Rhymes with Witches [Hardcover]

Lauren Myracle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2005

Jane is the sort of quiet, ordinary teenager who can walk down the corridors of her school without being noticed by anyone - especially not the Bitches, the school royalty made up of one girl from each class who is so transcendentally beautiful and fascinating that no one can help but worship her. But miraculously the Bitches do notice Jane and seem to be considering her for the freshman place in their group - she just has to want it more than she's ever wanted anything. And Jane does. So much so that when she discovers the sinister secret to the Bitches' popularity, that they take it from other girls, she goes along with their bizarre rituals. That is, until the night of the Fall Fling, when the Bitches' power is turned against one girl and Jane must choose between participating in an act of terrifying savagery or giving up the popularity she desires so badly.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

What if the ruling teen queens at your school really were, well, witches? And not the Glinda the Good kind, either. Lauren Myracle assumes this sinister premise in the darkly humorous Rhymes with Witches. High school freshman Jane is more than plain -- she’s practically invisible. And she longs for nothing more than to join the ranks of the Bitches, the top female echelon at school. But the Bitches are selective, and only one girl from each class is chosen to rule supreme. So Jane is puzzled but ecstatic when the Bitches name her their freshman successor. Soon she is being worshipped by all kinds of beautiful people who didn’t even know her name last week. But as Jane soon realizes, it isn’t easy being a Bitch. She is informed by her new "sisters" that there are certain sacrifices to be made -- sacrifices that could wreck high school havoc and ruin lives. Is Jane willing to do anything to stay on the top of the popularity heap? Or will she risk it all to save innocent others from the clutching claws of the Bitches? Part I Know What You Did Last Summer and part Heathers, Rhymes with Witches builds slowly, but the incredibly creepy climax will leave many female readers glancing nervously over their shoulders at the so-called popular set. Meow! (Ages 12 and up) --Jennifer Hubert

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up–When plain Jane is asked to be one of her high school's ultra-elite clique, "the Bitches," she can't believe it. She's never been remotely popular. The freshman goes through a secret initiation, and all she needs to do is steal something each week from a classmate and leave the object in the office of Lurlene Lear, the early religion teacher who, unbeknownst to Jane, is the controlling force behind the group. During the week in question, the person to whom the object belonged wanes in popularity, while adoration for the Bitch grows. At first, Jane's conscience bothers her, but finding ways to justify her actions becomes much easier as she becomes unbelievably popular. Later, when the Bitches gang up on an innocent girl, Camilla, and threaten to harm her, Jane's conscience revives. She is outraged and calls a halt to their behavior. She expects temporary displeasure from the other Bitches, but doesn't expect them to turn on her. When no one likes Jane, she becomes truly aware of the price she paid for her short-lived popularity. In the end, her best boy friend comes around and she can, at least, count on his loyal friendship. There are magical elements in this novel, and plenty of creepy touches. Both take away from the book's realism, but add deliciously to its suspense. The language and situations are provocative, but teens will gobble the story up.–Catherine Ensley, Latah County Free Library District, Moscow, ID
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams; First Edition edition (April 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810958597
• ISBN-13: 978-0810958593
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,190,940 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lauren Myracle is the author of many popular books for teens and tweens, including New York Times bestsellers ttyl and ttfn (Abrams). She lives with her family in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Rhymes with scrap, July 24, 2006

By 

Paige Turner - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rhymes with Witches (Paperback)

This book is extremely predictable...
At first, you are introduced to a teen queen wannabe-Jane. All she's ever wanted was to be popular, and can't help but admire the "Bitches" a group of girls-one from each grade. Then, all of a sudden the "Bitches" want Jane to be one of THEM! As Jane starts to become one of them, she learns their secrets and rituals.
At some point in the book, they talk about "Sandy" who happens to be a school teacher. A little confusing? Yes. Myracle, doesn't even bother to go in depth about her role in the story, and only briefly touches on the subject.
My advice to you? Don't read this book. Although the story may seem intriguing at the beginning, it is anything but. It's extremely predictable and much like the mean girls story, except harsher, and a little creepier. Afterall, it does deal with witchcraft.
Hope this helped!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Where's the rest of the book?, July 1, 2009

By 

znatic (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rhymes with Witches (Paperback)

It's like this book got published before the author finished the ending. She's an entertaining writer, but the plot drops you off with no explanations. What's the deal with the cats? Why did Jane bring all of her dad's things with her? What's with Camille's about-face in the end?

I'm thinking there's a sequel on its way? Even so, the book should have been wrapped up in some coherent way.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good Attempt, May 13, 2006

By 

K.C. (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rhymes with Witches (Hardcover)

Rhymes with Witches is about a social outcast, Jane, who gets invited into the school royalty group called The Bitches. I found this book to be exactly like the rest of Lauren's books. Even though her books have a very shallow plot, you can't seem to put them down. And then once you get done with it you feel very dissatisfied and wondor why on earth you gave that book the time of day. One of the reasons I hate this book so much is because of the characters. The only character you're really supposed to like is Jane, and I found her very annoying and tiresome. I hated the ending as well. When Jane finally tries to do the right thing, she winds up having nothing but Phil, the only semi-enjoyable character in the whole book. I personally think this book sends the wrong message to readers, and I discourage anyone from buying it.