Spelling Trouble

The Misadventures of Salem Hyde #1

by Frank Cammuso

Salem Hyde just isn’t like other kids. For one thing, she’s stubborn, independent, and impulsive. For another, she’s a witch. Salem acts first and thinks later—which means most of her thinking involves coming up with excuses!
Good thing she’s been assigned an animal companion, Lord Percival J. Whamsford III. This over-anxious cat doesn’t like Salem calling him “Whammy,” and Salem doesn’t like listening to his long-winded explanations as to why she shouldn’t do something . . . like enter the class spelling bee.
Salem knows she can beat all her classmates at spells, no problem. Too late, she realizes the competition is about spelling words, not magic. And there’s nothing like a misspelled spell to cause all kinds of havoc!  
Praise for The Misadventures of Salem Hyde: Book One
STARRED REVIEWS
"A fledgling witch receives necessary guidance from a talking cat in this utterly adorable page-turner… A delightful buddy story and an auspicious series opener; be sure to make room on shelves for Salem and Whammy."
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"It’s just about the perfect story for comics-loving fathers to read with their comics-loving daughters."
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Cammuso evokes both the sarcastic spunk and gentle warmth of Calvin and Hobbes in this humorous tale of unlikely pals."
—The Bulletin of The Center for Children's Books

"Young readers will eat up Cammuso’s (Otto’s Orange Day, 2008) action-packed panels, full of cartoonish antics, silly puns, and playful slapstick humor."
—Booklist

"The humor, appealing artwork, and underlying message of friendship will attract readers."
—Library Media Connection

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Humor, Childrens, Magic, Witches, Middle Grade

96 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2013

About the author

Frank Cammuso is the author/illustrator of the graphic novel series The Misadventures of Salem Hyde from Amulet Books. He also created the graphic novel series Knights of the Lunch Table from Graphix/Scholastic. Frank drew the comic Otto’s Orange Day and Otto’s Backwards Day for Toon-Books. He also wrote and drew his self-published graphic novel Max Hamm Fairy Tale Detective, for which he received an Eisner nomination.


Frank is the former award-winning political cartoonist for The Post-Standard newspaper in Syracuse, NY. His cartoons have been reprinted in The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today and Newsweek.

He has written fiction and satire with his good friend Hart Seely. Their work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Village Voice, Slate, and on National Public Radio. He’s the co-author of 2007-Eleven and Other American Comedies.


Cammuso currently teaches Sequential Illustration part-time at his alma mater, Syracuse University. He lives with his family in frosty Syracuse, NY, where they enjoy all things comics!

Reviews

[Kelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whenever my kids want to start a new comic series I feel as though I have to read the first book before they do. It helps me to gauge the content for appropriateness and get a feel for the basic style each enjoys.

This comic is adorable! Featuring an independent-minded young witch and her cat, this has well-disguised lessons about spelling, confidence, and friendship. Witty and fun with great artwork and characters, this will appeal to both my kids. I may even read the next in the series! 5 stars.

[Kellee Moye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review at: http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=2414

Teaching Guide Information: http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=3070

I made sure to pick this up at NCTE from Abrams because Frank Cammuso is a big hit in my classroom. His series, Knights of the Lunch Table (great allusion to King Arthur!) is loved by many a reader (so much so that I think my copy of the first in the series just bit the dust and I’ll need to replace it). Although they did tell me that readers of TKotLT are older than the intended audience for Salem Hyde I wanted to make sure to read it because I was sure I was going to enjoy it—and I did! I’m also so pleased with the embracing of graphic novels that have been happening over the last 5 years and even graphic novels for young readers. The amount of graphic novels for young readers is really starting to accumulate and I have been impressed with most of the ones I’ve read, Salem Hyde included. I feel that many of the juvenile graphic novels are well done, multi-layered, and truly respectable just like the YA graphic novels.

Salem Hyde reminds me of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, but a bit more of a trouble maker. Salem made me laugh and made me shake my head. She is one headstrong, independent little lady who, mixed with trying to figure out all of her match powers as she grows up as a witch, is a great main character.

