Synopses & Reviews
Friendship is the most powerful magic of all.
An instant New York Times bestseller from the Pura Belpr Award-winning author of Frizzy Disney's The Owl House meets Nevermoor in a brilliant and magical adventure from Claribel A. Ortega
Every year, in the magical town of Ravenskill, Witchlings who participate in the Black Moon Ceremony are placed into covens and come into their powers as full-fledged witches.
And twelve-year-old Seven Salazar can't wait to be placed in the most powerful coven with her best friend But on the night of the ceremony, in front of the entire town, Seven isn't placed in one of the five covens. She's a Spare
Spare covens have fewer witches, are less powerful, and are looked down on by everyone. Even worse, when Seven and the other two Spares perform the magic circle to seal their coven and cement themselves as sisters, it doesn't work They're stuck as Witchlings--and will never be able to perform powerful magic.
Seven invokes her only option: the impossible task. The three Spares will be assigned an impossible task: If they work together and succeed at it, their coven will be sealed and they'll gain their full powers. If they fail... Well, the last coven to make the attempt ended up being turned into toads. Forever.
But maybe friendship can be the most powerful magic of all...
With action-packed adventure, a coven of quirky witchlings, Claribel A. Ortega's signature humor, and girl-power vibes, you won't be able to put down this middle-grade Latine witch story, perfect for fans of Amari and the Night Brothers or Harry Potter.
Review
"A peppering of pop culture references add humor, but it's the personal touches, such as Lucely's opinionated, ever-present ancestors; her dedication to those she loves; and an emphasis on Latinx food, love, and folklore, that gives this debut its distinctive spirit." — Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
Review
"It's the Ghostbusters meets Jane the Virgin mashup we didn't know we needed." — Book Riot
About the Author
Claribel A. Ortega,
New York Times bestselling author of
Ghost Squad and
Witchlings, and Pura Belpré Award winning author of the graphic novel
Frizzy, is a former reporter who writes middle grade and young adult fantasy inspired by her Dominican heritage. When she's not busy turning her obsession with eighties pop culture, magic, and video games into books, she's cohosting her podcasts
Write or Die and
Bad Author Book Club and helping authors navigate publishing with her consulting business, GIFGRRL. Claribel has been featured on BuzzFeed, NPR,
Good Morning America, and
Deadline.
You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok at @Claribel_Ortega and on her website at claribelortega.com.