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Sam & Friends #4
Witches' Brew
A spooky adventure for girls -- book four of A Sam & Friends Mystery graphic novel series. When three odd sisters with a collection of scraggly animals move into the house across the street, Sam and her friends grow suspicious. Then Sam thinks she's been hexed -- these new neighbors must be witches! The friends search the sisters' house for a spell book to help Sam when the homeowners return unexpectedly. Will they boil the intruders in a witches' potion? Young graphic novel readers will furiously turn pages to find a surprising solution to this mystery.
96 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2011
2 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
About the author
Mary Labatt
39 books11 followersMary Labatt is an award-winning editor and a writer. A graduate of York University, Mary has published many educational briefs, position papers and articles on reading, the effects of poverty on learning, drug awareness, language arts, violence, the needs of adolescents and special education. Mary was the founding editor of the FWTAO Newsletter, a magazine for women teachers, that she edited for 14 years. She is also the author of a history of women teachers in Ontario, called Always a Journey. Mary has been honored for her contribution to education with the prestigious Greer award and has been made a Fellow of the Ontario Teachers’ Federation.
In addition to freelance editing, Mary teaches a week-long course every summer on how to write for children. Now that her family is older, Mary devotes the rest of her time to writing for children and raising dogs. She breeds and raises champion rough collies and Welsh Springer Spaniels, which were imported from Wales. People who read Mary’s children’s books will readily see that she loves dogs, so it is natural that she and her family live on a farm and raise dogs. In the picture Mary is shown with two of her collie mothers, Annabel and Chloe. Mary has said she is never happier than when little fat puppies are running all over the yard.
Mary’s Sam books were based on a real dog. Sam was Mary’s very eccentric, very nosy Old English Sheepdog. Sam used to stare to get her own way and she was insatiably curious. Mary took the idea and created Sam, the dog detective. If you haven’t read the Sam novels, you can meet Sam, the dog detective, in a new series of graphic novels called the Sam and Friends mysteries.
Mary lives on farm in Clear Creek, Ontario, with her husband, Larry, three dogs and two of their three children. Their other daughter just got married, so there will be room now for another dog!
In addition to freelance editing, Mary teaches a week-long course every summer on how to write for children. Now that her family is older, Mary devotes the rest of her time to writing for children and raising dogs. She breeds and raises champion rough collies and Welsh Springer Spaniels, which were imported from Wales. People who read Mary’s children’s books will readily see that she loves dogs, so it is natural that she and her family live on a farm and raise dogs. In the picture Mary is shown with two of her collie mothers, Annabel and Chloe. Mary has said she is never happier than when little fat puppies are running all over the yard.
Mary’s Sam books were based on a real dog. Sam was Mary’s very eccentric, very nosy Old English Sheepdog. Sam used to stare to get her own way and she was insatiably curious. Mary took the idea and created Sam, the dog detective. If you haven’t read the Sam novels, you can meet Sam, the dog detective, in a new series of graphic novels called the Sam and Friends mysteries.
Mary lives on farm in Clear Creek, Ontario, with her husband, Larry, three dogs and two of their three children. Their other daughter just got married, so there will be room now for another dog!
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 26, 2017
Sam is no ordinary dog, he’s a detective dog who goes looking for adventure if nothing is happening. By looking at Sam, you would think he was a regular dog but Sam can also talk to ten-year-old Jennie. Sam is full of funny remarks and sarcasm, and is one dog, you will come to love. Using their creative and imitative minds, Sam and Jennie can make a mundane thing something extravagate.
I thought this child’s graphic novel was funny and mysterious. I liked the relationship that Sam has with Jennie, they seem to feed off each other. Jennie’s friends know that Sam can talk to her so Jennie relays Sam’s comments to her friends which allow Sam to be part of the conversation. The storyline is full of possibilities and imagination and I enjoyed how their imaginations grow with every new possibility. As new neighbors move in, Jennie, Sam and her friend Beth question the neighbor’s possessions and actions. With all the critters that moved in with them, they come to the conclusion that they are witches and now, the threesome has to do some investigative work to prove their point. It’s comical at times as their quizzical minds go wild looking for answers.
I think these are great mysteries for young readers as they consist of simple questions that they investigate and the team uses clues and their imagination to pursue their quest. The text is comical, fast-paced and easy to follow. The mysteries are solved at the end of the novel and Sam is ready for another adventure. I liked the black-and-white illustrations as they follow the easy-to-read storyline. These are great graphic novels for young children and would make a great bedtime story for some children. This novel is part of a series yet I read this one out of order in the series and I had no problem following the storyline.
I thought this child’s graphic novel was funny and mysterious. I liked the relationship that Sam has with Jennie, they seem to feed off each other. Jennie’s friends know that Sam can talk to her so Jennie relays Sam’s comments to her friends which allow Sam to be part of the conversation. The storyline is full of possibilities and imagination and I enjoyed how their imaginations grow with every new possibility. As new neighbors move in, Jennie, Sam and her friend Beth question the neighbor’s possessions and actions. With all the critters that moved in with them, they come to the conclusion that they are witches and now, the threesome has to do some investigative work to prove their point. It’s comical at times as their quizzical minds go wild looking for answers.
I think these are great mysteries for young readers as they consist of simple questions that they investigate and the team uses clues and their imagination to pursue their quest. The text is comical, fast-paced and easy to follow. The mysteries are solved at the end of the novel and Sam is ready for another adventure. I liked the black-and-white illustrations as they follow the easy-to-read storyline. These are great graphic novels for young children and would make a great bedtime story for some children. This novel is part of a series yet I read this one out of order in the series and I had no problem following the storyline.
October 22, 2023
Reminds me a bit of Mona the Vampire crossed with Wishbone.
March 21, 2011
This series of mysteries, centering on a dog detective whose mind can be read by her human friend, is generally cute and clever. This volume, centering on both the dog and the little girl believing that their new neighbors are witches, is good, but could have been much better.
This was a cute story, but I couldn't give it a fourth star due to a couple of problems. One is that the story's resolution was dragged off course by red herrings created by the artist. The artist drew what appeared to be a bunch of happy, healthy animals that were later described as being sick and/or neglected. The only animal which was drawn looking unhealthy was, in fact, a beloved and spoiled pet.
Then, there are the toads near the start of the story. They behave in an unusual manner, which seems to be a clue, but in fact there's no payoff. In fact, the toads don't fit with the resolution of the rest of the story.
Kids who are forgiving of mysteries that aren't quite resolved at the end will enjoy this, and fans of the first three books in the series will enjoy the gentle humor and put up with the flawed mystery. Kids who read mysteries for the joy of solving the puzzles will find it a bit frustrating.
This was a cute story, but I couldn't give it a fourth star due to a couple of problems. One is that the story's resolution was dragged off course by red herrings created by the artist. The artist drew what appeared to be a bunch of happy, healthy animals that were later described as being sick and/or neglected. The only animal which was drawn looking unhealthy was, in fact, a beloved and spoiled pet.
Then, there are the toads near the start of the story. They behave in an unusual manner, which seems to be a clue, but in fact there's no payoff. In fact, the toads don't fit with the resolution of the rest of the story.
Kids who are forgiving of mysteries that aren't quite resolved at the end will enjoy this, and fans of the first three books in the series will enjoy the gentle humor and put up with the flawed mystery. Kids who read mysteries for the joy of solving the puzzles will find it a bit frustrating.
May 22, 2015
I love the illustrations of this series of graphic novels, I wish there were more than four!
November 3, 2016
Man this is a rather cute addition to the series. I love Sam and how she can communicate with Jennie as they try to solve a strange neighbourhood mystery
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews