The Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams

Author: Rhonda Hayter

Publisher: Dial (April 2010)
Pages: 242
Ages: 9 to 12 years old
Source: ARC won in a contest

As part of the 2010 Debut Authors challenge being hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren, I made a list of new releases that I was interested in reading. A few weeks ago, debut author Joelle Anthony had a contest on her blog to win a copy of the ARC of The Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams by Rhonda Hayter. Since it was one of the books on my list, I entered the contest and as luck would have it I won. It also turns out that author lives not far from me and I was able to attend the launch party/book signing for The Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams. Here is a picture of Rhonda signing her book. I am not so sure who was more excited Rhonda or her husband (standing proudly behind her).

The Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams tells the story of Abbie Adams who comes from a long line of witches. Though being a witch has some advantages, there are many challenges such as not letting people find out about her powers or keeping her six year old brother from biting the teacher when he morphs into a werewolf when he became angry. When Abbie's father brings home a small black kitten, she notices something strange. The cat is actually Thomas Edison as a boy who was turned into enchanted by another witch. As Abbie and her family attempt to undo the spell and return Tom back to his time period before the time continuum is permanently altered, Abbie still has to deal with her classroom teacher, homework, and learning her lines for the school play.

Hayter has created very likable characters in Abbie and her family. Readers will relate to Abbie's every day struggles with being nervous about her performance in the school play, being sent to the office for getting into trouble in class, or forgetting to study for her spelling test. The history about Thomas Edison is neatly woven into the story and Abbie's and Tom's friendship is wonderfully portrayed. Children will also enjoy all of the magic that is used by all of Abbie's family and friends as they attempt to discover who turned Tom into a cat and right the wrong.

Rhonda Hayter's debut novel is an enjoyable read that will entertain even reluctant readers.

-Aly