Bewitching
The Kendra Chronicles
Fantasy, Young Adult
Harper Teen
February 14th, 2012
336 pages
THE STORY:
Thirteen year old Emma was used to living a comfortable life with her step-dad and her mother until her stepsister Lisette moves in with them because Lisette’s mother died. Upon meeting her new stepsister, Emma is convinced that Lisette is a good-natured person and that they would instantly become best friends, but when Lisette begins to spend more time with Emma’s step-dad and the popular crowd at school, Emma discovers that Lisette is not the person who she thought she was. Lisette starts to cause other people to pity her because of her dead mother to get what she wants, which prompts Emma’s step-dad to spend more time with her than Emma. Emma becomes so frustrated to the point where she destroys an arts-and-crafts project that Lisette and her step-dad had created together, but since Lisette had secretly filmed the scene, Lisette uses the footage as leverage so that Emma could do her bidding. With no one to turn to since Emma has no friends, Emma ends up suffering her stepsister’s cruelty alone. However, later in the school year, Emma befriends Kendra, the new girl at school. Kendra is secretly a 300 year old witch, and Kendra feels conflicted with herself about whether to help Emma or not, due to the situations she tried to help with in the past. Kendra eventually decides to help Emma find a way to get revenge on her stepsister and get back the life Kendra feels Emma deserves.
MY OPINION:
Throughout the book, I felt that the author’s word choice was very weak, and I rarely came across unfamiliar words, so I would recommend this book for children around fifth to sixth grade. Also, the book is a coming-of-age story and revolves around teen romance, therefore material did not appeal to me much, and I would probably not choose to reread this story. However, one of the strengths of the book is that it is very relatable because the story follows the perspective of a teenager struggling with bullying from their sibling and classmates, which expands the amount of readers because this problem occurs around the world. In addition, the switching viewpoints of Emma and Kendra’s anecdotes from her past predicaments were very interesting to read because the story compares two different personalities of the main characters and keeps the reader engaged into the story. In conclusion, I would rate this book a seven out of ten stars.
STUDY QUESTIONS AND VOCABULARY:
FIRST SECTION
1. What was the gingerbread house made of?
1a. Children (pg. 16)
2. What is the only way a witch can die?
2a. Fire (pg.26)
3. Who is Emma’s new stepsister?
3a. Lisette (pg. 53)
4. Why did “Lizzie” move in with Emma?
4a. Her mom died, and Lisette was originally Emma’s stepfather’s child. (pg. 53)
5. Who does Lisseth hang out with on the first day school?
5a. Courtney and her group of friends (pg. 78)
eaves (pg. 7)
harlots (pg. 20)
strident (pg. 24)
coven (pg. 104)
cynical (pg. 109)
MIDDLE SECTION
6. What does Emma name the escaped rat?
6a. Runaway Ralph (pg. 166)
7. Who is the new member of the newspaper club?
7a. Warner (pg. 168)
8. Whose house does Warner take Emma to as a date?
8a. Brendan’s house (pg. 178)
9. Why did Emma not attend the cast party?
9a. Her dad had a heart attack (pg. 208)
10. What does Emma’s mom do the day after Emma’s stepdad dies?
10a. Her mom moves all of Lisette’s belongings into the guest bedroom. She also makes Lisette act like a servant. (pg. 210-211)
extortion (pg. 119)
twangy (pg. 199)
cantankerous (pg. 218)
fortuitous (pg. 218)
debarking (pg. 218)
LAST SECTION
11. From who did Emma’s mom receive the Travis Beecher party invitation?
11a. One of Emma’s dad’s clients (pg. 289)
12. What does Doria exchange to Kendra for legs?
12a. Her voice (pg. 243-244)
13. How does Doria kill herself?
13a. She opens the oven, turns the knob, and forgets to light the match, which kills her because of the poisonous gas smell. (pg. 267)
14. What is Emma’s plan to get Warner back?
14a. Lisette would attend the party and Warner would go along with her and see her true self. (pg. 310)
15. Where does Travis invite Emma to film his new movie?
15a. Italy (pg. 337)
impertinent (pg. 236)
tomes (pg. 240)
ruffians (pg. 240)
serendipity (pg. 283)
cognizant (pg. 307)