From Publishers Weekly
To get to the bottom of a string of robberies, Ted must confront the witch of Blackwater Swamp. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6-A fifth-grade boy living in a small Louisiana town narrates this story of adventure and mystery. The ingredients include a spooky swamp, a mysterious old "witch" woman, and a rash of unsolved break-ins and robberies. A subplot is Ted's struggle to find an appropriate friend in his new town. Jimmy, interesting but also rude and ill-behaved, accompanies him to spy on the witch, who has a shack on an island in Blackwater Swamp. The plot turns ugly when Jimmy's redneck cousin Bubba leads a crew of his friends, lynch-mob style, to burn out and torment the old woman. Ted predictably comes to her rescue, but ends up being protected by her. Ironically, his new best friend could be the witch herself, who is merely the small town's only homeless person, an elderly black woman. In general, characters are type cast and superficial; adults are unrealistically peripheral to the story, their presence vague and unconvincing. In an attempt to destroy one stereotype, another is employed: the somber anti-prejudice message, delivered through revelation of the woman's true identity, is inconsistent with the extreme caricature of Bubba and his boys. Jimmy, the abused child in a family of thieves, is lumped into that group of thugs, offering little insight into the actions of a disadvantaged child. Some youngsters will be pleased to pick up the clues more quickly than Ted, but others will find him exasperating. Literary weaknesses aside, the elements of adventure and suspense will keep the pages turning, and the exotic setting and activities of the witch will fuel readers' imaginations.
Valerie Lennox, Jacksonville Public Library, FLCopyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
