Magic Can Be Murder by Vivian Vande Veld

• ISBN: 978-0547258720
• Plot summary: Nola and her mother spend their lives drifting from one place to the next to hide from their identities--they're witches. At a time when witches are burned at the stake, their secret is their burden and they must find work and new identities in each new place they go. Of course, they can't keep from doing what comes naturally to them and employ magic when in secret when they feel it is necessary for their safety. When Nola fears they are being followed from the previous town from which they ran, she conjures the image of her former employer with a strand of his hair, she finds they are not following her, but in fact are involved in deeds much worse. Torn between the comfort of her new home and helping to expose the truth, Nola must decide what matters most.
• Critical evaluation: This book alternates between grave realities and humorous moments, so deftly that a reader easily moves from one emotion to the next. One follows Nola hungrily as she navigates between jobs for she and her mother's safety and feels equally torn when Nola must give up the comforts of her new home to help bring justice to light. As Nola turns back to the place from which she ran, Velde successfully thrills a reader by taking each turn swiftly as she tells the story of how Nola finally gets what she deserves. It is a delightful book set in the context of the Salem Witch Trial era.
• Reader's annotation: Nola has just sat down to rest when she finds out she left more behind than she should have.
• About the author: Vivian Vande Velde primarily writes YA and lives in Rochester, NY.
• Genre: Fiction/supernatural
• Curriculum ties, if any: History (discussions of Salem Witch Trial era)
• Booktalking ideas:
• Has anyone ever made you feel bad about who you are?
• Would you use your talent for magic even if you could be killed for it?
• Reading level/interest age: 14+
• Challenge issues: Mild sexuality
• Why was this item included? This was recommended to me by an older teen.