Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth

by E.L. Konigsburg

2017 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the beloved classic Jennifer, Hecatate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth .

Elizabeth is an only child, new in town, and the shortest kid in her class. She’s also pretty lonely, until she meets Jennifer. Jennifer is...well, different. She’s read Macbeth . She never wears jeans or shorts. She never says “please” or “thank you.” And she says she is a witch.

It’s not always easy being friends with a witch, but it’s never boring. At first an apprentice and then a journeyman witch, Elizabeth learns to eat raw eggs and how to cast small spells. And she and Jennifer collaborate on cooking up an ointment that will enable them to fly. That’s when a marvelous toad, Hilary Ezra, enters their lives. And that’s when trouble starts to brew.

Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Friendship, Witches, Realistic Fiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1967

About the author

Elaine Lobl Konigsburg was an American writer and illustrator of children's books and young adult fiction. She is one of six writers to win two Newbery Medals, the venerable American Library Association award for the year's "most distinguished contribution to American children's literature."
Konigsburg submitted her first two manuscripts to editor Jean E. Karl at Atheneum Publishers in 1966, and both were published in 1967: Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth and From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler won the 1968 Newbery Medal, and Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth was listed as a runner-up in the same year, making Konigsburg the only author to win the Newbery Medal and have another book listed as runner-up in the same year. She won again for The View from Saturday in 1997, 29 years later, the longest span between two Newberys awarded to one author.
For her contribution as a children's writer Konigsburg was U.S. nominee in 2006 for the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Award, the highest international recognition available to creators of children's books.

Reviews

[Berengaria · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

short review for busy readers: a middle grade/YA novel from 1967 and longlisted for the Newberry Medal in 1968. A bit groundbreaking in that it focuses on the friendship between two girls of different races. Good dialogue and kid realistic narration, but today we'd disapprove of Jennifer's behaviour and "have a talk with her" about bullying and not respecting others' borders.

in detail:
Full disclosure: I disliked, or downright hated, the Newberry Medal winners I read as a kid. In fact, I disliked almost every very-end-of-middle grade-beginning-of-YA novel I read at the age it's meant for. So, I'm sure I'd not have thought much of this one, either.

Many moons later, however, I can see that the writing is just as fresh and the dialogues in just as realistic of a voice now as they were in the late 60s. Not a speck of age on it! In fact, the writing/narration is the best part of the novel.

The mixed race friendship between a black girl, Jennifer, who claims to be a master witch and a white girl, Elizabeth, who would really like to be a master witch was rather in keeping with the issues of the times (and perhaps the reason for its Newberry nomination), but not noticeable in the least today.

What we'd most notice today is Jennifer putting Elizabeth through all sorts of hazing as her witch's "apprentice". She can only eat certain foods on certain days. She's not allowed to use the telephone for a week. She has to bring Jennifer certain gifts.

We'd probably get upset with Jennifer today and call her a bully, but that's fairly normal kid behaviour. Kids dominate other kids and boss them around. If they're convincing enough, or have what the other kids want, the other kids comply.

And Jennifer is pretty convincing and Elizabeth wants to be a witch. So the unequal quality of their friendship mirrors the racial inequality in society. (Even if it's handled too subtly to be noticeable to kid readers)

Unfortunately, the story ends very abruptly and, for me, on disappointing note.

During the course of the entire novel Jennifer works hard to build up her clout as a witch, then suddenly --*poof*-- it was just all pretend! They aren't witches any more, that's baby stuff, they're now normal early teen girls.

What? After all that? Oh c'mon.

I think I probably enjoyed this story, even with the let down ending, more as an adult than I would have as a 12-year old. Because: Newberry.