[Reading is my Escape · Rating 3 out of 5]

Misadventures of Salem Hyde  
 
This is a cute graphic novel about Salem Hyde. She stubborn and impulsive - characteristics that can make her dangerous, as she is also a witch. Her parents get her a magical animal companion to help keep her out of trouble. She wanted a unicorn, but she ended up with a cat, Percival J. Whamsford III. She calls him Whammy. She enters a spelling bee, thinking it relates to "spells", but when she casts a spell to help her win, things go very bad.
 
The illustrations are expressive and funny. I think kids will love this series.

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

We raise our children to be confident, independent and strong, right? What if your child is a witch and just a little too independent, a little wild, and hasn’t quite got her “spelling” down pat? You would do like any other good parent, you would employ a familiar to help teach your child the ropes of being a witch. What happens when our young witch refuses to listen to her familiar? Well, there is “spelling” and there is “spelling,” and there is Salem and Lord Percival J. Whamsford III as they enter into a battle of wills! Who will win? What fiascoes will arise?

The Misadventures of Salem Hyde: Book One: Spelling Trouble by Frank Cammuso is a cute, clever and fast-paced tale that will engage children with Salem’s antics and Whammy’s perseverance. I was definitely charmed by this quick read, so I gave it to my 8 year old granddaughter and she told me she liked it, it was funny and Mya thought Salem needed to learn to listen better! (From out of the mouths of babes…) I think this is a real attention-getter for younger kids and a great way to interest them in the power of reading.

This ARC edition was provided by NetGalley and Abrams in exchange for my honest review.

Publication Date: October 1, 2013
Publisher: Amulet Books
Series: The Misadventures of Salem Hyde, Book 1
ISBN: 9781419708039
Number of pages: 96
Genre: Children's Fiction
Age Recommendation: 7 & up
My rating: 4.5 Stars
Available from: Barnes & Noble / Amazon
For more reviews check out Tome Tender's Book Blog or find us on Facebook.

[Sharon Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Misadventures of Salem Hyde: Book One: Spelling Trouble is a children's graphic novel by Frank Cammuso and is scheduled for release on October 1 2013. Salem Hyde is not like most of the other kids, she is stubborn, independent, impulsive, and just happens to be a witch. She tends to act before thinking, which gets her into some trouble. To help her learn to use her powers more responsibly Salem is assigned an animal companion, Lord Percival J. Whamsford III. This cautious cat does not like Salem calling him 'Whammy' or flying while Salem does not like hearing about what she should not be doing, and why. When Salem enters a Spelling Bee she discovers that the competition is about spelling words, not magic, but a simple misspelling can cause some serious havoc!

The Misadventures of Salem Hyde: Book One: Spelling Trouble is a fun graphic novel for the elementary school set from the author you might already know from the Knights of the Lunch Table graphic novel series.Salem is a good kid with trouble using her words correctly, which make school and her spell work go wrong in a variety of ways. She honestly tries her best but her mistakes sometimes lead to magical disasters. She is a smart girl, and a good hearted one, but sometimes has trouble in the translation from head to action. I think that her struggles will help readers that are facing their own trouble with school work will particularly relate to Salem, while getting a laugh at the puns and jokes threaded through the story. To make the story even more engaging, the artwork is consistently bright and cheerful. I found this to be a great start to a new series.

I highly recommend The Misadventures of Salem Hyde: Book One: Spelling Trouble to readers in elementry and middle school. Again, I think that seeing someone that is special, having magical powers, that has school and spelling troubles could help encourage those facing similar troubles to keep trying and how important spelling really can be. The second book in the series, The Misadventures of Salem Hyde: Book Two: Big Birthday Bash, is currently schedule for release on May 20 2014

[Petra Grayson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started out making my almost-second-grader read this book out loud to me, but eventually he liked it enough that he was reading it on his own. In fact, he's now working on reading it a second or third time on his own – in just 2 weeks of having the book. My son's a pretty reluctant reader, but he has a high reading vocabulary for a 1st grader, so I'm really happy that he likes this book and is willing to pick it up and read without me even suggesting it.

My son laughs out loud throughout the whole book. He loves the faces that Salem makes, he loves what the characters say to each other, and it seems he really gets what's going on. Word choice seems to be pretty good. Not too many big words that my son couldn't figure out on his own.

My one concern would be: with the font style, some of the 'i's are hard to see, so my son misses some of the words if he has to sound them out and isn't sure of the vocabulary. Something like “seriously”, is hard for him because the 'i' looked a little hidden and he hasn't read that word very often yet. I'm not sure if he had trouble with any other words, but he seemed to get most of the story.

In the end, 4.5 stars for this book. It got my son reading more without being forced, it works well on the iPad, and it was a cute, fun story. My son is pretty serious, so for him to be laughing multiple times while reading, it has to be pretty good.

I received this book as an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in an upcoming graphic novel series for children in elementary school. Salem Hyde is a witch, so sometimes she misunderstands what the other kids at school are talking about. She insists she is a good speller and goes on to prove it by casting a spell. Unfortunately, the spell turned a teacher into an enormous dinosaur. After that, Salem’s family decide that she needs an animal companion. Salem thinks a unicorn would be perfect, but she gets a cat instead: a cat named Percival J. Whamsford III. As his name indicates, he has a very different personality than Salem. Let the fun begin!

Done in black and white illustrations, this graphic novel has the feel of a traditional comic strip rather than a graphic novel. That is not a complaint, in fact I enjoyed the more Calvin and Hobbes feel to the book with moments that stood on their own and the whole telling a full story. Cammuso’s art has a traditional vibe to it, one that will have mass appeal. The humor is slick, funny and age appropriate offering silly moments galore.

A strong beginning to a new series, Salem Hyde should be welcome at all libraries as long as she doesn’t try to “spell.” Appropriate for ages 7-9.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

We have some of Frank Cammuso's "Knights of the Lunch Table" books in our library and they are very popular. So I tried out Spelling Trouble which is the first book in his series - The Misadventures of Salem Hyde. Salem will make you laugh out loud with her sassy attitude and determination. Although her parents cannot do magic, Salem and her mom's aunt can. After Salem turns a teacher at her school into a dinosaur, Aunt Martha decides that Salem needs a magical animal companion to help her learn control. Salem requests a unicorn, but she gets a cat named Whammy. Whammy has an attitude of his own, so it takes awhile for the two of them to become friends.

This is a good book for readers who enjoy humorous graphic novels or funny school stories in general. The illustrations are black and white, but they are drawn with such clear facial expressions and sound effects that you don't need colors for the story to come alive.

I would recommend it to anyone who likes The Knights of the Lunch Table, Big Nate, and other books of that sort.

I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

[Valerie Barnhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

1) I loved this book. The plot was easy to follow and the panels were very creatively illustrated. The man character is a little witch. Her mother wants her to have an animal to help teach her the ways of spells and using them correctly. In the text, there are great,funny little bits of advice and spelling hints that I really appreciated. "Better fly" becomes "butterfly." The cat answers Salem with, "75% of teaching is making stuff up." This is part of a series of books about Salem Hyde.
2) The audience for the book could range from 1-3. It would be a great book for someone who likes witches and animals. The talking cat adds humor to the story. I could see this story used in a sequencing exercise. It would also work nicely with misunderstandings in the way the words are used and presented.
3) Cautions or concerns would include presenting this book for a student whose religious beliefs would be infringed by the concept of witches and magic.

[Kellylou · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the first page, I felt like I was a kid again reading the Sunday comics. While Cammuso's series doesn't have the richly textured graphic novel feel that I have come to expect for middle grade readers, it does have several things going for it. It's hard not to like Salem and Whammy's oddball relationship. They are both easily relatable in a very Calvin and Hobbs sort of way. The chapters, or parts, are broken into easy-to-manage sections of reading for struggling readers. I can see many young girls diving into these books when nothing else has interested them. Salem is quirky, spunky, and independent... and sure to delight many young readers. Excellent scaffold series for teachers looking to help bridge a path from uninterested readers to engaged reader.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Salem Hyde doesn't always think before she acts, which gets her in a lot of trouble. Her parents enlist a very proper cat, Percival J. Whamford, to help tame their daughter. But Salem doesn't listen to him until it's almost too late after she has created a spell during the spelling play. Some of the word play in this graphic novel is quite amusing, and Salem's secret desire for a friend touches the heart. This is a good initial entry in a series for young readers. I liked Salem quite a lot by the end of the book although I didn't like her too much at first. Like most of us, she longs for love and acceptance.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Salem Hyde is a witch, not a very good witch, but a lovable one. She gets into a little trouble with her spells and her parents hire her an animal companion, aka pet, to keep her in line. Enter Percival J. Whamsford III, aka a cat. Their relationship is rocky at first which causes Whammy to compose a resignation letter that he later regrets sending when the two have bonded more completely.

The main action of this first comic book in a series centers on the spelling bee that Salem enters and tries to cheat to win, but ends up in a mess of trouble.

A fun read for grades 3-5, especially fans of the Lunch Lady series, Babymouse, Squish, and the Flying Beaver Brothers books.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Calvin & Hobbes mashed-up with Bewitched.

Salem Hyde is precocious young witch in the launch of a new graphic novel series. While the book world is overloaded with Baby Mouse, Captain Underpants, Big Nate, and Geronimo Stilton, author Frank Cammuso provides a solid option for beginning readers. Salem Hyde is a independent little girl who is paired with a magical animal companion, Whammy. Whammy is a cat (I wanted a unicorn!) who introduces Salem to spelling, homophones, and methods of tempering her witchcraft. The result is a fun book for 1st and 2nd graders that will get them hooked on reading.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun graphic novel from the author/illustrator who did Knights of the Lunch Table, this one starring a girl and her M.A.C. (magical animal companion) cat. The relationship of Salem (girl) and Whammy (cat) is reminiscent of Calvin and Hobbes. But this time it's not so much an overactive imagination that causes some issues, it's overconfidence in magic abilities. Lots of humor, likable characters, and there's even a little bit of learning for the reader as Salem and her fellow students compete in a spelling bee with plenty of mix-ups over homophones.

[Michael J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect book to share with new young readers, to be read to them, to have them read to you, or to enjoy all by themselves.
I wanted to find something to gift my six-year old grandson (an avid reader) when he visits next week, just in case rain or weather keeps us confined indoors. I always read the books first just to be sure it's appropriate and to determine if he can understand it thoroughly. I found myself laughing several times. Cammuso's writing is whimsical, clever, inventive and full of cute puns and humor.
A nice discovery.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read very many graphic novels but I did enjoy this one since it is on the Bluebonnet Reading List. My students love graphic novels and they never stay on the shelves long. I really liked the humor in this book.

[Ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. There were some jokes I think kids won't necessarily get, but for the most part a funny graphic novel about a witch and her cat. Clearly set up to be a series.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looks like this will be a cure series!

[Danielle]

It is a very funny book!

[Marissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

SUCH A CUTE Wednesday Addams/Sabrina the Teenage Witch vibe from this one. Clever and engaging.

[Edward Sojuwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kids' author Frank Cammuso wrote this first advent into the new Salem Hyde series in his jammies and minus the presence of his wife and son, or so the story goes. Salem Hyde is now the result of his pajama clad efforts. Salem is a young girl born with the powers of witchcraft, but please don't think it's another fun retread of Sabrina the Teenage Witch because not only would you be right, you'd only be seeing half the story. By then you'll have too much fun, which can be embarrassing enough! Salem loves causing trouble, her favorite animal is the unicorn (naturally! She's a girl! She's allowed the same unicorn fetish most girls, maybe even a few guys, actually enjoy!) and she's a bad speller...not just with the ABCs, but with magic as well. Asked to spell "dinosaur", she takes it ultra-literally and magically spells up a T Rex and has him chase her school principal into a trash dump. Salem needs structure, discipline, or at least a buddy. The solution seems to be a talking kitty cat named Percival, who happens to moonlight as a dishwasher for the local diner. He has been teaching new witches for 800 years, and as a result, he has five out of nine lives left. (Training witches is a tiring job!) Percy agrees by contract to help the headstrong Salem on condition that if there's trouble by the end of the week, he's gone. Already things go off not as planned. Salem goes thru rigorous though fun training a la Yoda and Luke on planet Dagobah, floating after butterflies and stinging for the bee....the spelling bee, which Salem plans to win. She's not made to suffer the indignity of being just any loser girl! That ain't Salem's lot!!! (Oops) But anyway the book is made like a comic book, and like a comic book, it's full of fun black and white artwork, adventure, laughs, and yes, a tender testament of friendship even when endurance is part of it. Salem deserves to be filmed as a fun film for summer. Maybe on Netflix....the Chilling Adventures of Salem Hyde? Nah...
Four stars
Salem Doesn't Hyde.... because she's TOO COOL!

