The Witches of Willow Cove

I started this one after Halloween although it would have been even more fitting to read it during the spooky season. I received a signed copy of this book from the author as part of a giveaway and I was so excited to read it because The Witches of Willow Cove sounded like an excellent book for my 7th graders to enjoy! It was even on my list of Most Anticipated Books of 2020!

Abby is in the seventh grade when she discovers that she is a witch. She and five other girls from her school turn 13 and they suddenly have magical powers. But Abby knows she can't tell anyone about her secret--let alone her best friend, Robby. She feels like the only person she can trust is Miss Winters, a witch who arrives in town and teaches Abby and her friends all about magic. She warns them about trusting non-magical people because of what happened during the time of the Salem Witch Trials--understandable. But Abby isn't sure that it's the right thing to do when people start disappearing and she becomes more and more alienated from Robby and her other friends. She has to decide what's right for her, the other witches, and her hometown of Willow Cove. 

The characters in this book are fun, the vibe is spooky but also adventurous. And this book isn't only about magic and witches, it also illustrates topics like loyalty, friendship, young crushes, loss, and forgiveness. So many great things for young teens to enjoy!

Josh Roberts is the author of this fun spooky book after having been a travel writer. He is currently working on the sequel of the series, The Curse of Willow Cove. I look forward to reading it!

This book falls solidly in the upper-middle grade category that isn't always well represented. A lot of times protagonists are 11-12 or 16+. But we still need age-appropriate books for those kids who love reading about protagonists their age as they enter teen-hood but without all that romance and sexual tension so prevalent in YA. I love how Roberts discusses this problem on his blog here.

I've reviewed a few other books about young witches, namely These Witches Won't Burn and The Babysitter's Club. These are both examples of books about witches with slightly older protagonists and more romance. It was nice to know that I could recommend The Witches of Willow Cove to my seventh graders and not worry about the content.

I would recommend this novel to upper-middle-grade, spooky, adventurous, witch-loving readers! You can purchase a copy here.