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy E. L.'s work. What an interesting little story. It's about two lonely girls who become friends. One claims to be a witch. They meet at the library every Saturday. Elizabeth becomes a witch in training. This book is from the 60s and it's pacing and content fit in to that time. I can't really say why I like this book so much; I just enjoy it. Maybe, it's having something to look forward to in life with a friend and it's about reading. Anyway, it's a 100 page book. Give it a try.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley and Me, Elizabeth is a reading experience for me that would be akin to finding an old, well worn toy in the attic; I love to reread it, I think the story is wonderful (mostly because of memories), but this is not something that I would necessarily consider passing on immediately to a young reader-- mostly because of how well worn it is. The story suffers slightly from being a product of its generation. Images of children dressed as cigarette boxes for Halloween and the humor of relatives who eat health foods might creak along in these days of smoke-free zones and Whole Foods. Still, the strange friendship that Konigsburg creates in the story is one that can stand against the dated elements easily. The story is best for readers 8-12, especially those who may be a witch, or are strongly considering taking up the profession.

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I KNOW I read this book LAST YEAR and even wrote a review, but now all record of it is gone, gone, gone like the mastodon!

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really love some of E.L. Konigsburg's books, but this one was really not my favorite...starting with the title. I'm still not sure what the title has to do with the book at all. The story, although possibly intended to be endearing, is more about bullying. It is about a "new girl" who really wants a friend, but doesn't quite fit in, so she makes friends with a girl who claims to be a witch. The witch girl gives the new girl all sorts of orders about what she can and cannot do, eat and not eat, etc. I won't ruin the ending, but I WISH it had ended by the new girl realizing that the witch girl is a bully, and gaining some self-esteem and confidence, and walking her own path and making a new friend who is not a bully. Sadly, this book does describe the way new kids feel, and how when desperate to fit in and have a friend, they will often choose someone who is not the best fit as a friend. I really don't like the message it sends, and if my daughter chose to read this book, I would have a serious conversation about her self-worth and friendship after she finished it.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

4-1/2 Stars

You can call me Jenny, I don’t mind. 😉

[Manuel Alfonseca · Rating 3 out of 5]

ENGLISH: A little girl (in fact she's the smallest kid in her class) makes friends with a witch, who studies in the same school, and appoints her her apprentice. All kind of strange things will happen. As most witches, they even have a pet toad (Hilary Ezra), and make oinments.

I'm not surprised that this book got in the Newbery Honor List the same year that Konigsburg won the Newbery Medal with From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. The book is very good!

ESPAÑOL: Una niña pequeña (la más pequeña de su clase) se hace amiga de una bruja que estudia en la misma escuela, y que la nombra su aprendiza. Ocurrirán toda clase de cosas raras. Como la mayoría de las brujas, incluso tienen un sapo mascota (Hilary Ezra) y hacen ungüentos.

No me sorprende que este libro fuese incluido en la Lista de Honor Newbery el mismo año en que Konigsburg ganó la Medalla Newbery con From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. ¡El libro es muy bueno!

[Shawn Thrasher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elizabeth and Jennifer are two of the more well drawn and memorable best friends in children's literature in this well respected (if not quite beloved) classic. The fact that they are interracial friends probably meant a ton in 1967, although I don't recall thinking that was such a big deal twelve years later or so when I first read this (probably around 1980). Elizabeth, who narrates, is far snarkier and less shy than you would imagine; Jennifer is perfectly serious in a hilarious way. The book has some incredibly funny moments, subtle but great. It's the end that completely pisses me off; I don't remember caring all that much about the end as a kid, but as a grown-up, I thought it was really abrupt and unexpectedly squishy. Konigsberg published From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler later that same year, and it's a slightly better book; it certainly has a better ending!

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was probably my favorite childhood book. I was thrilled to find a copy a few years ago at the thrift store. I remember giggling as I repeated the whole long name of the story to friends, telling them they HAD to read this book. Somehow the title seemed longer back then...

