Sadie's Story (Backyard Witch Series #1)

by Christine Heppermann, Deborah Marcero (Illustrator), Ron Koertge

Overview

A must-have for newly independent readers and fans of Ivy + Bean and Clementine! The first of a new series starring three young girls and a mysterious visitor who appears exactly when you need her—with just the right amount of magic.

Sadie has two best friends: Jess and Maya. But Jess can only take one friend on vacation with her, and Sadie is the one who gets left behind. How will Sadie ever survive the days of loneliness and boredom? But wait . . . what is that in her old playhouse in the backyard? A witch has moved in! A kind and funny witch, who’s looking for her own two lost friends. Together, Sadie and the witch have a curious adventure, one that makes Sadie see her neighborhood—and herself—with new eyes. Acclaimed authors Ron Koertge and Christine Heppermann—writing together and for younger readers for the first time—have created a heroine to rival Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and Ms. Frizzle. Short chapters, a satisfying mystery, gentle humor, magical dazzle, and adorable black-and-white illustrations throughout by debut artist Deborah Marcero make this an ideal pick for readers of Ivy + Bean, Just Grace, and Kate DiCamillo’s young novels.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062338402
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	07/21/2015
Series:	Backyard Witch Series , #1
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
Lexile:	600L (what's this?)
File size:	4 MB
Age Range:	7 - 9 Years

About the Author

Christine Heppermann is the author of Poisoned Apples: Poems for You, My Pretty, which received five starred reviews and was named to five best of the year lists in 2014, and Ask Me How I Got Here. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Highland, New York.

Deborah Marcero holds degrees in drawing and photography from the University of Michigan and an MFA in poetry from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. This is her first book.

Christine Heppermann and Ron Koertge are the authors of acclaimed young adult books and are writing for young readers for the first time. After meeting through Hamline University’s MFA program, they decided to collaborate. Christine lives in New York, and Ron lives in California, so they work most of their magic long-distance.

Editorial Reviews

When Sadie’s two best friends, Jess and Maya, leave for a four-day vacation on Moose Head Lake, she feels deserted, angry, jealous, and a bit sad. Understanding that Jess’ grandparents have room for only one friend and that Maya is it does not actually help to fill emptiness when Sadie sees her two friends walk away, arm around shoulder. What will she do without them for four whole days? The solution to Sadie’s problem arrives in a most unexpected form. Wilson, Sadie’s cat, is the first to detect the diminutive visitor at the edge of their backyard. When Sadie sees a wisp of smoke rising from her old playhouse, she hurries to investigate. What Sadie finds, not only fills her four lonely days, but gives her a new interest in life and in the life discovered in her own backyard. With a mother who teaches yoga and a father who is a writer in the residence of home, Sadie has lots of time to explore, and the presence of a backyard witch is just the boost she needs to learn more about herself and the world around her. Since the subtitle is “Sadie’s Story” readers may expect other “Stories” to follow. Reviewer: Janice DeLong; Ages 6 to 10.

Children's Literature - Janice DeLong

05/04/2015
In this charming series opener from Heppermann (Poisoned Apples) and Koertge (Coaltown Jesus), nine-year-old Sadie is resigned to spending four long days lonely and bored when her two best friends go on vacation without her. Instead, she meets a delightful, friendly witch who has moved into the playhouse in her backyard. Despite the pointy hat and bubbling cauldron, Ms. M is no typical witch—her brand of magic is more natural and inspirational than built around potions and spells. “The most powerful magic is something anyone can do,” she tells Sadie. “It’s called paying attention.” Under Ms. M’s tutelage, Sadie learns the fine art of birding and realizes that her surroundings abound with marvelous creatures and creations. Marcero’s occasional b&w illustrations play into the light, fun tone, and Ms. M’s understated motivational techniques hit just the right note of subtle encouragement as Sadie looks inside herself and at the world around her to find a different kind of magic. Ages 6–10. Author’s agent: (for Heppermann) Tina Wexler, ICM; (for Koertge) Anne Hawkins, John Hawkins & Associates. Illustrator’s agent: Danielle Smith, Red Fox Literary. (July)

Publishers Weekly

Ms. M. is a combination of Mary Poppins (with her briskly sympathetic, no-nonsense demeanor) and a stand-up comedian.…She’s great company…and, best of all, she’s a birdwatcher.…Sprightly prose will pull in chapter book readers, and spot illustrations keep the page design lively.

Horn Book Magazine

Ms. M sports the usual black dress and pointy hat, but her brand of magic isn’t so much eye of the newt, toe of the frog as it is about finding enchantment in the world around her. …Spot on for the age group.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

03/01/2015
Gr 2–4—Sadie's two best friends, Jess and Maya, are going on vacation without her. She is miserable thinking about what she will do while they are away when she discovers that something magical is occuring in her very own backyard. A witch has moved into her playhouse. The witch is searching for her friends Ethel, a bird, and Onyx, a cat. Sadie vows to help the witch find her friends and learns about different types of birds along the way. This is a delightful adventure with humorous characters that will keep the interest of young readers. Charming black-and-white illustrations add to the overall mood of the story. VERDICT The first in a new series, fans of "Ivy and Bean" (Chronicle) and "Clementine" (Disney-Hyperion) will enjoy this new addition.—Megan McGinnis, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NY

School Library Journal

2015-04-01
Sadie's sad when her two best friends go on vacation without her until a witch moves into her backyard playhouse and shows Sadie a new way to see the world. Investigating smoke rising from her playhouse, Sadie discovers Ms. M., a Sadie-size witch, inside stirring a cauldron. Though Ms. M. looks witchy—black, smock-style dress, pointy hat—the cauldron contains soup, and the finding spell she casts to locate her friend Ethel, now a yellow warbler, proves to be the hokey-pokey. When the spell fails, they head to the park to search for Ethel, an effort that involves close observation of avian park denizens like blue jays, orioles, song sparrows, and cardinals. Ms. M. introduces Sadie to "life lists" and other birding practices and shares entertaining tales of the witching life including bowling-league matches against the Mid-City Shamans and the praise she garnered in Omens & Augury class. (Ms. M. herself is a cipher: is she a witch or even real?) Charming illustrations slyly echo the humor. However, the adult-oriented satire, simultaneously lauding and ridiculing the green lifestyle (Mom interprets the whole world through yoga; Dad uses fruit smoothies as creative aids), may confuse young readers and undermine the reality-focused "notice the amazing natural world around you" environmental message. Adults will enjoy the witty non sequiturs, but the story, marred by conflicting themes, never quite coheres. (birding tips, resources) (Fantasy. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews