Bullying is that age old virus that always tends to evolve rather than subside. It starts early and continues even into old age. It can be as tame as snickering behind someone’s back to as serious as a loss of life.
Accusations of witchcraft are a great example of historic bullying. That idea of putting an idea in someone’s head and letting it spread to the point of mass hysteria isn’t a particularly dramatic notion, especially when you consider that many countries have a history of persecuting both men and women who were suspected of witchcraft.
Author Katie L. Carroll puts a modern spin on witch hunts tied into teen bullying with her middle grade novel, Witch Test. Check out my review of the novel followed by an interview with Carroll about her work.
Witch Test plot summary
Eighth grader Liza has been ostracized from her friends group after kissing a boy that her former best friend, Abby, liked. In retaliation, Abby constantly tortures Liza, accusing her of being a witch and casting spells on people. It doesn’t help that their class is reading The Crucible and that her Aunt Candy owns an apothecary shop which sells witchy merchandise. Liza keeps her bullying a secret from everyone and is forced to endure the tortures that Abby imposes on her day in and day out.
Seeking an escape from her problems, Liza rediscovers her love of art, utilizing the supplies from her late mother’s closet to express herself during her lonely days. Within these supplies, Liza finds her mother’s diary and realizes that there may be some truth to Abby’s allegations of witchcraft.
The story
Witch Test is a tense and melancholy story that follows a shy, lonely girl’s navigation through middle school. It’s a situation that’s easily relatable. There is no worse time for bullying than middle school, and Liza gets it bad. Abby knows just what buttons to push and how slyly to push them in order to inflict the most damage with the least conspicuousness. The reader spends a lot of the book hoping that Liza will give it right back. But instead, she finds refuge in a new friends group full of kind, artistic students who show her what it means to be a true friend.
I came into Witch Test hoping for a 50/50 balance between a grounded storyline and magical realism. Carroll chooses to focus more on the bullying and the slowly unfolding exploration of Liza’s family history and coming into her own. She treats the subject of witchcraft very delicately with nods to the classic witch tropes but with more modern, authentic practices.
The characters
As I said, I liked Liza as a character, and I rooted for her to get through this friendship rut. I admired her love of art and that pull between curiosity and the fear of learning too much. However, I was hoping for more character development. She tends to let things happen to her rather than making her own decisions and letting others come to her rescue. She has a really tragic backstory that is lightly touched upon to make room for round after round of an absolute pummeling from Abby that becomes redundant and exhausting.
Abby is also an interesting character. Aside from typical teenage jealousy, we don’t know why she goes the lengths that she goes to torture Liza. I was hoping for a better explanation than that’s just how she is. Now on the other side of Abby’s wrath, she begins to see that her friend has always been this way, and Liza allowed herself to play a part in her friend’s mean girl tirades when she was still on her good side. Still, I was hoping for a more satisfying resolution, or punishment, for Abby to finally put her in her place.
Aunt Candy is that perfect aunt who is Liza’s main support system. She’s also a close link to Liza’s mother who was killed in a car accident when Liza was three. I was expecting the Aunt Candy relationship to tie more closely into Liza’s mother’s backstory, but she and her girlfriend ultimately just serve as surrogate mother figures.
Daya too is that textbook great friend who is brave, unique, and supportive. I love a stock character who emits goodness. It gives us all someone to strive to be.
The tone
The story’s tone is shaped by its realistic fall setting, the rural feel of her father’s pumpkin patch, and the excitement of an upcoming Halloween season celebrated in that age between trick-or-treating and high school parties. It also portrays the loneliness of being an outcast teenager and how that feeling eats away at you and causes you to yearn for contact while also shying away from it.
The story is very small and quiet, but it stretches its wings every so often to encompass a supernatural element or intense teen girl showdown. I loved the little witch facts that are peppered throughout the book and worked in organically and wished that the actual witch elements got going sooner and were explored deeper.
The story drags in parts where Liza is isolated from her peers and is slowly reading through her mother’s diary in this side quest to get a better sense of her identity. And I felt like there could have been a better payoff to that backstory to lead to Liza’s more defined sense of self.
My recommendation
I recommend Witch Test to any preteen girl who has been the victim of a bully, particularly by a former friend. It’s a quick and easy read that encapsulates a lot of my favorite themes and elements. I just wish that some of those elements were more fleshed out. But, at least in the context of this novel, Liza’s story is just beginning.
My rating
An interview with Katie L. Carroll
The main theme of this book is bullying. Why does bullying seem to be the harshest in middle school? Why can’t Liza seem to stand up to Abby?