[Joy Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

중반에 엘리자베스와 제니퍼가 마녀 놀이를 나름 진지하게 하는 부분도 꽤 흥미로왔지만
힐러리 에즈라 라는 이름의 두꺼비가 등장하고
마지막에 맥베쓰와 제니퍼의 경고가 맞아 떨어지는 부분..은 정말 어린이책 답지 않은 듯
이야기의 아귀가 딱 맞아 떨어지는 느낌이었다.
멕베스가 어떤 이야기일지 예전에 읽어보고도 기억이 가물거려서
이 책을 읽으며 궁금해졌지만 마지막에 맥베쓰의 이야기 구조를 빌려온 제니퍼의 경고가 해석되어지는 부분이 되니 맥베쓰도 대충 그런 이야기였겠거니 하며 안떠오르는 기억을 대충 얼버무릴만 하게 되었다.
재미있었다^^... 흑인 여자 아이인 제니퍼와 키작은 백인 아이 엘리자베스가 친구가 된 설정도 마음에 들고...
이런 단짝 친구가 있으면 정말 많은 친구가 있는 누구도 부럽지 않을터^^...
옛날 생각이 날것만 같다...
하기야 요즘도 초등학생이 되는 꿈을 꾸긴 하니까^^...
어렸을 때 이책을 읽었으면 어땠을까 싶기도 하다..
그런데 맥베쓰와 제니퍼의 해석이 맞아떨어지는 것을 엘리자베스가 발견하는 부분의 번역이 조금 미흡하다는 생각도 든다...(한글책도 중고로 구입해서 가지고 있었기에 읽어 보았다^^...)
번역 작가가 조금 바빠서 정신이 없었는지..아님 나름 무슨 뜻이 있었으려는지 모르겠다.
(혹시 이 정도 글이면 스포일러가 될지 잘 몰라서 그러는데...그럴 소지가 있거들랑 말씀해 주시면 수정하겠습니다^^;;~~~)

[Alison · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of my favorite authors. This one feels a little off-kilter, but maybe it's just the way that this girl friendship works. Zoe really liked this one, and maybe I'd like it more if I read it again. I like "The Mixed-up Files" and "The View From Saturday" WAY better.

[Linda (Miss Greedybooks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites as a kid. A nice re read. The story of these 2 girls, not the popular group, make their own fun and learn about each other in an unusual way. I loved it as a kid and it hasn't lost it's "magic" on me now.

[Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a Newbery Honor book in the late 60's and had an interesting premise so I was excited to read this book but...it reads like it was written in the late 60's and just hasn't aged well.

[Gary Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

92nd book read in 2017.

Number 421 out of 656 on my all time book list.

Odd story of misfits finding friendship in each other.

[Joseph Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe the real witchcraft was the friends we made along the way

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some books are timeless-- this one, even with Koningsburg's charming style, is oddly locked in time.

And although it's a light story with a non-plot, from four decades away some things that were benign are a little troubling.

In an attempt at post racial colorblindness (hah!) the author mentions only once that Jennifer is black. But the awareness pervades the book with its non-acknowledgment. The narrator never critiques her own race and her friend's race... And although it seems well-meant, it's the kind of intentional ignoring of race that has sealed America's racial issues in amber. White people ignore race because of discomfort, which often means ignoring "racial" people (since whiteness is invisible and therefore not a thing, right?). Does the narrator ignore Jennifer as school because they are being witchy and mysterious or because openly being friends with a black girl would have marked her as well?

Anyway, as a story this is kind of a weird little book. As a mirror reflecting the narrator/author's unwillingness to acknowledge race, it's an interesting artifact.

I'd love to see it rewritten from Jennifer's point of view. She's clearly a much more interesting person. Why are we trapped in the dull friend's POV? I'd rather hear what it's like to be a brilliant black girl in the 1960s, obsessed with history, living on an elegant estate where your dad is the gardener or caretaker? Why does she play this long strange game with the main character? What does the think about the fact their friendship was secret at school? Whose idea was that really? Why did she make her friend give her food and eat weird stuff?

Nothing worse than being trapped in a dull character's mind...

As for recommending to my students.... Sure. Easy to read. But not very relatable...{

[Rosamund Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

It doesn't have as much depth as Mrs Basil E. Frankweiler, but this book is a warm and cosy story about two girls becoming friends, and is a memorable portrait of suburban life in the late 1960s. I really enjoy Elizabeth's voice, and how being an outsider allows her to see those in the centre more clearly. The plot itself is very slight, but the characters are bursting with life.

[Jae · Rating 4 out of 5]

An old favorite from childhood, re-read. There's something really charming about the matter-of-fact writing style so common to children's literature of the 1960s, however it does come with some less than ideal racial tropes and stereotypes.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book first came out when I was in elementary and I know I read it at least twice. In those days I liked it because it was different to the pioneer stories and the cosy-19th-century-family stories teachers were shoving at us. These days, I'm not so sure.

