The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children Book

Grade Level: 4-6 Age Level: 9-11 Listening Level: 4-6

When Sol and Connie Blink move to Grand Creek, one of the first people to welcome them is an odd older woman, Fay Holaderry, and her friendly dog, Swift, who carries a very strange bone in his mouth. Sol knows a lot more than the average eleven-year-old, so when he identifies the bone as a human femur, he and Connie begin to wonder if their new neighbor is up to no good.
In a spine-tingling adventure that makes them think twice about whom they can trust, Sol and Connie discover that solving mysteries can be a dangerous game — even for skilled junior sleuths.

Publishers Weekly

McGowan makes a strong debut with this contemporary recasting of Hansel and Gretel, starring 11-year-old Sol and eight-year-old Connie Blink. Based on the notion that today’s parents could be tempted to deliver their children into the hands of a cannibalistic witch, the story relies on Sol’s intelligence, scientific acuity and talent for research, as well as Connie’s subtle cunning, deviousness and confidence in Sol, to defeat their parents’ plot—and, eventually, the witch. A spine-chillingly humorous opening by the witch—“Derek was a great disappointment to his parents. He didn’t disappoint me, though... baked with secret ingredients, and served with my very yummy, homemade key lime pie”—alerts readers to the upcoming dangers; the later revelation (again, for readers only) that Mr. and Mrs. Blink are not who they seem adds further suspense. Tanaka’s sophisticated shaded-pencil drawings, presented in full-page bleeds and plentiful spot illustrations, create a disturbing, mysterious aura and enhance the sense of danger. Shades of Roald Dahl and Lemony Snicket hover over McGowan’s tale, but up-to-date touches such as cellphones and the Internet make it especially accessible and appealing for thrill-seeking readers. Ages 9–12. (Sept.)