The October witches /
Material type: TextPublisher: New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2023Description: 326 pages ; 22 cmContent type:- text
- unmediated
- volume
- 9781665940528
- 1665940522
- 9781665940535
- 1665940530
- [Fic] 23
Item type | Current library | Home library | Collection | Call number | Copy number | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Standard Loan | Coeur d'Alene Library Juvenile Fiction | Coeur d'Alene Library | Book | J CLAESSE (Browse shelf(Opens below)) | 1 | Checked out | 06/04/2024 | 50610024082328 | ||
Standard Loan (Child Access) | Hayden Library Juvenile Fiction | Hayden Library | Book | CLAESSE (Browse shelf(Opens below)) | 1 | Available | 50610023971513 | |||
Standard Loan | Priest River Library Juvenile Fiction | Priest River Library | Book | JF CLAESSE (Browse shelf(Opens below)) | 1 | Available | 50610023997203 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
This sweet and enchanting middle grade fantasy novel "mixing Arthurian legend with Practical Magic and plenty of adventure" ( Booklist ) follows a young witch who must uncover the secrets of her family's past to end their long-standing internal feud.
Thirteen-year-old Clementine Merlyn lives with her mom, her aunts, and her cousin Mirabelle at Number 15 Pendragon Road. The Merlyns are a family of witches, but because of an ancient falling out with the other branch of the family, the Morgans, they only have powers for a single month of the year: October.
And this October may be the one that Clemmie gets her magic. It should be exciting, except that magic is the reason that Mirabelle never talks to her anymore, Aunt Flissie leaves at the end of every September and doesn't come back until November, and Aunt Temmie...well, is long gone. And the Merlyn bad luck takes an even worse turn this year. After a disastrous attempt by the aunts to recover their lost magic, 15 Pendragon Road is visited by the creepy and cold Morgans.
In the wake of the ensuing battle, Clemmie and Mirabelle are left on their own. With no other choice, the cousins must band together and summon their courage and magic to solve the mystery of what happened between the first Merlyn and Morgan all those centuries ago if they'll have any hope of ending this feud and getting their family back.
"Originally published in Great Britain in 2022 by UCLAN Publishing."--Title page verso.
"Thirteen-year-old Clementine Merlyn lives with her mom, her aunts, and her cousin Mirabelle at Number 15 Pendragon Road. The Merlyns are a family of witches, but because of an ancient falling out with the other branch of the family, the Morgans, they only have powers for a single month of the year: October. And this October may be the one that Clemmie gets her magic. It should be exciting, except that magic is the reason that Mirabelle never talks to her anymore, Aunt Flissie leaves at the end of every September and doesn't come back until November, and Aunt Temmie...well, is long gone. And the Merlyn bad luck takes an even worse turn this year. After a disastrous attempt by the aunts to recover their lost magic, 15 Pendragon Road is visited by the creepy and cold Morgans. In the wake of the ensuing battle, Clemmie and Mirabelle are left on their own. With no other choice, the cousins must bond together and summon their courage and magic to solve the mystery of what happened between the first Merlyn and Morgan all those centuries ago if they'll have any hope of ending this feud and getting their family back" --
Ages 8-12. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
Grades 4-6. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
Excerpt provided by Syndetics
Reviews provided by Syndetics
Booklist Review
Clementine Merlyn is nervously awaiting October's arrival. It's the month when her matriarchal household, including her mother, several aunts, and a sullen cousin, are imbued with their magical gifts, and Clemmie wonders if her powers will finally manifest. The Merlyns, distant descendants of the famous Arthurian witch, have been locked in centuries of conflict with the rival Morgan clan; both are desperate to maintain their magic year-round. Clemmie receives her powers but finds them surprisingly painful and unwieldy. She can't help wondering if magic only brings mayhem--a suspicion further confirmed by a disastrous Merlyn family magical attempt that sees the older relative spirited away by the malicious Morgans for nefarious purposes. It's up to Clemmie, her reluctant cousin, and some truly unexpected allies to unravel the Morgan/Merlyn mystery and right their extraordinary world. This clever coming-of-age story is chock-full of magic and mythology, mixing Arthurian legend with Practical Magic and plenty of adventure. A marvelous modern fantasy for any young reader in search of a little magic.Kirkus Book Review
Two witch covens vie for power, one hoping to take it all and the other to preserve it. Told in the first person, present tense by 12-year-old Clem, youngest member of the Merlyn coven, this story loosely recasts the Morgana-Merlin struggle from Arthurian legend. Although they're related, for centuries the Morgan and Merlyn covens have stayed away from each other, only meeting at midnight each Oct. 1 to access magic from the stars--magic that is available to them only for that month. The covens are different--the Morgans are power hungry while the boisterous Merlyns are home centered. The plot unfolds as a grab bag of ideas is thrown together without coming together to form a cohesive whole. The Merlyns grow a giant pumpkin in the hope of being able to harvest and store their magic after October ends; this upsets the Morgans, leading to a battle. Arthurian legend is revisited via a sword and a cave; a segue compares receiving new magic to the menstrual cycle but is not developed. And the too-much-power-is-bad theme doesn't lead to fresh insights. The characters feel one-dimensional, with singular defining characteristics hammered home repetitively and without nuance, as with Aunt Prudie's constantly shouting sentence fragments and Aunt Connie's continual reminders that time is running out. Characters read white. A mishmash of half-developed ideas. (Fantasy. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.Author notes provided by Syndetics
Jennifer Claessan was born in Reading, Berkshire, in England so, of course, grew up a bookworm. She studied literature and theatre at the University of Sheffield, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Canterbury Christ Church University, and Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. A teacher and theatre maker, Jennifer loves stories, especially for young people, whether on stage or page. Jennifer currently works in the West End, taking children to the theatre and lives in the East End with her partner, a Dutch toymaker, and their baby daughter. She loves reading, travel, and ice cream. You can find her on her yellow bike or in a red velvet seat in the stalls, applauding.There are no comments on this title.