Hillary Homzie (Children's Literature)
Over Christmas vacation Joe befriends Twiggy, a junior witch-in-training and a member of the infamously, incompetent Deadnettle Coven. Twiggy introduces Joe to the world of bewitched marketplaces, broomstick rides, wind sprites, magical potions and licorice that allows animals to be understood. However, the witch population has been shrinking, and appears to be threatened. Together Joe and Twiggy set out to solve the mystery behind the disappearance of the greatest magic book in history, and soon discover a grand conspiracy under foot. Despite the novel’s awkward opening and the tendency of the author to pre-maturely terminate scenes of conflict, the narrative accelerates and includes enough intrigue to capture middle grade readers hungry for another magical realm. Dale writes especially vivid settings and creates a charming world. Librarians and educators will ultimately applaud this new voice in an enchanted land. 2004, Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books, $16.95. Ages 9 to 14.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, October 1, 2004 (Vol. 72, No. 19))
Joe Binks is not born a witch, but the "insignificant schoolboy" manages to end up in a coven anyway. It's his father's fault, really, for sending him off at the last minute to his mother's house for Christmas. On the unpleasantly eventful train trip from London to Canterbury, Joe finds himself embroiled in a treacherous plot involving a glamorous, crimson-lipped woman with a basket of glowing-eyed creatures and with a mysterious viper doodled on his suitcase. Add a terrifying ride through the countryside on a large orange bewitched tricycle, a headlong plunge into the aforementioned coven, a blossoming friendship with a young witch-in-training named Twiggy, and the troubling mystery of the missing, potentially-perilous-if-located page 513 in the revered witch manual Mabel's Book, and the ingredients for an action adventure are complete. Plenty of potions (Lingo Liquorice for talking to animals!) and plot twists keep the story buoyant, and abundant acts of selfless bravery contribute a sweet, uplifting quality that distinguishes this lightning-quick broomstick ride, British-style. 2004, Bloomsbury, 304p, $16.95. Category: Fiction. Ages 9 to 12. © 2004 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Krista Hutley (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, November 2004 (Vol. 58, No. 3))
Joe Binks, off to visit his mother, stepfather, and stepsister for Christmas, runs into some strange people on the train to Canterbury, and he's so unsettled that he gets off at the wrong stop and has to borrow a bike for the last five miles. The bike, however, turns out to be a bespelled broomstick, and it races off with Joe through hedges, fences, and traffic to land him among a coven of witches. Though they send Joe home sans his memory, the young witch Twiggy reverses the spell because she's spotted the symbol of a rival coven drawn on Joe's suitcase. Attempting to solve this mystery puts Joe and Twiggy on the trail of another: finding a long-lost page from a famous book of magic before the wrong witches find it first. This British import will likely suffer from comparison with Harry Potter, as it goes through some familiar paces without adding anything terribly new to the already substantial witch market. Still, this magical mystery strikes the right balance between silliness and suspense, keeping readers hooked with well-timed clues while throwing in some good-natured tweaking of witch lore (like the supposedly dangerous Spillikins of Doom, a sort of evil pick-up-sticks). The witches in the coven are charmingly eccentric, but it's their status as perennial underdogs in "polite" witch society that will make them attractive to children who are already sensitive to their place in the social hierarchy. Though the ending is unbelievably tidy, this will likely satisfy those reading for pure entertainment, especially lovers of easy witchy fantasy. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2004, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2004, Bloomsbury, 304p, $16.95. Grades 4-6.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Spring 2005)
Plunged into a world of witches and magic after witnessing a duel on a train, Joe helps his new witch-friend Twiggy track down a dangerous missing spell. The plot reaches after too much coincidence and unearned emotion, but Dale’s modern-day witches are surprisingly fresh and imaginative for such an old conceit and make the book a pleasant read. Category: Intermediate Fiction. 2004, Bloomsbury, 297pp, 16.95. Ages 9 to 12. Rating: 4: Recommended, with minor flaws.