Witch Returns [Library Binding]

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2005

After a fire claims Mrs. Tuggle's house and the old witch that lived inside, a new house is built over the ashes, but Lynn and Mouse suspect that an evil presence is still there. By the author of The Witch's Eye.

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

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Here a villainous witch--who has been the scourge of a peaceful Indiana town for five previous Naylor novels--is back for a final round. Once again, it is up to Lynn Morley and her best friend Marjorie "Mouse" Beasley to fight off the powers of evil, but this time they have the full cooperation of Lynn's parents, Marjorie's father and Dr. Long, the school psychologist. Welcome as this help is to Lynn and Mouse, who have been battling valiantly for some time with scant assistance from family or friends, it also destroys any suspense that the novel might otherwise have had. With so much support on the side of good, the climactic confrontation is more a formality than a life-or-death struggle, and the ultimate victory is a foregone conclusion. This lack of suspense is especially disappointing because Naylor's imaginative weaving of witch lore into modern American life is as rich as in the earlier titles; her narrative efforts here, however, seem just shy of the mark. Illustrations not seen by PW. Ages 9-12.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-- Elnora Tuggle's house on the hill has been rebuilt, and when Lynn meets her new neighbor, she is shocked to be faced with an old woman who is identical in every evil way to the witch who burned with her house in the third book in this series. In this, the sixth and final volume, readers meet Greta Gullone, who claims to be Mrs. Tuggle's sister. Lynn quickly realizes, however, that the name is an anagram of the original witch's name, and she is off, with the help of her insecure friend Mouse, on another terrifying attempt to prevent the dark side from destroying her family and friends. All of the elements that made the previous books so satisfyingly scary are here--uncertainty and fear, threat and terror, a power-hungry witch and her familiar. The suitably spooky pencil illustrations draw readers deeper into the spell and contribute to the menacing mood that builds as the story progresses. As pieces of the mystery come together, the personal problems of the characters that have been simmering below the surface throughout this cohesive series come to a rolling boil. The climax to which all five books have led is a powerful scene both visually and emotionally as the bonds of family and friends draw the characters into a position of great strength and morality. Finally, the books show themselves as what they were all along--a struggle between good and evil (one flaw is that the evil is not convincingly motivated, although this doesn't detract from the ominous sense of danger) and a portrait of the power of family love in whatever shape it may be found. This is a cathartic conclusion to a gratifying and absorbing series. --Susan Oliver, Tampa- Hillsborough County Public Library System
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Library Binding
• Publisher: San Val (August 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1417740108
• ISBN-13: 978-1417740109
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,160,952 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I guess I've been writing for about as long as I can remember. Telling stories, anyway, if not writing them down. I had my first short story published when I was sixteen, and wrote stories to help put myself through college, planning to become a clinical psychologist. By the time I graduated with a BA degree, however, I decided that writing was really my first love, so I gave up plans for graduate school and began writing full time.

I'm not happy unless I spend some time writing every day. It's as though pressure builds up inside me, and writing even a little helps to release it. On a hard-writing day, I write about six hours. Tending to other writing business, answering mail, and just thinking about a book takes another four hours. I spend from three months to a year on a children's book, depending on how well I know the characters before I begin and how much research I need to do. A novel for adults, because it's longer, takes a year or more. When my work is going well, I wake early in the mornings, hoping it's time to get up. When the writing is hard and the words are flat, I'm not very pleasant to be around.

Getting an idea for a book is the easy part. Keeping other ideas away while I'm working on one story is what's difficult. My books are based on things that have happened to me, things I have heard or read about, all mixed up with imaginings. The best part about writing is the moment a character comes alive on paper, or when a place that existed only in my head becomes real. There are no bands playing at this moment, no audience applauding--a very solitary time, actually--but it's what I like most. I've now had more than 120 books published, and about 2000 short stories, articles and poems.

I live in Bethesda, Maryland, with my husband, Rex, a speech pathologist, who's the first person to read my manuscripts when they're finished. Our sons, Jeff and Michael, are grown now, but along with their wives and children, we often enjoy vacations together in the mountains or at the ocean. When I'm not writing, I like to hike, swim, play the piano and attend the theater.

I'm lucky to have my family, because they have contributed a great deal to my books. But I'm also lucky to have the troop of noisy, chattering characters who travel with me inside my head. As long as they are poking, prodding, demanding a place in a book, I have things to do and stories to tell.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Weakest Of The Series, February 5, 2011

By 

RJ Lupin (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Witch Returns (Witch Saga) (Paperback)

I love the Witch Saga books, but I definitely feel that the first three (The Witch's Sister, Witch Water, and The Witch Herself) were the best. The ones that came after were progressively weaker, and the last one was really a miss. I read the books as a child, and what made them so spooky was the fact that you never did know, really, exactly what Mrs. Tuggle was. It was just the girls and their suspicions, and a creepy old lady with power over animals. Once Mrs. Tuggle was dead, and especially after the parents realized that hey, they were wrong about the girls and Mrs. Tuggle really WAS a witch, that dynamic was lost. What made Mrs. Tuggle so interesting in the earlier books was how sly and crafty she was; she could appear to be a sweet old lady, but it was all an act and her true nature was terrifying. In the later books, when she's been "revealed," she just becomes sort of a one-dimensional bad guy. There's no more mystery, just episodes where she attacks them and they defend themselves.

There are also continuity problems in this book. In earlier books, it was established that Mrs. Tuggle's brother's last name was "Pritchard" which, one assumes, would have been her maiden name as well. Why, then, are we now told her prior name was "Martin?" It also paints a picture of her as a sweet, good person whilst back in England, though it was made clear previously that she was already a dark, wicked figure by the time she arrived in America. I wish Naylor would have focused on writing a prequel, where we'd learn the true story of Elnora Tuggle and how she came to be a witch, and ended up in Indiana, instead of beating a dead horse as was done here.

5.0 out of 5 stars The Witch Returns, August 27, 2006

By 

Shauna Gilbert - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Witch Returns (Witch Saga) (Paperback)

For anyone following Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's "Witch Series," this book was more than I could hope for. It was cleverly written to bring Mrs. Tuggle's evil back, and was a great way to end the series. Except, I hope it's not over yet!!!

5.0 out of 5 stars Last but definitely not least!, May 19, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Witch Returns, The (Hardcover)

The Witch Returns is the last book in Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's Witch series and the best. After going through a tough time with Elnora Tuggle, Lynn and Mouse believe that after she "died" in the fire. Her "sister" Greta Gullone(which can be turned into Elnora Tuggle) turns up and is interested in the rare book Spells and Potions(a book about witches) which is stored in Lynn's house. The bad part is Stevie(Lynn's five-year-old brother) is drawn to Mrs. Gullone's "rabbit" Delcy, which can be rearranged into Clyde(Mrs. Tuggle's "grandson" who earlier when Lynn's sister, Judith, was involved with witchcraft helped try to sacrifice Stevie when Lynn's parents were gone and Mrs.Tuggle had baby-sat). Lynn's mother continuously goes up to Mrs. Tuggle's. The family, Beasly's, and Dr.Long haven't told Lynn's mother any of this because of previous encounters with witchcraft. Finally Mother surprises them by telling them the reason for going up there is to give the family a chance to bring it up but they wouldn't. They join together to stop "Greta" or Elnora. But can they beat her at her own game? As a seventh grade girl, I enjoyed the suspense and mysteries in the whole series, but mostly this book. I recommend it to 5th through 8th grade girls.