Customer Reviews

Active Enzyme Lemon-Freshened Junior High School Witch

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!

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...

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).

This is the only book I ever stole -- from my fourth grade classroom. (No one else in the class liked it anyway.) I always wanted magic to be real, and I read voraciously about children for whom it was. Most of them gave up witchcraft by the end of the book.

I can honestly say this is the first book, at the ripe old age of eight, that made me actually consider being a witch. I played at being Alison. I had garlic bulbs in my attic because of her. Years later, I can blame my "conversion" to Wicca on that same, weathered, torn copy I pilfered all those years ago, and that graces my bookshelf now, along with other, less fictional books on witchcraft. Books that made you who you are, you don't throw away. Now, if only Hildick didn't keep forgetting that Alison was only 12, I'd give it a full four stars.

I borrowed this book from my sister one summer vacation and never gave it back. I have to say it's right up there with Watership Down, Island of the Blue Dolphins, Wrinkle in Time and The Great Brain (another underappreciated book) for pure enjoyment for kids and adults alike. I didn't become a witch but truly related to Allison's quest to assuage her summer confinement and her passion for ceremony and mystery. The author's style is wittier and more sophisticated than most preteen stories and I appreciate the humor to this day. I hope people can get past the "witch" and enjoy this story for what it is, a charming, hilarious account of the mishaps and "miracles" of this imaginative and exasperating girl.

I borrowed this book from my sister one summer vacation and never gave it back. I have to say it's right up there with Watership Down, Island of the Blue Dolphins, Wrinkle in Time and The Great Brain (another underappreciated book) for pure enjoyment for kids and adults alike. I didn't become a witch but truly related to Allison's quest to assuage her summer confinement and her passion for ceremony and mystery. The author's style is wittier and more sophisticated than most preteen stories and I appreciate the humor to this day. I hope people can get past the "witch" and enjoy this story for what it is, a charming, hilarious account of the mishaps and "miracles" of this imaginative and exasperating girl.

I recently started re-reading several of the books I enjoyed around the age of 9 or 10 (long story:) and remembered this one out of the clear blue sky one day. So happy to see Amazon re-sellers listing it, since it's out of print and my library system has not one single copy! I've ordered it and can't wait to get it. This story of a young girl shut inside during the summer due to illness (chicken pox or measles, can't remember which) and happening upon a book about witchcraft really engaged my imagination as a kid. I loved how she set up a witch's lair in the attic and tries, as best she can, to follow the instructions. I think it's probably great for today's young readers as well, a fantastic window into the active imagination and inner life of a pre-teen. I also remember, though I can't find it mentioned anywhere on Amazon, that this book had a sequel of sorts where the girl starts a detective agency, but I can't recall the name of it (it was a similar title to this one).

People who grew up in the 70s will remember that in those days, way before Harry Potter or "Charmed", there were a lot of children's books floating around dealing with witchcraft and the occult, probably reflecting pop culture's interest in those subjects around the same time. Many of them contained elements of humor as adolescent witches try to go about the business of learning the craft and casting spells without their parents finding out what they're doing. This book has stuck in my mind as being one of the most hilarious of that genre.

Young teen Alison finds an old book on witchcraft and decides she's going to learn and apply its secrets up in her old tower room. Just finding the ingredients required by the book is a bit of a challenge, but Allison is very creative about seeking substitutes (hence the title of the book), and she manages to make do. The descriptions of Alison trying to cast spells in her room is hilarious as she herself feels pretty silly performing some of the required steps, but she soldiers on and eventually gets her sister and friend involved as well. I read this when I was about 12 and was anxious to see Alison develop into a full-fledged witch, as she seemed so determined. But unfortunately, as with almost all of the witchcraft books of that time, witchcraft turns out to be just a phase she is going through, and by the end of the book she's on to new pursuits. I found that ending unsatisfying because it didn't fit with Alison's stubborn pursuit of the craft earlier in the book, but I would recommend the book as a great read despite that little flaw.

In today's ambience of eclectic magickal practices and "traditions" made up out of whole cloth, this book provides a unique commentary. It's clear that Allison's book is Paul Huson's Mastering Witchcraft: A Practical Guide for Witches, Warlocks, and Covens. It's witty, well-written and insightful. Ought to be brought back in print, but probably won't be since it's not as removed from reality as Harry Potter, Eleanor Estes' The Witch Family, etc.

I read this book in 4th grade and managed not to become a witch. The above review from the Wiccah convert was enough to scare the druid out of me. I think I won't buy it for my 8 year old girl. Loved the book, though. Oh well.