string as an object to set a girl on a journey of self discovery?
Having been raised in similar southern backwaters, with rural healers in my own family, this story takes me back to the simplicity and faith of my childhood. Why an herb worked better to heal someone when placed on a silver dime fir More...
Having been raised in similar southern backwaters, with rural healers in my own family, this story takes me back to the simplicity and faith of my childhood. Why an herb worked better to heal someone when placed on a silver dime fir More...
Mar 09, 2011
Reading Vacation's Mom
rated it:
REVIEW
The Healing Spell takes the reader on an emotional journey. Livie’s struggle to save her mamma is inspiring and full of hope. A tomboy to-the-extreme, Livie captured my heart as she desperately searched for and used The Healing Spell.
Little’s descriptions of the Louisiana bayou are realistic and vibrant. Even the book’s cover depicts the green and swampy setting where people get around in boats. Only in this setting would a pet alligator feel at home.
Grab a box of tissues before you s More...
The Healing Spell takes the reader on an emotional journey. Livie’s struggle to save her mamma is inspiring and full of hope. A tomboy to-the-extreme, Livie captured my heart as she desperately searched for and used The Healing Spell.
Little’s descriptions of the Louisiana bayou are realistic and vibrant. Even the book’s cover depicts the green and swampy setting where people get around in boats. Only in this setting would a pet alligator feel at home.
Grab a box of tissues before you s More...
Jul 24, 2010
Jacqueline
rated it:
This is an incredible book! Though listed as a YA book, it is appealing and satisfying for any age, even me, a grandmother. Though the book is about an 11 year old girl, the emotions that she is dealing with ring true and speak to any age.
One of the best things about the book is what it does not contain. There is no stock or stereotypical characters, no wicked stepsister types or absent or clueless adults which are so common in adolescent books. As a matter of fact there is no More...
One of the best things about the book is what it does not contain. There is no stock or stereotypical characters, no wicked stepsister types or absent or clueless adults which are so common in adolescent books. As a matter of fact there is no More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jan 23, 2010
Claire
rated it: 
It is early summer in the bayou, Livie's mother is in a coma. She has a gash across her forehead and is completely unconscious. Livie is wracked with guilt, certain that she is the cause of the coma. Mamma is home, the family is caring for her, but Livie cannot bring herself to tend her mother. She is tortured, prickly and at odds with everyone.
In desperation Livie poles up the river to the perilous Mirage Allemond's house for a healing spell. She goes alone into the traiteur's house and c More...
In desperation Livie poles up the river to the perilous Mirage Allemond's house for a healing spell. She goes alone into the traiteur's house and c More...
Apr 09, 2011
Theresa
rated it:
This is one of those books when I found myself thinking, WoW as I read though it.
I'd heard great things about this novel, but I was hesitant to read it because when I was 14 years old, my mother fell down the stairs and landed in a coma for weeks. I knew this book would drudge up memories. And it did. Near the end of the book, something happens that I'd forgotten about, and I burst into tears.
But beyond my own personal experiences, this book is brilliant. The charact More...
I'd heard great things about this novel, but I was hesitant to read it because when I was 14 years old, my mother fell down the stairs and landed in a coma for weeks. I knew this book would drudge up memories. And it did. Near the end of the book, something happens that I'd forgotten about, and I burst into tears.
But beyond my own personal experiences, this book is brilliant. The charact More...
0 comments
like
(3 people liked it)
Dec 05, 2010
Kristen
rated it:
Why I read this: I felt drawn to this book for a reason. It may have been the description or the interesting setting of the book that made me want to read it and I'm definitely glad I did.
Plot: This story centers around Livie - an 11 year old girl who carries a terrible secret inside of her after her mother has an accident and goes into a coma. She believes herself at fault and searches for a way to ease her guilt and to make things right by her mother, hoping to wake her up. But it' More...
Plot: This story centers around Livie - an 11 year old girl who carries a terrible secret inside of her after her mother has an accident and goes into a coma. She believes herself at fault and searches for a way to ease her guilt and to make things right by her mother, hoping to wake her up. But it' More...
Aug 16, 2010
Holly
rated it:
The books premise intrigued me. I enjoyed the ambiance of this novel. The Louisiana bayou conjures up images of gaters, snakes, and danger, yet Livie and her family live in harmony with their environment. The setting and the little clips of a different lifestyle were charming.
By the end of the first chapter, I knew that tumultuous times were ahead and I wanted to watch it unfold. Livie added to her preteen angst with a secret known only to her about her mother's accident. I felt Livi More...
By the end of the first chapter, I knew that tumultuous times were ahead and I wanted to watch it unfold. Livie added to her preteen angst with a secret known only to her about her mother's accident. I felt Livi More...
Sep 22, 2011
712wiktoria
rated it:
I read the book: the healing spell. At the begining of the book I wasn't so sure if i should keep reading the book, because all the book was talking about was the girl(Livie) and what was going on in her life. I thought to myself if the book was going to go on like this until the end i might as well just stop reading it because there would be no point in reading it. But as I got deeper into the book i realized that it wasn"t so bad after all. So in the end i didn"t end up leaving my b
More...
Nov 24, 2010
Sandra
rated it:
I have wanted to read this since I first saw the cover. Usually that is not what draws me in. However, when I learned it was set in the bayous of Louisiana, that was another reason to read it. I have a wonderful friend from Louisiana that I will be lending this book to.
Livie's mother has been brought home from the hospital in a comotose state. The family is going to care for her. Livie can't seem to go near her mom. She hides a secret about her mom's accident and feels so guilty that More...
