The Watching Wood

... ideal for those who don't want their tales in identical Disneyesque settings ... chockfull of dilemmas and dramas that any young reader from Detroit to Delhi can enjoy reading ... a touch of Hogwarts - but with half a dozen girls in the foreground ... in short; quirky, spooky fun with friendship as its key

McGann expertly renders realistic and fully developed characters, reinventing Irish myth and legend in a modern setting

elements in Erika McGann's exciting and action-packed tale places The Watching Wood among the classics of children's adventure stories

Erika McGann wastes no time in plunging her readers into action-packed, magical adventure in The Watching Wood, the latest of her books starring young friends and apprentice-wiccans Jenny, Rachel, Una, Adie, Grace and new recruit Delilah ... it says a lot for McGann's skill as a storyteller that within a couple of lines the reader will have accepted this completely and be engrossed in the girls' new adventure ... I've really enjoyed the previous books in this series, The Demon Notebook and The Broken Spell, and once again, McGann has created a satisfying, entertaining page turner. The girls' relationships with one another are fun and feel realistic; the dialogue sparkles; and the scariness is lightened with humour, without it reducing the tension. There are lessons within the story about loyalty, and seeing what's really important, but they are lightly done. And the castles, dungeons, fairy creatures and magical wizardry match pretty much anything you'd come across in Hogwarts. How good it is too to see an all-girl gang wielding the wands and taking centre stage?

amazing

think she is an amazing author ... I think the ending of the book means there might be more from this group of young witches. I really hope so ...

an action packed adventure with plenty of magic to help it on its way