Thursday, July 23, 2015

Sadie's Story by Christine Heppermann and Ron Koertge -- ADVISABLE

Heppermann, Christine and Ron Koertge Sadie's Story (Backyard Witch #1), illustrated by Deborah Marcero. Greenwillow Books (HarperCollins), 2015. $16.99. Contents: G.

When Sadie looks into her backyard one day, she notices that her play house is emitting smoke. Convinced it's on fire, she rushes out to take a look -- only to discover that a witch has taken up residence and is cooking lunch in there. The witch isn't just wandering, though; she's on a mission to help her best friend, who accidentally turned herself into a bird before flying off. Sadie and Ms. M. team up, hoping they can find the errant witch in a world that suddenly feels filled with birds. But with Sadie going through friendship troubles of her own, and her parents attempting to sell the play house right out from under Ms. M., bird-watching isn't the only thing on their minds.

Sadie and Ms. M's teamwork is sweet, with plenty of humorous incidents and enough unpredictability to keep kids guessing. A few animal-loving readers may even pick up Ms. M's bird-watching habit after seeing it through Sadie's eyes. While there's some wrap-up, this is clearly the beginning of a series.

EL (K-3) -- ADVISABLE. Reviewer: Caryn

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