Backyard Witch: Maya's Story

Reviewed by: Jill O'Connor - Harriet Beecher Stowe Elementary School, Brunswick, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: October 11, 2017

Review

The third collaboration between Heppermann and Ron Koertge, this volume of the Backyard Witch series focuses on Maya and her struggle after losing the spelling bee to one of her best friends, Sadie. Maya's identity is tied to her spelling success, so losing makes her sad and causes her to question who she is without the "best speller" moniker. Cue Ms. M, the Backyard Witch of the title - though this time she shows up as the substitute librarian. Ms. M distracts Maya with a ghostly mystery in the library and, through helping Ms. M solve the mystery, a bit of quiet kindness to her brother, and the magic of some mnemonics, Maya does get past the hurt of losing and recognizes that she can try again in next year's spelling bee. Short chapters, age-appropriate vocabulary, and a message that doesn't hit the reader over the head make this book a hit. It should be shared with 2nd/3rd grader readers. The entire series is worth investing in; hopefully, there will be a fourth book.

Overall Book Score: very good