The Courage of Cat Campbell

Gr 3–7—Eleven year-old Cat Campbell wants the one thing her mother Poppy, the protagonist from The Power of Poppy Pendle (S. & S., 2012), never desired: to be a witch. Cat looks longingly at the pointy-hat girls from Ruthersfield Academy and dreams of inheriting her mother's magical gift. Her mother, a perfectly contented baker, prays that her daughter will escape this fate, but an attic encounter with a spider spooks Cat's powers into action. Unfortunately, being a "late bloomer" witch means unpredictable surges of power and an uncertain admission to Ruthersfield. Kind advice from a teacher has Cat determined to face her fears and control her power, even if it means confronting the most maleficent witch ever, Madeline Reynolds, newly escaped from an Azkaban-like prison with mayhem in mind. Lowe's charming addition to the world of Potts Bottom follows Cat's determined progress toward her goal, showing her failures and triumphs in a realistic arc. The author's treatment of the mother-daughter relationship smoothly blends whimsical fantasy elements with scenes that readers will recognize from their own family squabbles. Cat's adventures in courage give new treatment to the familiar idea that parents want their children to avoid making their own mistakes. To this, Lowe adds some truly laugh-out-loud moments between Cat and her friend Peter. The book concludes with "magical" recipes to bake at home. Stock both of Lowe's novels at your library: fans of Matilda or Alice Miranda will be happy to meet another spunky girl.—Caitlin Augusta, Stratford Library Association, CT