Milo doesn’t like it when unexpected things happen, so sometimes it’s hard to be the adopted child of two people who run a smuggler’s hotel. But when several guests show up unexpectedly near Christmas, they all seem mysteriously connected, even though they don’t know each other. A role-playing game with a friend helps Milo set aside his worries and satisfy his curiosity about the guests and their interest in his very old house and its secrets.
Author: Kate Milford
Ages: 9 – 12
Main character(s): boy
Part of a series: no
Where: A fictional world like Eastern Canada
When: present day
Like Roald Dahl, Eva Ibbotson writes books in which some really nasty things can happen, sometimes even to good people. In Which Witch? the orphan Terence has to witness some very black magic in order to help white witch Belladona. The handsome wizard Arriman has announced a contest: he will marry the local witch with the most sinister spell. Belladona, who can only create flowers and birds, wants nothing more than to marry the great wizard, but it seems hopeless even without some fierce and foul competition. This book actually turned my stomach at one point, but it also made me laugh out loud, so I’ve read it over and over.
Book Reviews for Kids 