The Misadventures of Salem Hyde, Book 1: Spelling Trouble

Salem Hyde just isnand#8217;t like other kids. For one thing, sheand#8217;s stubborn, independent, and impulsive. For another, sheand#8217;s a witch. Salem acts first and thinks laterand#151;which means most of her thinking involves coming up with excuses!

Good thing sheand#8217;s been assigned an animal companion, Lord Percival J. Whamsford III. This over-anxious cat doesnand#8217;t like Salem calling him and#147;Whammy,and#8221; and Salem doesnand#8217;t like listening to his long-winded explanations as to why she shouldnand#8217;t do something . . . like enter the class spelling bee.

Salem knows she can beat all her classmates at spells, no problem. Too late, she realizes the competition is about spelling words, not magic. And thereand#8217;s nothing like a misspelled spell to cause all kinds of havoc! and#160;

Praise for The Misadventures of Salem Hyde: Book One

STARRED REVIEWS

"A fledgling witch receives necessary guidance from a talking cat in this utterly adorable page-turnerand#133; A delightful buddy story and an auspicious series opener; be sure to make room on shelves for Salem and Whammy."

and#151;Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Itand#8217;s just about the perfect story for comics-loving fathers to read with their comics-loving daughters."

and#151;Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Cammuso evokes both the sarcastic spunk and gentle warmth of Calvin and Hobbes in this humorous tale of unlikely pals."

and#151;The Bulletin of The Center for Children's Books

"Young readers will eat up Cammusoand#8217;s (Ottoand#8217;s Orange Day, 2008) action-packed panels, full of cartoonish antics, silly puns, and playful slapstick humor."

and#151;Booklist

"The humor, appealing artwork, and underlying message of friendship will attract readers."

and#151;Library Media Connection

andquot;Fans of the likes of and#39;Calvin and Hobbesand#39; will inhale this comic stripandndash;style graphic novel series. Mischievous and impulsive, Salem is a Calvin-esque heroine for the next generation, and the book is pure gleeful fun, laced with heart and some food for thought.andquot;

Young witch Salem Hyde needs an idea for her science project, and she needs it fast. While on a field trip to the Natural History Museum, Salem decides that dinosaurs are the perfect answer. She uses magic to cut corners but finds that her efforts have disastrous results when the egg she brings home hatches during the night. Good thing Whammy is there to help Salem keep the baby dinosaur out of trouble and clean up this magical mess! Salem and Whammy are an irresistible duo in a book perfect for the youngest independent readers.

When Salemandrsquo;s school puts on an ice pageant during winter break, our reluctant witch is determined to be a snow angel. But thereandrsquo;s one problem: Salem doesnandrsquo;t know how to skate. So instead of preparing for the Frosty Follies, sheandrsquo;s stuck babysitting her neighborandrsquo;s son, Fergus. Just when Salem thinks her winter break is ruined, sheandrsquo;s offered the part of a snow angel. Now she just has to figure out how to balance her responsibilities and learn to skate before the big show. With a little magical help and some advice from the overanxious cat Whammy, Salem is sure she can get everything done . . . unless it all snowballs out of control first!

Frank Cammuso is an Eisner-nominated cartoonist, the creator of the popular middle school graphic novel series Knights of the Lunch Table, and the illustrator of several beginning-reader graphic books, including Ottoandrsquo;s Orange Day for TOON Books. He lives in Syracuse, New York.