What's the Name of That Book??? discussion
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The Rebel Witch
SOLVED: Children's/YA
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SOLVED. Apprentice witch loses magic book, goes into the shadow world to get it back. [s]
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Jessica
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Jul 04, 2010 09:49PM
I've been trying to find this book since grade school, it must have been written in the early 1980's, seems like it was new at the time. A young apprentice witch accidentally helps a bad witch steal her mistress's book of very bad spells, and has to go after it. I remember that she had brown hair, and wished she had red because it was more "witchy". She had a new Halloween dress that was purple and red and black with bats embroidered on it, and they had a big mean cat. She was accompanied into this sort of shadow world by a Nixie or kobold or other magical being, who was quite the dandy, all dressed in a tux and opera cape and they ended up cutting the cape apart for something. It was middle grade, no illustrations that I recall.
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Also: the nixies or kobolds (maybe there were both?) had enormous eyes, so when they winked it took a few seconds for the eyelid to go up and down, and very long tongues, so they would stick out their tongues to be rude, and they would be over a foot long.
I'm giving this a bump! Is there really no one in our group who has heard of this?
My google-fu has failed with this one. Need better unique identifiers...
At first I thought it was "So You Want to be a Wizard" but now I'm not sure....
Nancy, definitely not So You Want to be a Wizard. I have all those books. No, this was set in a truly unique world. There are magical creatures all around, and it has a very Halloweeny feel to it. I would have read this book some time between 1984-1989, since I checked it out of a certain school library and only went to school there those years. I remember that the apprentice was always wary of her mistresses cat, because it was old and mean, and was trying to stop her from touching the spell book. At the end, her witch mistress promised her she could have a nice kitten. Also, when she first tried to touch the book, it had a protective charm on it that made it feel like mice were nibbling her fingers. There was another apprentice there for a Halloween party, who taunted her and dared her to touch the book. She had red hair, and was always really vain about it.
Is this it? Description from loganberrybooks.com.Jack Lovejoy, The Rebel Witch. The Rebel Witch is about a girl, Suzie, who is a witch's apprentice. An evil warlock is about to let loose ghosts and monsters that have been trapped on the alternate world, Veneficon. The warlock imprisons Suzie's teacher. Suzie steals the Wand of Necromancers and attempts to stop him and rescue her teacher. She is aided by twin acrobats (a boy and a girl) and the Wand's Servant, Wumpo, a frog-like man. Wumpo is at first confused because only necromancers use the Wand to summon him. Wumpo is a very vain person and is greatly concerned about his appearance and there is a scene where Suzie compliments him on his cloak. Suzie travels to the alternate world in order to find her teacher and ends up doing battle with the evil warlock.
From Children's Book Review Service, 1978:
Friday the Thirteenth is election night. The Grand Necromancer, holder of the powerful Wand which keeps the forces of evil at bay, is to be chosen. The likely winner is Dr. Dunraven, but he is mysteriously mugged on a New York City subway. The victor is the diabolical Dr. Sinistrari, who wishes to return the day of Dark Lore to Earth. Susie, a rebel and apprentice witch, tries to stem the tide of darkness, and her path through the Two Worlds is filled with dangerous, humorous, and exciting events. The wordplays may bother some readers, who also may prefer their witches straight, with no realistic touches thrown in. I prefer witches who stick to their brooms and cauldrons, but you may want to try it. LDP
From Something About the Author, v. 116:
Lovejoy's The Rebel Witch stars a bright young apprentice who must rescue her teacher, Madame Mengo, from the evil pursuit of Professor Sinistrari. Stealing a magic wand, Suzie disappears into the Veneficon, or witch world, embarking on a terrifying adventure filled with sorcerers, circus people, and an amphibian creature named Wumpo.
Cathy,This could be it! Oh, my gosh! I'm going to try and find a copy!
Jessica wrote: "Cathy,This could be it! Oh, my gosh! I'm going to try and find a copy!"
Jessica, I hope it's the book. Please return and let us know. Thanks.
I wish I had a "dress that was purple and red and black with bats embroidered on it"!
I still have not been able to locate a copy of this book to figure out for sure if it's the one I'm after. Sorry!
Jessica, are you looking to purchase a copy? Amazon has some fairly inexpensive copies:http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listin...
Thanks, Angela! I'm looking into getting one now. The first time I checked, there were only the first edition, $25+ copies. I didn't want to pay that much for something I wasn't sure was the right book. But $3? Much better!
You're welcome! Hope it's the book you've been looking for!
Mod
Yes! It is! I'm sorry, I forgot to move this to Solved. Could you do it for me? I'm such a dummy about this stuff!
