The Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams

Title: The Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams    
Author: Rhonda Hayter  
Publication Date: 2010  
Genre/Format: Fiction-Fantasy/Novel  
Summary: Abbie Adams is your average 5th grade...witch!  Her parents and her little brother, Munch, are witches, too.  Abbie deals with 5th grade - her teacher who gives too much homework, her best friend who she can't tell about magic, being in the drama club - until her dad brings home a kitten and really makes things interesting.  It turns out her kitten is really Thomas Edison who has been turned into a cat and sent to the 21st century.  How can they change him back and who would do such a thing?  Abbie and her family try to solve the mystery and return things to normal before time is re-written entirely!  
What I Think: I am excited to recommend this to my 3rd grader when the school year starts!  I think she would love this!  I think it's a great middle grade book.  Abbie is a great character and she makes the story so much fun.  It kind of reminds me of the TV show Sabrina, The Teenage Witch - in a completely good way.  It also reminds me of the TV show Bewitched.  It's a fun story while still being relatable because the witches are part of everyday life.  It's cool to read about a normal girl who can cast spells to freeze time, make milk and cookies appear, and change into a bug on the wall.  I have always wanted to be able to freeze time so it's cool to read about a character who can really do that.  What I really love about this book is  that the author incorporates some history/science by putting Thomas Edison as a young kid into the book.  I love books that easily relate to non-fiction topics and this book does exactly that!
Read Together: 2 - 5  
Read Alone: 3 - 7  
Read With: Non-Fiction about Thomas Edison; Non-Fiction about inventions  
Snatch of Text: "When Munch and I got home, I ran right to my mom to tell her about the play.  She laughed really hard when she found out about the part I got, and wen I asked if we could tell Aunt Sophie about it, she got right on the phone and passed it to me. 
     I told Aunt Sophie the big news about the play and then I told her about how my character didn't believe in magic...and as soon as I did, there was a terrific WHOOOSSHH of air and I felt as if cold fingers were playing up and down my spine.  All of a sudden, it looked as if silvery snow was falling in the living room for just a second and there was a sound like tinkling bells.  Aunt Sophie was popping in."  p. 33  
Reading Strategies to Practice: Asking Questions, Making Connections, Visualizing, Activating Background Knowledge   
Writing Strategies to Practice:      
Writing Prompts: Write about what an everyday experience would be like if you had magical witchy powers.  Describe how it might feel, look like, smell like, sound like to cast a spell or have a spell cast upon you!  Persuade Abbie Adams to cast a spell for you - what spell would you ask her to cast and why would you need her to cast that specific spell for you.    
Topics Covered: Adversity, Friendship, Family, Challenges, Right Vs. Wrong, Science-Thomas Edison/Inventions, Working Hard   
Translated to Spanish: No