First, there's Konigsburg's penchant for the too-long title. I know the librarians in our town hated the title of this book and never even tried to type it in full on the cards etc. It was always typed as "Jennifer...and Me, Elizabeth." As kids we referred to it as "Jennifer Blablabla." Then there's her 1960sNew Yorker assumption that the reader automatically knows where the action is set. Not until near the end of the book do we find out it's "around New York." The authoress apparently doesn't know that people in say greater Chicago and Philadelphia and San Francisco also commuted to work, even in 1967. The illustrations are the only indication that Jennifer is black, until about a third of the way through Elizabeth mentions that her mother is "the only black lady at the PTA meeting." Was Konigsburg trying to be inclusive by not mentioning such an obvious point when Elizabeth first meets Jennifer, or was it just lazy writing? Probably the latter, as we never find out what colour Elizabeth's hair and eyes are, either--and kids like to know what main characters look like.

Second, I find the two girls difficult to care about or engage with. Yeah, oh-so-perfect Cynthia is a pain; we've all known the "popular" girls who are so not because they're nice but because they know how to suck up to adults and make themselves very unpleasant to their peers if they don't get what they want. The onion story still makes me laugh. But Jennifer? She talks about how you must never draw attention to yourself when engaging with outsiders, so what is her deal with the paper bag over her head when she participates in the Halloween parade at school? That would mark anyone out. At this reading, it struck me very forcibly that Jennifer spends most of the book manipulating Elizabeth, making her jump through her personal and private hoops--and probably laughing at her behind her back. How does this become okay at the end of the book, so okay that Elizabeth can laugh at it without a word of explanation or apology? The "crisis" of the story goes nowhere, there's no real making up, it's just the common-at-the-time adult myth that kids' quarrels never last. Yes, they do--particularly if you realise that your "friend" is a fake and a liar and has been using you. As for Elizabeth herself, okay, she's a newbie and small for her age, but I don't see that she makes any particular effort to fit in at school or anywhere else. She prefers to "enjoy being weird"--I guess that's as good a way of calling attention to yourself as any. The two girls never seem to interact with their parents, in fact we never see Jennifer with her parents at all. As long as they're "at the library", Elizabeth's mom doesn't seem to care, and her father is rather like the off camera "wahwahwah" adults in a Charlie Brown cartoon; he says two or three whole sentences to mom, and never speaks directly to his daughter.

Somehow at this reading I was reminded of The Egypt Game, partly because of Elizabeth's rather unsuccessful attempt at pinning her hair up (and how does that affect the length of her bangs?) and partly because of her non-attempts to fit into her new town/school. I actually thought Snyder had written this book until I realised who the authoress was.

A quick read for anyone between 8-10 years. Two and a half stars.

[Senecacat · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was not crazy about this book. In this story, Elizabeth has moved to a new home and a new school. She has trouble fitting in with the already established social structure of her fifth grade class. She has a nemesis, Cynthia, who will be familiar to anyone who has ever been to school. Elizabeth finally meets an odd girl named Jennifer, who chooses to befriend Elizabeth.

There were charming moments, in which Jennifer puts Cynthia in her place while supporting Elizabeth. But there were also times when Jennifer seemed just mean. It is never clear why she does this. It seems clear that Elizabeth goes along with Jennifer's shenanigans because Jennifer is her only friend.

Elizabeth's parents are completely clueless - about school, friends, and anything else in Elizabeth's life. Elizabeth is left to figure things out on her own. In the end, she does. Perhaps the author meant this ending to demonstrate that if you stand up for yourself, good things will happen. That's not clear, however, and the trials Elizabeth faces outweighed anything she might have learned, at least for me as a reader.

