MCDS LRC
  • Home
    • Summer Reading >
      • k & 1st Summer Reading
      • 2nd & 3rd Summer Reading
      • 4th Summer Reading
      • 5th Summer Reading
      • 6th Summer Reading
      • 7th Summer Reading
      • 8th Summer Reading
  • Blogs
    • Librarian Picks
    • Student Picks >
      • Submit Reviews
  • New Books
  • Resources
    • Black Lives Matter
    • Distance Learning Resources
    • Databases
    • Student Resources by Grade >
      • 3rd Grade
      • 5th Grade
      • 7th grade
      • 8th Writing
      • 8th American Decades
      • Kelli Rice Spanish Resources
    • Building Info
    • Community Connections 365
    • Volunteer Resources >
      • Access Follet Library Software
      • Check In books
      • Check Out Books
  • Lower School
  • Upper School
  • Parent & Teacher

MCDS Library

Overdrive/Sora (eBooks)
Databases 
Library Catalog
Blog
Librarian Picks (Favorite Books)
Student Picks
Lower School Corner
Upper School Corner
​Parent & Teacher Corner
New Books by Genre
Distance Learning

​

e-mail the librarians

Recent Witch Books

10/19/2011

 
With Halloween around the corner I find myself drawn to books on witches.  Here are a few new books on the subject that I've read and enjoyed recently:
Picture
Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor (YA F Okorafor)
"Akata Witch!" Sunny was used to the taunt, but that didn't make it sting any less. As an albino who spent the first nine years of her life in America, Sunny was used to not fitting in with her Nigerian classmates, but she had no idea how different she was until she saw the end of the world in a candle's flame and discovered  that she really did have magical powers.  In Nigeria, those with magical abilities are called Leopard People and at first Sunny doesn't know what to make of their world.  Among Leopard People what sets you apart is what gives you strength and because Sunny is so different she is also very powerful.  At first her abilities and the new world they show her are thrilling, but before long she realizes that with her powers come a price and for every benefit the Leopard People have to offer there is a hidden danger.

I loved the world of magic that Okorafor creates in this novel where money is earned through knowledge and the librarian is one of the most powerful witches in town.  Imaginative touches such as a wasp artist that stings you if you do not praise its work enough surprised and delighted me. 

Picture
Reckless by Cornelia Funke (YA F Funke)
Of the two Reckless brothers, Jacob was always the one who lived up to the family name.  Ever since he discovered the world behind the mirror he's made Reckless into his job description as he travels the fairy-tale world hunting for treasures.  A comb that turns you into a crow will fetch a high price, if you can escape the witch that  it belongs to and live to collect your reward.  Will never knew about the world his brother disappeared to, until one day when Will discovers his secret and follows him in, only to fall victim to a fairy's curse that is slowly turning him to stone.  Now the clock is ticking and Jacob will have to use everything he's learned in his travels if he wants to save Will.  He never imagined that his own brother's life would end up being the most dangerous treasure he's ever sought.

I have always been a fan of new twists on classic fairy tales and this dark fairy tale world is a perfect setting to loose yourself in on Halloween. 

Picture
Witches! The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem by Rosalyn Schanzer (133.4 SC)
In the winter of 1692 two girls began to twitch and choke and twist their bodies into odd configurations on the floor as snow piled high outside their home.  Their parents tried every remedy, but the symptoms prevailed.  When a doctor was finally called to examine them his diagnosis was that the girls were bewitched.  The original cause of the girls’ symptoms remains unknown to this day.  What is known is that the girls’ strange behavior set off a case of witch-hunt fever that would turn neighbors against each other and result in the loss of innocent lives and ruin many others.    The Salem Witch Trials are an iconic chapter of American history and its name has been evoked in modern times to point out our folly when suspicions cause us to turn against each other.  But what really happened in Salem in 1692?  Will we ever be able to learn the lessons this dark period of history has to teach us, or will we be forever doomed to repeat it?

This serves as a sobering reminder of what happened to some of the men and women who were accused of being witches. Shanzer takes the facts and presents them clearly and concisely.  The woodcut illustrations in black, white, and red are superb and depict the grizzly, imaginative scenes described well.

Picture
Only a Witch Can Fly by Alison McGhee (E MCG)
A girl comes home from trick-or-treating on Halloween and decides, she will fly.  After a couple of failed attempts she finally takes off into the sky. 

This picture book, written in the form of a sestina, address the reader directly to involve them in this charming flight of the imagination.  The linoleum block illustrations and limited color palate add a distinctive look to the story and complement the sparse text perfectly.


Comments are closed.

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    African Americans
    African Americans
    Apps
    Authors
    Biography
    Creativity
    Current Display
    Current Display
    Digital Literacy
    English
    Events
    Folktales
    Gender
    History
    In Focus
    Infographics
    Innovation
    In The News
    Library Class
    Monthly Reports
    Monthly Reports
    New Books
    Newsletters
    Peace
    Poetry
    Professional
    Roundups
    Science
    Staff Picks
    Tech
    @the Lrc
    @the Lrc
    This Week In History
    Writing

    Archives

    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011

Library Blog

Librarian Picks

Databases

Lower School Corner

Upper School Corner

Parent & Teacher Corner