Simon & Schuster is stirring up a witch’s brew of books with the release of Heidi Heckelbeck, a chapter book series starring an eight-year-old witch whose appearance provides Junie B. Jones and Judy Moody fans with a new alternative. The first two titles in the series were published earlier this month, to be followed by two additional books each for summer and fall.

“We found there really weren’t a lot of chapter books for five-to-seven-year-olds, and we wanted to create a series for kids who had graduated from easy readers," explains Sonali Fry, editorial director at Little Simon, who is editing the books. The idea for the series arose from a desire to create a compelling new character for younger readers; Little Simon developed the concepts, characters and storylines before a writer, Wanda Coven, was contracted.

After brainstorming about how to make Heidi distinct and fresh, the Little Simon team opted for a witch angle. “We didn’t see anything out there for our target audience with this theme and it provided a premise for some great storylines,” Fry explains. The chapter book format was designed specifically for newly minted independent readers, featuring wider margins, large type size and shorter chapters.

Besides being a witch, Heidi has other distinguishing characteristics. She is not a girly-girl, but instead is rather tough and resilient, and is unique in her style of dress. On the first day of school, she opts for a jean jacket and her signature black-and-white tights. “She stays away from pinks and purples,” says Fry, adding that Heidi is “a bit edgier” than comparable heroines. “The fact that she’s a witch gives us some whimsy to play with. It lets us bring a piece of magic to that younger reader.”

And though Heidi’s superpowers as a witch come into play during the storylines, she faces a lot of the same challenges as other eight-year-olds, which helps create broader appeal. In the first book, Heidi Heckelbeck Has a Secret, she is attending school for the first time – and in the middle of the year – after being homeschooled. She may be a witch, but Heidi, just like other kids, must learn how to make friends and deal with a class bully.

In the second book, Heidi Heckelbeck Casts a Spell, Heidi is able to flex her witch muscles by causing the villainous Melanie Mapplethorpe to forget her lines during the class play. “Heidi does cast some spells, but they are never malicious – only lighthearted,” Fry says, likening Heidi’s sense of humor to television’s Bewitched and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.

When Heidi Heckelbeck was introduced pre-publication to a group of mom bloggers last fall, the books received a warm reception. “There was a lot of excitement for that early chapter field,” says Julie Christopher, senior marketing manager for licensed and novelty publishing at Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing. “The books have lots of illustrations, which are perfect for girls who are reading, but not quite ready to move on to denser books,” she says. “Moms loved the storylines, too.”

Since the official launch on January 3, the books have been promoted at retail via displays and carton pack options for both mass and independent sellers. Simon & Schuster also has created a dedicated Web site with blog posts updated every other week and new downloadable activities to be added with the publication of each book. “We may do something fun on the site for Halloween, but right now, we’ll probably add some more online assets as the series grows,“ says Christopher. From January 9-16, a Reading Hub Takeover took place on Funbrain.com, an education Web site for kids and teachers. According to Christopher, the hub was expected to garner at least 2.2 million impressions; Internet participants were targeted at girls ages 5-7.

To supplement these marketing endeavors in school libraries, Simon & Schuster is creating a promotional item for spring educator nights, and Christopher will be presenting the series at ALA Midwinter this coming weekend. “Heidi is a new option for a fresh series,” she says. “We’ve received a terrific response from retail so far. It’s a new series that speaks for itself.”

The series will continue with two additional titles this summer (Heidi Heckelbeck and the Cookie Contest and Heidi Heckelbeck in Disguise) and two more (Heidi Heckelbeck Gets Glasses and Heidi Heckelbeck and the Secret Admirer) due in the fall.

Heidi Heckelbeck Has a Secret by Wanda Coven, illus. by Priscilla Burris. Little Simon, paper $4.99 (Jan.) ISBN 978-1-4424-3565-0
Heidi Heckelbeck Casts a Spell by Wanda Coven, illus. by Priscilla Burris. Little Simon, paper $4.99 (Jan.) ISBN 978-1-4424-3567-4