The sixth graders at Extraordinary are disappointed to learn that their school trip to a creepy castle is less of a vacation and more of a lesson in teamwork. And is the castle HAUNTED?
Bea is SO excited to be on a field trip to Cadabra Castle—it’s the SPOOKIEST castle she's EVER seen! She can’t wait to explore somewhere new with her classmates. But the principal, Ms. Sparks, has other plans—apparently the trip isn’t a vacation, but rather a chance for the students to improve their teamwork. And even scarier for Bea than having to team up with bossy Blair are the rumors that the castle is haunted. But ghosts aren’t real…are they? With black-and-white illustrations throughout.
Told through Bea's diary entries, the Diary of an Accidental Witch series invites readers to follow Bea on a humorous journey of self-discovery as she learns where she truly belongs.
Gr 2-4–Bea Black is on a school trip to Cadabra Castle, and she and her friends are expecting a magical time—they are witches, after all. Their first activity is a scavenger hunt, where they must learn to work together and get along. Later, they discover the castle is haunted by a ghost, and Bea is teamed up with Blaire, who she does not get along with. The story is structured like a diary, but the frequent, short entries—sometimes just minutes apart—make it feel choppy. A more cohesive approach with one or two entries per day summarizing events would have improved the flow. Additionally, many pages include footnotes that are quite small; integrating them into the main text with a different font or emphasis could have made them easier to follow. Black-and-white doodle-style illustrations appear on every page, adding personality and energy to the story. The magical adventure is engaging, and the characters feel relatable, making this a fun read despite its structural drawbacks. VERDICT A fine purchase for large libraries and where magical books are especially popular. --School Library Journal
Perdita Cargill is the mother half of a mother/daughter writing partnership and co-author of the series Waiting for Callback. Originally from the Scottish Highlands, Perdita spent many years as a lawyer before turning to writing fiction. She lives in London.
View titles by Perdita Cargill
Honor Cargill is the daughter half of a mother/daughter writing partnership and co-author of the series Waiting for Callback. She is working on fiction and nonfiction writing projects and studying for a masters degree at the Courtauld Institute of Art.
View titles by Honor Cargill
Katie Saunders knew she wanted to be an illustrator when she had a picture published in Twinkie Magazine at age five. She lives in Kent with her partner, two children, two cats, and a crazy sausage dog named Rolo.
View titles by Katie Saunders
The sixth graders at Extraordinary are disappointed to learn that their school trip to a creepy castle is less of a vacation and more of a lesson in teamwork. And is the castle HAUNTED?
Bea is SO excited to be on a field trip to Cadabra Castle—it’s the SPOOKIEST castle she's EVER seen! She can’t wait to explore somewhere new with her classmates. But the principal, Ms. Sparks, has other plans—apparently the trip isn’t a vacation, but rather a chance for the students to improve their teamwork. And even scarier for Bea than having to team up with bossy Blair are the rumors that the castle is haunted. But ghosts aren’t real…are they? With black-and-white illustrations throughout.
Told through Bea's diary entries, the Diary of an Accidental Witch series invites readers to follow Bea on a humorous journey of self-discovery as she learns where she truly belongs.
Praise
Gr 2-4–Bea Black is on a school trip to Cadabra Castle, and she and her friends are expecting a magical time—they are witches, after all. Their first activity is a scavenger hunt, where they must learn to work together and get along. Later, they discover the castle is haunted by a ghost, and Bea is teamed up with Blaire, who she does not get along with. The story is structured like a diary, but the frequent, short entries—sometimes just minutes apart—make it feel choppy. A more cohesive approach with one or two entries per day summarizing events would have improved the flow. Additionally, many pages include footnotes that are quite small; integrating them into the main text with a different font or emphasis could have made them easier to follow. Black-and-white doodle-style illustrations appear on every page, adding personality and energy to the story. The magical adventure is engaging, and the characters feel relatable, making this a fun read despite its structural drawbacks. VERDICT A fine purchase for large libraries and where magical books are especially popular. --School Library Journal
Author
Perdita Cargill is the mother half of a mother/daughter writing partnership and co-author of the series Waiting for Callback. Originally from the Scottish Highlands, Perdita spent many years as a lawyer before turning to writing fiction. She lives in London.
View titles by Perdita Cargill
Honor Cargill is the daughter half of a mother/daughter writing partnership and co-author of the series Waiting for Callback. She is working on fiction and nonfiction writing projects and studying for a masters degree at the Courtauld Institute of Art.
View titles by Honor Cargill
Katie Saunders knew she wanted to be an illustrator when she had a picture published in Twinkie Magazine at age five. She lives in Kent with her partner, two children, two cats, and a crazy sausage dog named Rolo.
View titles by Katie Saunders
