The Witch of Woodland, Laurel Snyder
The Witch of Woodland, Laurel Snyder
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The Witch of Woodland

Author: Laurel Snyder

Narrator: Dara Rosenberg

Unabridged: 7 hr 11 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/16/2023


Synopsis

A young girl preparing for her bat mitzvah discovers she has mysterious abilities in this magical contemporary coming-of-age story from the beloved author of Orphan Island.Hi, whoever is reading this. I’m Zipporah Chava McConnell, but everyone calls me Zippy.Things used to be simple—until a few weeks ago. Now my best friend, Bea, is acting funny; everyone at school thinks I’m weird; and my mom is making me start preparing for my bat mitzvah, even though we barely ever go to synagogue. In fact, the only thing that still seems to make sense is magic.See, the thing is, I’m a witch. I’ve been casting spells since I was little. And even if no one else wants to believe in magic anymore, it’s always made sense to me, always felt true. But I was still shocked the day I found a strange red book at the library and somehow...I conjured something. A girl, actually. A beautiful girl with no memory, and wings like an angel. You probably don’t believe me, but I swear it’s the truth.Miriam is like no one else I’ve ever met. She’s proof that magic is real. And, it’s hard to explain this part, but I just know that we’re connected. That means it’s up to me to help Miriam figure out what she is and where she came from. If I can do that, maybe everything else in my life will start to make sense too.Anyway, it’s worth a try.

About Laurel Snyder

Laurel Snyder is the author of many picture books and novels for children, including National Book Award nominee Orphan Island, the Geisel Award winner Charlie & Mouse, the Sydney Taylor Award winner The Longest Night, and the National Jewish Book Award honoree The Witch of Woodland. A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, she lives in Atlanta with her family. She can be found online at laurelsnyder.com.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Jessica

This was fabulous, and went in a very different direction from what I had thought it would. It's not just a witch origin story, with a little bit of Jewishness thrown in. It's very much a "coming of age" story about a young Jewish girl who knows that she's a witch, and who is more fascinated by her......more

It took me a while to get absorbed by this story, as it starts with middle school friendship woes--one best friend wanting to leave childhood behind, the other (main character) not ready. And I found the mc a bit frustrating. But once the mc magically summons a spirit girl, the story starts roaring......more

Goodreads review by Kendra

The Witch of Woodland captivated me, as Laurel Snyder's middle grades books always do. Laurel writes characters that feel so viscerally present that I expect them to come banging through the front door of the bookstore to ask a question or pick out a book or just sit and chat with me. And Laurel's c......more

Goodreads review by Sarah

EARC provided by Edelweiss Plus Laurel Snyder does not disappoint with her latest book. It’s perfect for middle grade readers with a main character who is working through friendship problems, is growing in her family’s faith, and stumbled upon a little magic!......more