Circle of Doom - Hardcover

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Grade 3-6-Fans of Hilary McKay and Helen Cresswell will love this book. The Sharp family is cursed with gloomy old neighbors. When the Potwards ruin Lizzie's birthday party, the 13-year-old decides to become a witch and "magic them to destruction." She comes up with an ingenious and practical method of potion-making, aided by her youngest brother, Max, and observed by the family skeptic, 10-year-old Dan. Amazingly, the Potwards leave the next day, never to return. Arrogant with success, Lizzie attempts a number of other spells, all of which appear to come true. But is it magic or just coincidence? Kennemore's characters are brilliantly drawn and memorably realistic. Max is lonely and feels left out but comes into his own in a remarkably satisfying way through the course of the story. Dan learns to be a better brother. Lizzie doesn't appear to learn much of anything but, as she says, she's a teenager and entitled to be stubborn. (However, it seems highly improbable that she would be totally ignorant about e-mail and so be amazed that Dan can find information for her on the Internet.) Their parents are fun and sympathetic; other adults are three-dimensional. Multiple perspectives help readers understand the characters' feelings. Kennemore's writing style is vivid and visual, showing great flair and intelligence. Archbold's whimsical sketches add wit and humor. The dynamics within this amusing family will surely make children wish they could become part of the rollicking good fun.
B. Allison Gray, South Country Library, Bellport, NY
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 4-6. As the story begins, Lizzie Sharp mixes up a disgusting potion and sprinkles it around the house of some unwanted neighbors in hopes that they will move away. To her adoring brother Max's admiration and her skeptical brother Dan's astonishment, the apparent result is an ambulance pulling up at the neighbors' house, which is soon put up for sale. Even Lizzie begins to believe that she may have magical powers. When the children turn to magic to solve other problems and achieve other goals, their motives, emotions, and secrets become increasingly entangled and the story becomes increasingly involving and amusing. Kennemore offers solid entertainment and a satisfying portrait of the Sharp family, whose members are portrayed with a pleasing mixture of empathy and wry humor. Small ink drawings at the beginning of each chapter, illustrating characters and props, help to set the tone. Children looking for light, occasionally hilarious fiction will find this British import a satisfying choice. This has read-aloud potential, too. Carolyn Phelan
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