Active Enzyme Lemon-Freshened Junior High School Witch [Paperback]

Wallace Hildick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1974

A curious twelve-year-old dabbles in witchcraft with strange results.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Dell Publishing (February 1974)
• ISBN-10: 0440431476
• ISBN-13: 978-0440431473
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #931,661 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Witchy Delight!, March 20, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Active Enzyme Lemon-Freshened Junior High School Witch (Paperback)

Simultaneously hilarious and spooky, The Active Enzyme, Lemon Freshened Junior High School Witch is about a bedridden girl who stumbles upon a dusty old book on how to become adept at witchcraft. With the help of pesky little sister Jeannie and best friend Emmaline, Allison forms a coven and attempts (with various levels of success) to raise the Devil, bring back the dead, and peer into the future.

This book captures the marvelous way children can invent their own fantasy worlds that are far more fascinating and empowering than their everyday lives. I loved reading about Allison gathering and consecrating her witchcraft tools and how she improvised when unable to get her hands on "the real thing". The spooky atmosphere of the tower room where she performs her spells made you understand why witchcraft was more than just a game to Allison; it was a way of creating her own world where she alone was Mistress of her Fate.

If you're a person who likes to escape into their own fantasy world, this is an excellent book for you. To be sure, there is plenty of realism injected into the plot; you'd never mistake this book for a fairy tale. But there's more than enough magic and mystery to sustain your interest, especially if you've ever considered dabbling into witchcraft!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a great book!, January 5, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Active Enzyme Lemon-Freshened Junior High School Witch (Paperback)

I thought I imagined the title of this book but kept searching for it each time I was in a new library as an adult and finally found it once to re-read. Sadly, I have not seen it in years and wish I could own a copy, but it probably was not a best seller, so I doubt if any reprints will be out soon. I relate to others who felt it inspired them to explore Wicca; the imagination of a child is such a wonderful thing we sometimes lose touch with when we grow up. I was so impressed as a child with the rituals, the Name she gave herself ("Ariadne Atropos Arachne" if I rememeber correctly) and the old tower. Brings back fond memories. Who knows, I may run across a copy one of these days in a used book store...

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An all-time favorite, July 9, 2000

By 

Carrie (Dayton, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The active-enzyme, lemon-freshened junior high school witch (Hardcover)

Like another reviewer, I, too, first stumbled upon this book in a library. I didn't "forget to return" it, but I did borrow it probably 100 times or more. As an adult, it took me years to remember enough of the name to find it again. But you know, I think I even enjoyed and appreciated the story's combination of subtleties and slapstick more as a 29-year-old that I had as a 9-year-old! The book is a wonderful example of a pre-teen who knows it all, and knows that she knows it all. Allison's trials and secret triumphs in a world ruled by uncomprehending adults is one of the truest stories I've seen. It made a lasting impression on me, as I think it must on any young girl, because I could identify so closely with Allison's self-confidence, her cutting sense of humor, and her unbending belief that she, and only she, really understood the way the world worked. Regardless of one's religious preferences, this is a fantastic book for any kid. It encourages exploration and imagination, and the only permanent damage it did to me is that I can no longer look at a tube of toothpaste and a comb without laughing so hard that I cry (read the book, you'll get it).