Livie's mother has been brought home from the hospital in a comotose state. The family is going to care for her. Livie can't seem to go near her mom. She hides a secret about her mom's accident and feels so guilty that More...
Jun 18, 2011
Barbara
rated it:
This is a powerfully written novel that traces the coming of age of 11-year-old Livvie who lives with her family in a Louisiana bayou. The middle and more difficult sister in the family, Livvie has stronger connections to her father than to her mother, which has caused friction in the past. Now, though, Livvy's mother has been brought home from a hospital while still in a coma, and Livvy cannot bring herself to touch her mother. She's carrying a lot of secrets, and decides to seek out the help o
More...
Apr 22, 2011
Taffy
rated it:
I truly enjoyed this book and would buy the hard cover to add to my library. A story of hope, love and family.
Ms. Little is a master of descriptions in world setting and characters. I loved all the people in the book, even the bratty cousin and the baby alligator. Strange, I know but that is how well the author placed me in her story. And I felt like I had visited the bayou though I've never been.
My favorite part was the healing spell and what Livie was willing to do to heal More...
Ms. Little is a master of descriptions in world setting and characters. I loved all the people in the book, even the bratty cousin and the baby alligator. Strange, I know but that is how well the author placed me in her story. And I felt like I had visited the bayou though I've never been.
My favorite part was the healing spell and what Livie was willing to do to heal More...
Mar 22, 2010
Kay
rated it:
I read The Healing Spell in one sitting.
Kimberley Little hones in on exactly how it feels to be twelve with the weight of an emotional burden too big to bear. The lush yet sometimes menacing Louisiana bayou provides the perfect backdrop for Livie to come to terms with the frustrations of being a middle child who doesn’t fit in, and overcome the tormented certainty of knowing that she is the one responsible for tearing her family apart.
With “faith and love entwined” evident throughou More...
Kimberley Little hones in on exactly how it feels to be twelve with the weight of an emotional burden too big to bear. The lush yet sometimes menacing Louisiana bayou provides the perfect backdrop for Livie to come to terms with the frustrations of being a middle child who doesn’t fit in, and overcome the tormented certainty of knowing that she is the one responsible for tearing her family apart.
With “faith and love entwined” evident throughou More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jun 02, 2011
Shallee
rated it:
The first word that came to my mind to describe this was "rich." The book was rich in emotion, rich in culture and setting, and rich in characters. Watching the family pull together and break apart through Livie's eyes took me through a myriad of emotions. The characters are so deftly drawn that they became real to me, heightening that emotional connection.
The landscape of the book-- the Lousiana bayou-- is delicious. I'm a sucker for stories with a strong, unique setting, an More...
The landscape of the book-- the Lousiana bayou-- is delicious. I'm a sucker for stories with a strong, unique setting, an More...
Aug 07, 2011
Karleneb
rated it:
I loved this book! It was a great read. I could totally relate to the characters. All of them seemed very well drawn, unigue, believable and had great depth and development. My heart ached for Livie and triumphed in her courage. The setting was very well done. It was an entity of its own and added to the richness of the story. I recommend it to young adults and adults who like YA. It definitely deserved the Whitney Award—and it will probably make my top 10 reads of 2011.
P.S. I'm not fr More...
P.S. I'm not fr More...
Aug 31, 2010
Becky
rated it:
I read this book in one sitting! I've been anxious to read it since it was written by a friend of mine, but that's not why I gave it 5 stars. I was totally caught up from the first sentence. Livie's voice is strong and engaging, and her fears are believable. Her interaction with her family is totally realistic. And the setting--I could almost feel the mosquitoes biting! I was hooked completely to the end--which was hopeful but not wrapped up neatly with a bow, and with a bit of Cajun myste
More...
Mar 11, 2011
Momruns5
rated it:
It was a good read. More for a younger young adult read. Kate read the last 3 pages to me while I was driving her to school and she said, "These words are REALLY big." I guess my baby is growing up. I related to Livie a lot. Sometimes it is so hard to show your weakness to others and it's easier to just get angry, shut down, or run away. She does all three of these things at different times. But she learns a lot. I like that the mother just didn't wake up at the end of the book and tie
More...
Dec 15, 2010
Jessi
rated it:
This book stands out to me as a piece of realistic and poignant fiction. It's full of a sense of depth about the hidden feelings and secrets in a young girl's heart as she seeks to make sense of the tragedy that caused her mother to become comatose. Livie seeks healing for her mother and answers for herself when she visits a mysterious woman known as a traiteur. The complex healing spell that she is given works in a way different from what she expects. Mostly, it brings about a change in her thi
More...
Sep 26, 2011
Darla
rated it:
(Genre:Children fiction) 3.5 stars. This is the story of 11 year old Olivia (Livie) whose mother is lying in a coma in the front room of their family home in the swamps/bayou of Louisiana. Livie is struggling with a weighty secret that she is afraid to reveal as well as carrying a huge chip on her shoulder. Always considered the "contrary" child, Livie had a very strained relationship with her mother before the accident. Her mother had a much easier time understanding Livie's older sis
More...
Jan 07, 2011
Jessica
rated it:
To say that The Healing Spell touched me is an understatement, but I can't quite find the words to accurately describe how much I truly adored this book. Filled with lessons, angst-driven at times and completely uplifting at others, it is one of those books that truly made a mark on my life as a reader. From the moment I started the book I fell in love with Livie and her sisters. In fact, this book had the power to transport me back to the days when I too felt like Livie did. Lost, lonely at tim
More...
