The Witches of Worm
 First edition cover | |
| Author | Zilpha Keatley Snyder |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Alton Raible |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Young adult novel |
| Publisher | Atheneum Books |
Publication date | 1 June 1972 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 192 pp |
| ISBN | 0-689-30066-2 |
The Witches of Worm is a 1972 young adult novel by Zilpha Keatley Snyder.[1] It received the Newbery Honor citation in 1973.[2]
Plot
Jessica, a lonely pre-teenaged girl, finds a blind, almost hairless cat that she names Worm. A reclusive elderly neighbor, Mrs. Fortune, helps her to wean and raise him. Worm seems to have a terrible hold on Jessica, and it is suggested the cat possesses her to do cruel and destructive things to her friends and her somewhat childish and emotionally distant divorced mother. Jessica comes to believe Worm is possessed by a group of witches that includes Mrs. Fortune. Jessica’s destructive actions escalate until her mother attempts to send her to counseling. Enraged by this idea, Jessica is left feeling betrayed by her mother and lonely.
Reception
In a star review Kirkus Reviews wrote "There's some danger that adults will be as spooked by Jessica as she is by Worm's evil eye, but the cat's bewitchment proves a perfect medium for a sensitive, sympathetic probing of a disturbed child's fears and anger -- and for a story that economically, seemingly effortlessly, captures the elusive eeriness of the supernatural."[3] Common Sense Media said "Kids who love a good mystery will eat this one up."[4]
Controversy
The book has often been banned[5] from school libraries in the United States because of its focus on the subject of witchcraft, the description of visions or nightmares Jessica experiences, and its protagonist's disturbing inner monologues with Worm/herself.
References
- ↑ Fantastic Fiction
- ↑ ALA: Newbery Medal and Honor Books, 1922-Present
- ↑ "The Witches of Worm". www.kirkusreviews.com. Kirkus Media LLC. 1 September 1972. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
- ↑ "The Witches of Worm". www.commonsensemedia.org. Common Sense Media Inc. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
- ↑ From Banned In The U.S.A by Herbert N. Foerstel