The Witches of Worm (School & Library Binding)

by Zilpha Keatley Snyder (Author) "I'M SORRY, JESSIE BABY," JOY SAID..." (more)
Key Phrases: Jessie Baby, Regency Apartment House, Spencer Street (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
A lonely girl, Jessica, finds a blind, almost hairless cat that she calls Worm. Worm seems to have a terrible hold on her, making her do mean things, but Jessica feels she has no one who can help her break free of the cat. PW found this Newbery Honor Book "acutely perceptive and compelling."
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description
A lonely twelve-year-old is convinced that the cat she finds is possessed by a witch and is responsible for her own strange behavior. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• School & Library Binding
• Publisher: Topeka Bindery (October 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0808540793
• ISBN-13: 978-0808540793
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,282,199 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars what a sad, strange little girl, October 17, 2001

By	Maggie Fingers (A Place Called Won't Be There) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Witches of Worm (Yearling Book) (Paperback)

You don't have to have a bombshell mother who spends all her free time with her boyfriend or have no friends to dig the sad, bleary-eyed, lonely, supernatural atmosphere of The Witches of Worm. I read this book when I was ten, and for me it's up there with The Secret Garden, The Little Princess, and Jane Eyre for telling it like it is about being a lonely little girl, just strange enough for the neighbors to talk and to know herself that she doesn't fit in. The cat could be possessed, or not; Jessica could be a witch, or not; but the big question for me is, is she really wise beyond her years or does her desolation just make her seem that way? My favorite quote is from this book: "Belief in mysteries, any manner of mysteries, is the only lasting luxury in life."

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A true classic, March 9, 2001

By	Sean Cooper (The Midwest) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Witches of Worm (Yearling Book) (Paperback)

I read this book about 15 years ago, when I was a very young man, and the impressions I got from it has never left me. I have devoted my life to the written word (as an editor), and I think that that my love of prose can be directly related to this small, strange novel I read one afternoon in the mid-eighties. Like the greatest of Gothic novels (think "Dracula" or Jane Austen's "Northanger Abbey"), this is a novel of the imagination. While the protagonist may be certifiable, she is still extremely recognizable to all readers. While I would highly reccomend this book to young readers, it is adults that will relate, and remember, the alienation of youth. A highly original fantasy, this novel will stick whith anyone, of any age, who picks it up. An underpraised classic of teen literature. It deserves to be embraced by teens and adults of all ages for many years to come.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Is He or Isn't He? Is She or Isn't She?, June 21, 2001

By	Queen Cobra, Goddess of Truth and Justice (Altamont Springs, Florida United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Witches of Worm (Witches of Worm Nrf) (Hardcover)

Worm is a demon cat and he's turning twelve year old Jessica into a witch - or is Jessica the witch turning her cat into a demonic familiar? Or is she simply an unhappy, angry child and Worm nothing more than an ugly stray kitten? The Reader must decide for herself whether anything supernatural is *really* going on in this book. It is certainly disturbing, witchcraft or no there's real doubt if Jessica and Worm will both survive the evil they've fallen under.