[Jane Maple · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a girl at school challenges Salem to spell dinosaur, she instead casts a spell which causes a dinosaur to appear. After getting in trouble at school, her parents enlist Whammy to try to help Salem learn to control her magic. He gives her the WHAT witch Test (Winifred Hubble Aptitude Trials). She flies on a vacuum cleaner but falls when it comes unplugged. She turns a rock into a butterfly and follows it into Fergus lawn (Fergus is a two-year old and his yard has signs about how people should stay away). Whammy tells Salem the story of Moby Dick but changes the ending were they were manning the Balloons rather than Harpoons. Whammy writes Salem a letter of resignation and mails it but then regrets it. But she gets it right before her spelling test, where by miss spelling words the participants turns people into various animals. They save a whale with balloons and Whammy decides to stay.

[Kaitlin Tercero · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about Salem Hyde Spelling Troubles They have a spelling bee and She thinks How do I spell dinosaurs And then everyone screaming at because there's a dinosaur She has superpowers she can cast magical spells fly using a bruise super annoying not really a magic power more like a kid power She has a best friend and his name is Whammy It sounds like a weird name cause it's a cat the cat goes to school with her the cat goes everywhere with her Edwards the spelling bee happens She wants to be called miss speller She wants a crown Ed Sheeran what's a car and her cat drives it and everyone loves her

[Ghaniyah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Salem gets into trouble a lot and her parents found her an animal companion, Percival. J Whamsford III. That cat is dislikes flying and being called a "scaredey-cat" and doesn't like Salem calling him Whammy.But when Salem does something wrong, she needed Whammy to fix things. Whammy already told her that spelling and spell casting are the same things because one letter out of the place can change the whole meaning. That's how the problem started but in the end Whammy and Salem fix everything.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Salem is a witch who is still learning to control her powers. A magical animal companion is hired to help her, and at first it doesn’t work out. But then the pair become buddies and decide to continue together.
Cute graphic novel series. Skews younger. Would recommend to those a little too young for the Phoebe and Her Unicorn series.

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I run the school spelling bee and often seek out books to connect to it. I laughed out loud so often with this first book in the Misadventures of Salem Hyde that I had to email an Indie bookstore and order the first two for each of my school libraries. Thank you Frank Cammuso for the amazing experience!

[Jenn Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have no idea where this recommendation came from, but it's a fun little comic. Salem Hyde is a young witch who meets her companion cat, Whammy, and have misadventures only a kid-witch could muster. I love the black & grey colors with a pop of green in this title. The 2nd book uses pink, the 3rd, orange, the 4th uses yellow, and the 5th uses blue. I think that keeps the art interesting.

[Margaret Boling · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/10/2018 ~~ Salem Hyde will appeal to readers of Baby Mouse and Squish. As an adult, I loved the puns and confusion about homophones. Kids will enjoy the way Salem gets into difficulties without even meaning to.

[Sean Harding · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some sort of crazy character this Salem Hyde, a graphic novel about a witch with issues and who seems to get her spells wrong, in this case both magic and words, hence the puntastic title - anyway the first in a series of books about the title character, fair reading.

[Ashlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a cute story! I always loved spelling as a kid and so it was kinda funny to see how many ways spelling could go wrong. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a quick and fun read!