Charming or What?

Witch-in-Training #3

by Maeve Friel, Nathan Reed (Illustrator)

Miss Strega takes Jess to Charm Archipeligo where meets the extraordinary pirate-turned-with Pelagia. The third title in this magical series. Miss Strega decides Jessica has to learn not only how to be charming, but how to DO charming. She takes her on holiday to the Charm Archipeligo and there, on Charm Major, lives her summer school teacher Pelagia. Jessica finds a lucky pebble that helps her with her charm skills. First she unlocks the charm surrounding the boat that only rows in circles; then she creates a charm to ward off spiders from people that hate them. But, when she decides to have a peek into Pelagia’s private box of magic, Jess unleashes the foulest winds in the universe and has to be at her most charming to avoid a severe ticking off from Miss Strega. Further magical adventures for this ten-year-old witch.

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

I was born in Derry (Northern Ireland) where I went to Thornhill College and then studied sociology in University College Dublin. I have lived all over the place since then and have worked as a teacher, a translator, a secretary and a tour guide before taking up full time writing.

I wrote several short stories for adults which were broadcast by BBC Radio 4. Then I wrote Irrational Developments, a story inspired by the protests about water shortages in a small Spanish village. It was published in the Sunday Tribune and went on to win the 1990 Hennessy Literary Award. That encouraged me to keep writing.

Since then I have written 19 books for children of all ages as well as lots of short stories which appear in many anthologies. I live in Dublin and also have a hideaway in that same small Spanish village where I am surrounded by orange orchards.

Reviews

[pieknempisane · Rating 3 out of 5]

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