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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
Hocus Pocus was an absolute delight! I felt like I was watching the childhood movie inside my head the entire way through. It was very descriptive. Now the Sequel was just as good, but I do have one problem with it. What was up with the random outburst of descriptive song and dance from Mary?!?!? It was very weird, and quite frankly, made me feel a little uncomfortable. I don't know if the author just put it in there for the sake of having a musical number like Hocus Pocus, the movie, but it was really unsettling. And on top of that, it makes you think that Mary is actually going to step up and stand up to Winifred, by the way she is "singing" to herself...but she doesn't. She stays under Winnie's thumb til the end. Other than the musical number hiccup, it was a good read. I think it was geared toward youth/young adult, but it was a joy to read due to the fact that I grew up with this story every Halloween.
As someone who grew up with Hocus Pocus, this did not live up to the film. The sequel was okay at times but the musical part by Mary and other parts that seemed rushed ruined it for me. I really hope the new sequel coming out in 2022 is not the same as this one.
Reading this made me actually think I was watching the movie. Very cool move! Even split between max and Dani and thackery and Emily in the beginning. The sequel was also great. The story was written in a way I could actually picture the story in my head as a movie. I know Disney is currently working on a sequel and with all due respect they could seriously use this as a good film script.
Basically, you have to read the novelization of the movie because they changed something small in order to make a sequel.
Um, no thank you. There were many many ways that a sequel could've been written without changing the original story AT ALL.
Um, no thank you. There were many many ways that a sequel could've been written without changing the original story AT ALL.
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was the perfect book to end my Halloween season of reading. Of course I’m a huge fan of the movie. Always have been. And I know there was an original novelization out there somewhere, but I never read it. When I found out about this I was all over it. Bought it immediately. And it was worth every penny.
The novelization itself is just that: a retelling of the movie. There really isn’t a whole lot more going on in the book that you don’t see in the movie except a bit more character development and the slight lead-in to the sequel itself. Other than that, if you’ve seen Hocus Pocus, you’ll know how the novelization pans out. And it’s told in a way that maintains some flair without being just a bland rehashing of the story. Plus I love the little drawings at the top of each chapter. Super cute.
The sequel, sanctioned by Disney, I assume, is kind of awesome in its own right. While I’m not a big fan of the high school sweethearts story it works here and sets Poppy up as a character nicely. It’s also LGBTQ+ friendly, which is awesome, and has a good mix of POC as well (despite the main character being white, so take that for what you will).
I liked how the story progressed and how adult Max and Allison were portrayed (super paranoid, somewhat to the point of eccentric), plus Jay plays a fairly prominent role, which surprised me. He was the blonde bully that harassed Max in the original. I’ll save you the details of how his character ended up for you to read it. Truly interesting. Plus some of that is revealed in the character development in the novelization. So no spoilers.
The plot itself was both kitschy in the way Hocus Pocus was kitschy, but dark too. I think the sequel itself was darker than the original. There was a bit more at stake and the kids involved this time around had a lot more to lose. So I liked how everything was amplified but still kept a little light. This definitely wasn’t a story pandering to kids, either. It’s firmly YA and it doesn’t talk down to its readers. For a hybrid story that (I imagine) is supposed to go either way (younger kids or older teens) like the original, that can be a tough line to teeter on. But Jantha was successful with it.
HOCUS POCUS the movie is a yearly watch and I have no doubt this book will be a yearly read now. I hope Disney does something with the sequel that’s here. I’d love to see it on screen. Plus it would bring back all the original characters, even Max, Allison, and Dani because it’s supposed to be 25 years later so IT WORKS. Let’s get on this, shall we?
5
The novelization itself is just that: a retelling of the movie. There really isn’t a whole lot more going on in the book that you don’t see in the movie except a bit more character development and the slight lead-in to the sequel itself. Other than that, if you’ve seen Hocus Pocus, you’ll know how the novelization pans out. And it’s told in a way that maintains some flair without being just a bland rehashing of the story. Plus I love the little drawings at the top of each chapter. Super cute.
The sequel, sanctioned by Disney, I assume, is kind of awesome in its own right. While I’m not a big fan of the high school sweethearts story it works here and sets Poppy up as a character nicely. It’s also LGBTQ+ friendly, which is awesome, and has a good mix of POC as well (despite the main character being white, so take that for what you will).
I liked how the story progressed and how adult Max and Allison were portrayed (super paranoid, somewhat to the point of eccentric), plus Jay plays a fairly prominent role, which surprised me. He was the blonde bully that harassed Max in the original. I’ll save you the details of how his character ended up for you to read it. Truly interesting. Plus some of that is revealed in the character development in the novelization. So no spoilers.
The plot itself was both kitschy in the way Hocus Pocus was kitschy, but dark too. I think the sequel itself was darker than the original. There was a bit more at stake and the kids involved this time around had a lot more to lose. So I liked how everything was amplified but still kept a little light. This definitely wasn’t a story pandering to kids, either. It’s firmly YA and it doesn’t talk down to its readers. For a hybrid story that (I imagine) is supposed to go either way (younger kids or older teens) like the original, that can be a tough line to teeter on. But Jantha was successful with it.
HOCUS POCUS the movie is a yearly watch and I have no doubt this book will be a yearly read now. I hope Disney does something with the sequel that’s here. I’d love to see it on screen. Plus it would bring back all the original characters, even Max, Allison, and Dani because it’s supposed to be 25 years later so IT WORKS. Let’s get on this, shall we?
5
Gosh, I wanted to love this. l even wanted to like it. The film adaptation was cute and worked all right but the sequel ended up being rushed and often forced. Characters had great potential and I love the inclusivity factor but for all of the character's resourcefulness everything is solved by Deus ex Machina rather than by their tenacity or courage. Disappointing enough for me to say dishonor on your cow :(