Younger fans of witches, adventure and lots of trouble will enjoy this roller coaster offering by new author Lauren Crozier.
Feature image credit: Text Publishing
Readers will immediately be attracted to the cover of this new middle years’ novel about witches. A stunning purple and yellow cover with gold embellishments of a young witch and an owl flying over Paris promises exciting things to come. Before it was even published, Lauren Crozier won the Text Prize for this debut novel.
The Best Witch in Paris is the story of a young witch, Luna, who lives with her three adopted aunts in Paris. She was found as a baby under a tree and has been attending witch school in the witch’s quarter in Paris. Luna has just arrived back to Paris after a long trip from Australia on her battered broom, where she has exchanged her moonstone ring for a tiny Australian boobook owl. She hopes the owl will agree to be her familiar.
Luna has a broom, which often crashes, a wand, and a witch’s hat, and is able to cast spells but she is not really sure she is actually a witch. She does not know who her parents were and why she was left under a tree. To make matters worse, Madame Valadon, the very scary Best Witch in Paris and Head of the Magic Council, is insisting that the boobook actually belongs to her.
And so, Luna must set out to prove where the owl came from and why Madame Valadon is so desperate to get her hands on it. Luna is helped along the way by good friends, teachers and some very kind ghosts.
The Best Witch in Paris is a lovely story about finding your place in the world, discovering who your friends and family really are, and especially being brave. The reader is kept guessing until the very end as Luna unravels mystery after mystery. Because the story moves between Paris and Melbourne and an Australian bird is at the centre of the mystery, Crozier has made sure Aussie kids can feel a sense of place and possibility.
With 19 chapters and nearly 300 pages, it is slightly longer than the usual books for this age group, but it never gets bogged down and repetitive. It will give the child a sense of accomplishment when it is completed. There are some poignant moments, especially when Luna is surprised by those who are willing to help her, and some funny, laugh-out-loud moments as well.
There are quite a few books for this age group on the market at the moment, but The Best Witch in Paris sits well and holds its own in their company. Maybe there may be more adventures in store for Luna and her friends in the future.
Reviewed by Sue Mauger
The views expressed in this review belong to the author and not Glam Adelaide, its affiliates, or employees.
Distributed by: Text Publishing
Released: September 2024
RRP: $17.99
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