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Witch Saga #5
Witch Weed
"One of the most feared of a witch's powers is that of the evil eye..."
After throwing Mrs. Tuggle's evil glass eye into the creek, Lynn and her best friend, Mouse, anticipate a soothing summer. But when Lynn notices some strange-looking purple plants growing down by the creek, she begins to worry. Is she imagining it, or are the plants sprouting right near where she threw the eye?
What's worse is that some girls from school may be starting their own coven of witches -- and Mouse might be getting sucked in!
Does Mrs. Tuggle have unfinished business with them? And if so, can Lynn fight her evil again?
After throwing Mrs. Tuggle's evil glass eye into the creek, Lynn and her best friend, Mouse, anticipate a soothing summer. But when Lynn notices some strange-looking purple plants growing down by the creek, she begins to worry. Is she imagining it, or are the plants sprouting right near where she threw the eye?
What's worse is that some girls from school may be starting their own coven of witches -- and Mouse might be getting sucked in!
Does Mrs. Tuggle have unfinished business with them? And if so, can Lynn fight her evil again?
192 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1990
About the author
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
213 books1,047 followersPhyllis Reynolds Naylor was born in Anderson, Indiana, US on January 4, 1933.
Her family were strongly religious with conservative, midwestern values and most of her childhood was spent moving a lot due to her father's occupation as a salesman.
Though she grew up during the Depression and her family did not have a lot of money, Naylor stated that she never felt poor because her family owned good books. Her parents enjoyed reading stories to the children--her father would imitate the characters in Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer--and her mother read to them every evening, "almost until we were old enough to go out on dates, though we never would have admitted this to anyone."
By the time Phyllis reached fifth grade, writing books was her favorite hobby and she would rush home from school each day to write down whatever plot had been forming in her head - at sixteen her first story was published in a local church magazine.
Phyllis has written over 80 books for children and young people. One of these books, "Shiloh," was awarded the Newbery Medal in 1992, was named a Notable Children's Book by the American Library Association and was also Young Adult Choice by the International Reading Association.
Naylor gets her ideas from things that happen to her or from things she has read. "Shiloh" was inspired by a little abused dog she and her husband found. The little dog haunted her so much that she had to write a story about him to get it out of her mind.
Her family were strongly religious with conservative, midwestern values and most of her childhood was spent moving a lot due to her father's occupation as a salesman.
Though she grew up during the Depression and her family did not have a lot of money, Naylor stated that she never felt poor because her family owned good books. Her parents enjoyed reading stories to the children--her father would imitate the characters in Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer--and her mother read to them every evening, "almost until we were old enough to go out on dates, though we never would have admitted this to anyone."
By the time Phyllis reached fifth grade, writing books was her favorite hobby and she would rush home from school each day to write down whatever plot had been forming in her head - at sixteen her first story was published in a local church magazine.
Phyllis has written over 80 books for children and young people. One of these books, "Shiloh," was awarded the Newbery Medal in 1992, was named a Notable Children's Book by the American Library Association and was also Young Adult Choice by the International Reading Association.
Naylor gets her ideas from things that happen to her or from things she has read. "Shiloh" was inspired by a little abused dog she and her husband found. The little dog haunted her so much that she had to write a story about him to get it out of her mind.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 15, 2020
This book was pretty bad ass, actually. The cover (my cover is from ‘92) makes it look like it is going to be a juvenile book with light spooky elements, but witches be leaving dead birds on people’s doorsteps and shit. It’s crazy.
The protagonist is surrounded by people who think she may be insane, and she begins to question her own judgment, but she keeps it together better than many adults I know, so kudos to her.
This book must have given evangelicals a damned heart attack when it came out.
All in all it was a good book. It was well-paced. There was one minor mystery in the story (what oh what could be causing everyone to act strange) that, by the time it appeared to occur to our protagonist the reader had already been beaten over the head with it, but that was a minor issue. The characters were okay. You had real-world tensions that kids could relate to and which helped with characterization, and you have a creepy horror atmosphere going on as well, with witchcraft mythology.
A great, light read for all ages.
The protagonist is surrounded by people who think she may be insane, and she begins to question her own judgment, but she keeps it together better than many adults I know, so kudos to her.
This book must have given evangelicals a damned heart attack when it came out.
All in all it was a good book. It was well-paced. There was one minor mystery in the story (what oh what could be causing everyone to act strange) that, by the time it appeared to occur to our protagonist the reader had already been beaten over the head with it, but that was a minor issue. The characters were okay. You had real-world tensions that kids could relate to and which helped with characterization, and you have a creepy horror atmosphere going on as well, with witchcraft mythology.
A great, light read for all ages.
December 11, 2022
I remember reading books by Naylor when I was growing up, and the nostalgia was a warm blanket as I turned the pages.what a fun and enjoyable children's book. It's book #5 in the series, and the child in me wants to read this series from start to finish :)
October 16, 2020
Lynn is such a little badass!
Still great entertainment!
Still great entertainment!
