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mrsthrift 's review for:
The Witches of Worm
by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
I picked this up because I loved The Egypt Game as a kid, I haven't read anything else by Zilpha Keatley Snyder and I have thing for 1970s Newbery Honor books. The main character shares my name (how very 1970s) and the central storyline is about an ugly, evil cat she sort of accidentally adopts. In a very childish way, this made me really connect with Jessica, as I also have a sort of ugly, definitely evil cat who I occasionally resent and despise and I'm pretty certain he's got a demonic possession, too. I hope my cat does not read Goodreads. He will certainly murder me in my sleep.
This book also garners a mention for its breezy portrayal of a negligent, attractive, single divorcee of a mom. It is very 1970s, how she calls Jessica "Jessie Baby," how she leaves the TV dinners for her, doesn't listen when her daughter talks, dates a series of guys who don't want to be fathers to her daughter, introduces her kid as "my daughter, believe it or not," etc.
In any case, the reason I'm rushing to write about this book mere moments after I finished it is this: I was so profoundly touched by how seriously dark and scary this book is. The main characters are like, 12? and usually kids appreciate books with characters a few years older than them, right? so we're talking about 8-10 year olds as the target audience here. This book is about Worm, a witch's cat who tells Jessica to do horrible things, like ruin her mother's clothing, frighten old ladies with lies about men breaking into their houses and punish a "witch" by setting her house on fire. But then I mean, I know kids can handle some dark shit, but planning to set your neighbor's apartment on fire while she's napping is more We Need to Talk about Kevin than Newbery in my estimation. Also? There is a scene where Jessica tries to exorcise her cat. And in general, she is really mean and fairly abusive toward the cat, who she blames for her behavior. It's OK to blame an imaginary friend for things, but if you are 12 and you are blaming a live animal, going so far as to lock him in a closet to keep him from controlling your mind, well. That is different. And fucked up. And you should know better.
So, I don't know. I enjoyed the book and the weird, witchy outsidery-ness of Jessica, in the same way I appreciated Snyder's outsider kids in the Egypt Game, but I was put out by the treatment of animals and the outright creepiness of a kid who wishes so much harm and suffering on the people around her.
This book also garners a mention for its breezy portrayal of a negligent, attractive, single divorcee of a mom. It is very 1970s, how she calls Jessica "Jessie Baby," how she leaves the TV dinners for her, doesn't listen when her daughter talks, dates a series of guys who don't want to be fathers to her daughter, introduces her kid as "my daughter, believe it or not," etc.
In any case, the reason I'm rushing to write about this book mere moments after I finished it is this: I was so profoundly touched by how seriously dark and scary this book is. The main characters are like, 12? and usually kids appreciate books with characters a few years older than them, right? so we're talking about 8-10 year olds as the target audience here. This book is about Worm, a witch's cat who tells Jessica to do horrible things, like ruin her mother's clothing, frighten old ladies with lies about men breaking into their houses and punish a "witch" by setting her house on fire. But then
Spoiler
it turns out that the real demons are inside you. And all the evilness was actually coming from Jessica all along.So, I don't know. I enjoyed the book and the weird, witchy outsidery-ness of Jessica, in the same way I appreciated Snyder's outsider kids in the Egypt Game, but I was put out by the treatment of animals and the outright creepiness of a kid who wishes so much harm and suffering on the people around her.