| Amy Settle is getting ready to face down a bully, James Bone, with a handful of water balloons. Instead, she drenches a mysterious and bad-tempered girl who looks exactly like her except that their hair style is different. Castanetta tricks Amy into donning a magic ring which sweeps Amy off to the dark house of Castanetta's grandmother, the evil Witch Ethel.
Ethel snatches away the ring, which Castanetta had pilfered, and assigns Amy to look for poisonous spiders as a punishment. While searching, Amy encounters Castanetta's brother, Bottle. Neither Ethel nor Bottle believes Amy's protests about the switch at first, but Amy's politeness (as opposed to Castanetta's selfishness) convinces Bottle. He agrees to help her get back where she belongs. Bottle and Amy sneak into Ethel's room again, looking for the ring. They find it, but accidentally start a fire on Ethel's work bench. A smoke alarm goes off in the house, and Ethel (a survivor of ancient times) thinks it is the madness of an evil spirit. Amy turns off the alarm and the two kids convince Ethel that the spirit started the fire. They are in the midst of studying the ring for clues when Ethel calls them back into her room. Ethel has spent her long life developing a potion that will make her enemies disappear. She plans to become the Witch of Witches and punish all those who laughed at her ambitions. Some ingredients got mixed during the fire, and her potion is complete. She tries to "test" it on Amy and Bottle, but they manage to turn the tables. Ethel is destroyed, and Amy returns home. Castanetta has found the daily chores of Amy's household as difficult as Ethel's, so she willingly switches places. Amy is left facing James Bone again, and happy to be there. | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of book - very upbeat FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - part earth & part fantasy world Is this an adult or child's book? - Kid's book (ages 7-14) Horror story? Yes Horror plotlets - the witch chased me on her broomstick! Descript. of chases or violence - 10 % planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40 % Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 10 % Main Character Identity: - Female Profession/status: Age: - a kid Main Adversary Identity: - Female Age: - long-lived adults Profession/status: Has magical powers? Yes Magical/mental powers of main antagonist: - can cast all sorts of spells Eccentric: Yes How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - an above average amount How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor Intelligence - Average intelligence Setting Earth setting: - 20th century Takes place on Earth? Yes Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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