I think there’s a huge shift in how big the world feels during middle school and lots of strong emotions that go along with that. It’s easy to feel like so many aspects of life and your feelings are out of your control. Bullying is a way to feel like there is something you can control. It can give you a feeling of power, even if it’s in a negative and harmful way.
As for Liza not being able to stand up to Abby, they have been best friends for a long time. Prior to the start of Witch Test, Abby has always had Liza’s back. There’s a trust and love from that friendship that Liza is having a hard time letting go of, even as Abby continues to bully Liza. At the beginning of the book, Liza still has some hope for their friendship and isn’t ready to move on. That makes it hard for her to stand up to Abby.
Liza harbors a lot of guilt about being one of the “mean girls” when she was still friends with Abby. Do you think that standing by and doing nothing is just as bad as the hurtful words and actions that bullies dish out? Do you have any tips for standing up to bullies?
There is definitely a difference. Standing up to a bully isn’t easy. Confronting or challenging people on their behavior is a skill that doesn’t come naturally to many people, and it can put the target on their back. It’s especially hard when it’s your friend; you want to support them and you want them to like you. I think a lot of people’s natural instinct is to protect themselves, so it takes a big act of courage to put yourself out there and stand up to a bully.
As for tips on standing up to bullies, I would say it gets easier with practice. It’s okay to start small with a kind gesture to the person who is being bullied. Sometimes just letting them know you support them is helpful. Talking with a trusted adult can also be a path to standing up to bullies with a support system. Please do reach out to an adult if you think anyone is in danger because of the bullying.
A lot of research seems to have gone into the book in order to accurate portray both the historical and modern iterations of witches and witchcraft. Do you have any recommendations on books to read or topics to explore regarding witches?
I did a lot of research on witch trials and modern witchcraft for this book. I love doing deep dives into local history and read many books and articles on witch trials both locally and globally. I also read books and listened to podcasts on topics of modern witchcraft.
Young readers interested in learning about the Salem witch trials might want to check out Witches: The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem by Rosalyn Schanzer. For exploring witchcraft, a good intro book is The Junior Witch’s Handbook by Nikki Van De Car, though I do wish it was more gender inclusive rather than being geared so heavily toward girls.
Several famous witches are referenced in the book. Who are your favorite fictional witches?
Though most modern witches in real life do much more good than bad, I do love a good fictional bad witch! The iconic Wicked Witch of the West from the movie The Wizard of Oz was terrifying to watch as a child but also fascinating. As a teen, I was also equally parts terrified and fascinated by bad witch Nancy Downs in the movie The Craft. Sabrina Spellman the Teenage Witch as played by Melissa Joan Hart in the 90s was a favorite non-baddie witch of mine.
Art is another topic that is explored in the book. Why did you decide to make both Liza and her mother artists? Do you have any favorite artists?
Finding a way to express yourself through art can be very healing and a means of self-discovery. For me, I do that most often in the form of writing. I wanted Liza to have a different medium, so I gave her art to be both therapeutic and a connection to her mother.
Liza has the same favorite artist as me: Vincent van Gogh! His bold colors and swirling lines drew me in from the very first time I saw them in print, and his personal story is beautiful and tragic. I’ve been very lucky to see quite of few of his paintings in person, and it’s hard to describe the power of them.
The crow is a significant animal in the story. Why did you choose the crow over other classic animals found in witch tales?
Corvids, which are a family of birds that include crows, ravens, and jays, are incredibly smart. Crows in particular can make tools and have amazing memories. I personally feel a special connection to the crows in my own neighborhood. They’re beautiful but scrappy. I once saw a group of crows chasing a hawk away from their nest and one of them jumped on the hawk’s back. They’re one of my favorite animals, so I wanted to make them a special part of the story.
Who is your favorite character?
It’s always so tough to pick a favorite character! Liza is so close to my heart, and I love Aunt Candy with her teas and curiosity/herb shop Mother Goose Apothecary. But for a favorite, I think I’d have to go with Daya, who befriends Liza when no one else will. Daya stands up for Liza before Liza finds the strength to do it for herself. Daya has this quiet confidence and a generosity of spirit that is really admirable. But she’s also not afraid to get a little sassy when needed.
Any plans for a sequel?
I don’t have any plans right now for a sequel for Witch Test. But you’re not the first person to ask this, so I may have to see if I can spark any ideas for another story. The trio of Liza, Daya, and Cameron could certainly find new adventures to embark upon.
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This sounds like a really great book. We like that Abby learns about her family history, which happens to deal with witchcraft.
Sounds like a great book for girls to read with the issue of bullying being addressed. I know sometimes my girls don’t even realize they’re being bullied and are confused why kids are mean. I love the cover art too. What an attractive coffee table book for this time of year! Great review.
Yes, it will definitely get you into the fall/Halloween spirit!