November 7, 2021
This book was great never knew books were so good until I read this book
This is a little gory I feel at some parts very detailed but I feel that’s why I like this book so much
This is a little gory I feel at some parts very detailed but I feel that’s why I like this book so much
August 19, 2007
This whole series scared the ever living snot out of me when I was 12. For kids' books, they're pretty damn scary.
February 6, 2020
Just couldn't finish it.
October 11, 2021
Wow! This one really surprised me! No way did I expect something so creepy and even menacing from a kid's book! But it definitely is. In fact there are more disturbing scenes scattered throughout this book than in the last adult mystery I just read earlier today. I think it could be due to the writing style too. The danger and threat is plainly described and right in your face. Raw emotions. Nowhere to turn. Everything is all mixed up and who do you turn to for help when your problem is witches and the others will think you are crazy? Better yet the tension mounts as the story progresses until a shocking finale! Even I had a hard time believing that end...but when you are truly desperate you do totally insane things. And things do get crazy! Fast moving plot with lots of action and scares.
Now apparently this is the fifth book in a series. I have not read any of the others at all. Yet I had no trouble following this one and the things written in here make it pretty plain what had happened in the previous ones. So yes, you can read this alone. I did and no problems.
This book is a perfect read for October and Halloween. Creepy witches? Check! Scary birds? Check! Spells? Check! Being menaced by fog or flowers? Check! And here you thought pretty flowers were safe! Ha! Little you know...
And better yet it's illustrated with several black and white drawings! The one with the hand coming towards the window is especially creepy.
I would definitely read this again. Lots of scary fun.
Now apparently this is the fifth book in a series. I have not read any of the others at all. Yet I had no trouble following this one and the things written in here make it pretty plain what had happened in the previous ones. So yes, you can read this alone. I did and no problems.
This book is a perfect read for October and Halloween. Creepy witches? Check! Scary birds? Check! Spells? Check! Being menaced by fog or flowers? Check! And here you thought pretty flowers were safe! Ha! Little you know...
And better yet it's illustrated with several black and white drawings! The one with the hand coming towards the window is especially creepy.
I would definitely read this again. Lots of scary fun.
December 12, 2017
Book five in the Witch's Sister saga! Almost done!
This book find Lynn and Marjorie, Mouse, finding out that their attempt to get rid of the dead witch's eye only made the evil spread. And there are others who want to be part of the witch's coven so the girls find themselves trying to battle not only the evil of the dead witch but her new converts, too.
If you enjoyed the first four of the Witch's Saga, you have to read this one!
This book find Lynn and Marjorie, Mouse, finding out that their attempt to get rid of the dead witch's eye only made the evil spread. And there are others who want to be part of the witch's coven so the girls find themselves trying to battle not only the evil of the dead witch but her new converts, too.
If you enjoyed the first four of the Witch's Saga, you have to read this one!
July 1, 2019
Just finished it with my 10-yr-old son. I’d read it as a kid and forgot it was part of a saga. It’s pretty good by itself but legit creepy. I think it was fine for his age but kinda only just? I mean it was nothing like goosebumps or anything. Kind of makes me want to search for the others in the series but maybe I’m too scared.
August 28, 2018
Well, my suspicions about Lynn’s mental health proved true.
WTF was this one about?
WTF was this one about?
October 23, 2014
The book the witch weed is mainly about a teen girl named Lynn and her best friend Mouse had (in the last book) fought a evil witch named Mrs.Tuggle. So in this book Lynn had to go to a psychologist because her family thought that she was crazy. When she was at the psychologist she told him about Mrs.Tuggle and how Mrs.Tuggle's house burned down with her inside. But all of Mrs.Tuggle's evil came from her glass eye with some how has survived the wreckage. But this eye was found by Lynns' little brother and her brother starts turning evil and mouse throws the eye into the creek. Then everything wentry back to normal until theset strange weeds start sprouting by the exact spot that they threw the eye into the creek. What is thus mysterious weed that Mrs.Tuggles has planted read this great book to find out.
April 12, 2010
As a curious mom, this was my second book of the Naylor "Witches" series to read. I can definitely see why the series (because of their occult theme) has created some controversy among religious fundamentalists over the years. The concept of five 11-year-old girls forming a coven and making plans to perform a ceremony on a night of a witches' Sabbat to raise their newest member, Mouse, who is under their spell to a "higher" power so Mouse could get her mother to return home is a theme that a young adult reader might possibly have need to understand. The 11-year-old main character, Lynn, uses a can of gasoline and strikes a match to rid the area behind her house of the purple witch weed growing is a full-blown paranormal subplot.
September 7, 2015
Despite points here and there that feel dated now (corded telephones, for example), this 1991 novel still generates some genuinely creepy thrills. I remember being terrified by Witch's Sister as a kid (the first in this series), and never knew there were other books to follow. Any of them can be read as standalone tales, though. I sat up all night finishing it. :)
May 31, 2013
Creepy, intense, exciting - All in all, very good!
June 10, 2013
I made the mistake of reading this before falling asleep. . . . .
Creepy book, but I like it because of the way the author describes the (marble as Stevie calls it)eye.
Creepy book, but I like it because of the way the author describes the (marble as Stevie calls it)eye.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews