“Bock & Stella: Battle of the Baby Witches” by Kahoe King Amimoto, Nahe’olu Clive Amimoto, & Karin Amimoto Ingersoll

In this hilarious chapter book, Stella, a quirky nine year-old girl, Bock, the pet chicken that lives between her pony tails, and Stella’s older brother, Jake, craft silly and creative booby traps to stop three miniature witches from entering their human world. After perishing in each of their respective stories, Hansel and Gretel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and Sleeping Beauty, the three witches shrank. These “baby” witches crawl out of a portal in the Oak tree in Stella’s front yard, hoping to return to their original size and power by casting a spell which requires the hair of a human girl. The witches, however, have a difficult time getting close to Stella’s hair because she is an avid reader and knows each witch’s strength and weakness. Bock, Stella, and Jake’s booby traps catch and send each witch, one by one, back into the portal out of which they crawled. In the end, Stella realizes that being different can be both empowering and fun.

Read More…