★★★★★ 5
Emotional development...
Format: Hardcover
Cattywampus
Ash Van Otterloo
This is the story of Delpha McGill, a girl that doesn’t like rules or keeping secrets. Delpha lives in a small town in rural Appalachia, Howler’s Hollow, where magic is not permitted. She discovers her grandmother’s hidden book of spells which she is determined to use to help her mother.
Katybird Hearn has her own reasons for wanting to get her hands on the book of spells and has resolved nobody is going to stand in her way. She comes from a long line of witches. In the midst of their squabble, they unintentionally allow a curse to escape. The curse is so evil it wakes their dead ancestors, the Hearns and the McGills, The two girls must learn to work together if they are going to save the town from the zombies.
The author uses great sensitivity in incorporating androgen insensitivity in the plot. Androgen insensitivity syndrome is a condition that affects sexual development before birth and during puberty. People with this condition are genetically male, with one X chromosome and one Y chromosome in each cell. Because their bodies are unable to respond to certain male sex hormones (called androgens), they may have mostly female external sex characteristics or signs of both male and female sexual development. Poverty, sorcery, fears, friendship, and ignorant biases are all a part of this book.
Author Ash Van Otterloo portrays life in a southern country town in the mountains and he does so without being demeaning or patronizing. The characters are well fleshed out. While magic is part of the plot, it is merely a means to showcase the emotional development of the two girls. This is a fast-paced read. The target audience is 10-13 years of age.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2021
