A Reluctant Witch’s Guide to Magic

For many years, the Ordinary Folk of the Island of Dreary have been caught between the two factions of the Witch War, occasionally becoming victims of wayward spells. Among those innocent bystanders is Willa Birdwhistle, “bold and unruly and headstrong” and portrayed on the book’s cover as white, who lost her parents a year earlier to a stray curse. When she suddenly manifests magic on her 12th birthday, both covens lay claim to her, noting that should Willa not choose one by her 13th birthday, she’ll explode. She’s subsequently instructed in the ways of each coven: the “serene but vague” Silverclaws who rarely speak, never cut their hair or nails, and cast spells through dance, and the cruel Irontongues, “hairless, warty, and green,” whose magic relies on tongue-twisting incantations. As the Witch War heats up, Willa works to understand her abilities and choose her destiny, though neither coven appeals to her. Juxtaposing Willa’s earnest internal growth with an absurd and bureaucratic magical realm, Plozza (The Boy, the Wolf, and the Stars) creates a sense of alienation in the tween, even as she establishes new bonds, in this offbeat read with an archetypal heroine. Ages 8–12. Agent: Katelyn Detweiler, Jill Grinberg Literary. (July)