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Reviewed by:
  • Backyard Witch: Sadie’s Story by Christine Heppermann
  • Kate Quealy-Gainer
Heppermann, Christine Backyard Witch: Sadie’s Story; by Christine Heppermann and Ron Koertge; illus. by Deborah Marcero. Greenwillow, 2015 [176p]
ISBN 978-0-06-233838-9 $16.99
Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 2-4

Sadie’s best friends head off to Moose Head Lake (or Moose Butt Lake, as Sadie now refers to it) for a vacation with their families, and Sadie is left behind, bored, lonely, and plenty resentful. Then, however, she encounters a witch who has apparently moved into the old plastic playhouse in Sadie’s backyard. The witch, Ms. M, sports the usual black dress and pointy hat, but her brand of magic isn’t so much eye of newt, toe of frog as it is about finding enchantment in the world around her. With her help, Sadie begins to see magic in the everyday; Ms. M’s “life lists” and birdwatching hobby sparks Sadie’s own contemplation of her likes and dislikes and her identity when she’s without her friends. Ms. M’s quirkiness and Sadie’s immediate likability offset what could have been a heavy-handed message about finding oneself, and their cheerful banter keeps the story light and airy. Sadie’s simultaneous missing of her friends and wishing them an awful vacation is spot on for the age group. Black and white illustrations featuring a multicultural cast pepper the text, complementing the story’s humor. Accessible language, a straightforward plot, brief chapters, and a charming protagonist put this right within the range of transitional readers.

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