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Shadow Zone #3
The Witches Next Door
Jennifer knows there's something strange about the little old ladies next door. The weird smells coming from their house. . . the eerie, multi-colored smoke. . . the cauldron in the shed. . . What evil schemes are they cooking up? If Jennifer doesn't find out fast, it's into the bubbling brew for her!
124 pages, Paperback
First published December 19, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 25, 2019
Jennifer wasn't enormously popular when she lived in Ohio, but she had friends. Since moving to Lake Trawley, Oregon and starting sixth grade in school, she's had trouble making new friends, but that's about to be the least of her problems. When weird smells from the house next-door prompt Jennifer and her mother to voice concern to Abigail and Emma Nightingale, the elderly ladies who live there, Jennifer is drawn into a paranormal drama dating back centuries. The Nightingales are witches, and the hidden reason for their own recent move to Lake Trawley is to convince Jennifer to be their apprentice. Jennifer's family tree contains a witch who was executed during the Salem Witch Trials, and Abigail and Emma want to help develop Jennifer's magical abilities. She can hardly believe how rapidly her situation has transformed.
The Nightingales have a spell for almost anything, and they impart this knowledge to Jennifer when she visits. Jennifer's parents are pressuring her to take violin lessons, but she can levitate the instrument with her mind and play it easily using witchcraft. Wielding such power boosts Jennifer's confidence; at school, Kristy Geist invites her to sit with the popular girls for lunch, including mean-spirited Chelsea Stephens. Chelsea tries to make Jennifer look bad, but Jennifer is progressing beyond her mouselike demeanor at the start of the school year. She responds assertively when Chelsea mocks her in front of Kristy and the girls. Jennifer's most important new friend may be Todd Calavicci, who plays violin and takes his studies more seriously than Jennifer ever wants to. He's sort of a nerd, but believes Jennifer that the Nightingales are witches, and offers to help her decide if she should be their apprentice. Abigail and Emma deal in powerful spells and potions, including one called "True Brew" which turns people into the animal they're most like if they drink it. Jennifer is uneasy holding that kind of power over other humans, but is witchcraft wicked if it's used for good? Can Jennifer help change public perception of witches, or is she getting involved in dark forces well beyond her control?
I prefer the first two Shadow Zone books—The Ghost of Chicken Liver Hill and Guess Who's Dating a Werewolf?—but The Witches Next Door has its good points. Unlike other stories classified as juvenile horror, it isn't about battling creatures who intend to harm Jennifer. The Witches Next Door is about growing up and refining your talents, albeit under abnormal circumstances in Jennifer's case. The details often don't make sense, several intriguing subplots are never followed through on, and the story could be a lot richer thematically, but I see the appeal to this book, and I'd consider rating it one and a half stars. The Witches Next Door isn't the best of Shadow Zone, but it's reasonably interesting.
The Nightingales have a spell for almost anything, and they impart this knowledge to Jennifer when she visits. Jennifer's parents are pressuring her to take violin lessons, but she can levitate the instrument with her mind and play it easily using witchcraft. Wielding such power boosts Jennifer's confidence; at school, Kristy Geist invites her to sit with the popular girls for lunch, including mean-spirited Chelsea Stephens. Chelsea tries to make Jennifer look bad, but Jennifer is progressing beyond her mouselike demeanor at the start of the school year. She responds assertively when Chelsea mocks her in front of Kristy and the girls. Jennifer's most important new friend may be Todd Calavicci, who plays violin and takes his studies more seriously than Jennifer ever wants to. He's sort of a nerd, but believes Jennifer that the Nightingales are witches, and offers to help her decide if she should be their apprentice. Abigail and Emma deal in powerful spells and potions, including one called "True Brew" which turns people into the animal they're most like if they drink it. Jennifer is uneasy holding that kind of power over other humans, but is witchcraft wicked if it's used for good? Can Jennifer help change public perception of witches, or is she getting involved in dark forces well beyond her control?
I prefer the first two Shadow Zone books—The Ghost of Chicken Liver Hill and Guess Who's Dating a Werewolf?—but The Witches Next Door has its good points. Unlike other stories classified as juvenile horror, it isn't about battling creatures who intend to harm Jennifer. The Witches Next Door is about growing up and refining your talents, albeit under abnormal circumstances in Jennifer's case. The details often don't make sense, several intriguing subplots are never followed through on, and the story could be a lot richer thematically, but I see the appeal to this book, and I'd consider rating it one and a half stars. The Witches Next Door isn't the best of Shadow Zone, but it's reasonably interesting.
June 14, 2022
I used to read this book over and over in elementary school! Recommanded for all outcasts who were dreaming of having magical powers to stop bullies
January 5, 2024
La petite fille deviens une sorcière.
April 8, 2010
I went through a phase as a kid where I would read everything I could find about witches, whether they were portrayed in a good light or bad.
This book wasn't exactly stellar, but it was a quick read and it was a bit of wish fulfillment I guess.
This book wasn't exactly stellar, but it was a quick read and it was a bit of wish fulfillment I guess.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews