THE WITCHES OF HOPPER STREET

by Linda Gondosch ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1986

Kelly McCoy of Who Needs a Bratty Brother? returns, once again plotting and planning, in an innocuously amusing story. Rae Jean Greeley is giving a Halloween Party to which Kelly and two friends, Adelaide and Jennifer, are not invited; and Rae Jean's cat has killed Kelly's pet parakeet. Kelly forms a coven with Adelaide, Jennifer and, under duress, her brother Ben and his friend Buster, to cast a spell to hex Rae Jean's party. But what with having to substitute 20th-century ingredients (breakfast cereal for golden grain; diefenbachia for belladonna) for ancient spells, there is a notable lack of success. All is predictably resolved when they crash Rae Jean's party as fortune tellers and discover that most of their problems have been misunderstandings. This promises more than it delivers. The plot is not well constructed. Incidents are shoehorned in because they might be amusing; climaxes are muffed; characterizations are minimal and predictable. Still, Gondosch has a nice flair for dialogue and concrete detail, and children will recognize many incidents as familiar to their own families and friends. Mediocre, but a mild entertainment for the Undiscriminating.

Pub Date: April 1, 1986

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 118

Publisher: Lodestar/Dutton

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1986

Categories: FICTION