Witches Brew

Pat Galloway is the resource librarian for the Toronto & District Parent
Co-operative Preschool Corporation.

The scary plot of the book that Poppy is reading in the park suddenly
seems all too familiar. Poppy gets a powerful feeling that something
awful is going to happen to her. Mesmerized by a mysterious black cat,
she follows it to a ruined old house. The situation she finds there
calls for diplomacy and sensitivity. Whether her premonition is
fulfilled or her sensitivity carries the day is the theme of this
whimsical work for 7- to 9-year-olds, entitled Sourciиre dans la soupe
in the original French.

Young readers will undoubtedly enjoy the premise behind the quirky
plot. Phillipe Germain’s witty illustrations add a nice touch of the
absurd. Unfortunately, while the format is suitable for beginner
readers, with short sentences and chapters, the vocabulary is not
consistently at this level. On the other hand, more advanced readers
will find that Witches Brew promises but never quite delivers a
well-developed and suspenseful plot. The text, in its translation from
the French, comes across as stilted and choppy.

This book was a light, fast read for my 9-year-old daughter, who found
it moderately enjoyable. A young reader who is searching for a
substantial and scary tale of witches and black cats, however, will not
find it here. Recommended with reservations.