I really like some of Konigsburg's books. This is not among my favorites.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I reread this for the first time in years after hearing of Konigsberg's passing. It's as good as I remember. I like it that the author leaves us in doubt for a long time as to whether or not Jennifer is really a witch. I also liked it that she was black and Elizabeth was white, and it didn't make a bit of difference in the story.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m intrigued by how much Konigsburg doesn’t tell us - the space she gives the reader to make her own connections. She doesn’t talk down. We’re left to form our own conclusions about Jennifer’s witchiness and the power dynamics of her friendship with Elizabeth. Some reviewers suggest Jennifer is bullying Elizabeth; I think that’s much too strong and doesn’t allow for (1) racial dynamics and (2) the messy reality of how kids relate to each other - I had a relationship like this!

There’s a gritty realism to Konigsburg’s books - set in a time and place when parents seem to be absent or preoccupied, and kids are just trying to figure things out on their own. (Dressing up as pilgrims and cigarette cartons for Halloween!) But there’s also an undercurrent of grace. We get to see Elizabeth grow as a character, and ultimately, as a friend as she learns to see through Jennifer, and then just to see her. The resolution is a little abrupt, but again, this is how real kids’ relationships work.

[Swankivy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in one sitting and it held my attention, but I was never particularly invested in the characters or the outcome of anything they were doing. I liked some of the interesting quirks the author came up with--the different scents in the air depending on if the factory nearby was making mint or butterscotch, the tricks Jennifer comes up with to get extra candy at Halloween, the redundancies and idiosyncrasies of Jennifer's writing style--but the friendship between Jennifer and Elizabeth felt almost antagonistic sometimes, and I didn't like Elizabeth always rolling over and letting Jennifer control her life because she had her convinced these sacrifices were necessary to become a witch. What was Jennifer getting out of making Elizabeth not use the phone or never touch pins or refuse to cut her hair, anyway?

There were also quite a few aspects of the book that would probably be off-putting or alarming to modern readers, such as the girls mixing their blood together, making references to cigarettes, mocking "Health Food," and having parties where you have to wear a frilly "party dress" to attend. Furthermore, the girls' antagonist, Cynthia, doesn't really seem to do very much that's deserving of their hatred; she's fake and prissy, and that's about it. Jennifer and Elizabeth, together, managed to step on her foot, plot to make her trip, undo her clothes before she went on stage, breathe onion in her face, and aspire to use witchcraft to make her sick. It's hard to like them when they seem to be doing a lot more jerky things than Cynthia is.

I liked that the book captured the feeling of finding out what's next in unexplored territory, though; I remember discovering new subjects and wanting to follow graded steps to understanding, and that's well reflected in Elizabeth's desire to loyally obey Jennifer's commands in order to ascend the ranks of witchcraft. I was curious as to why Jennifer was always trying to get Elizabeth to feed her, though. She was constantly looking for free food, and there was never a follow-up to suggest she wasn't getting enough food at home. I also liked that Jennifer was black and it's mentioned once, even though she's apparently the only black student. While it seemed a bit unrealistic that a black child would not experience any mentioned racism in a book set in a white school in the 1960s, it was refreshing for a black kid to just be a kid and not have her race be invoked to make it some kind of "issue book," and Elizabeth herself never voices platitudes about race not mattering or not "seeing" color. The illustrations are accurate, always portraying Jennifer as a black child; they didn't whitewash her.

I thought the ending was random and weird. Jennifer and Elizabeth have a fight, resolve nothing, and then Jennifer shows up without explanation at her home and they're over it and they don't play witchcraft games anymore. There is also the fact that witches are described as being "bad" in the book and some of the things the children do to play at witchcraft are kind of similar to what modern practitioners of witchcraft do (but some are completely the opposite of accurate). I am giving this a middle-of-the-road rating because I didn't actively dislike it and was entertained by it--especially the little-kid-style of the writing that captured a sense of being a fifth grader--but it wasn't anything special for me.

[Cruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Before you can be anything, you have to be yourself. That's the hardest thing to find." E L Konigsburg

Author/Illustrator: E L Konigsburg
First Published: 1967

The first book published by Konigsburg. It went on to receive a 1968 Newberry Honor Award. (The Newberry Medal (for "for the most distinguished American children's book published the previous year") was first awarded in 1970/1971. The 1968 Awards were given in retrospect).

Not an author I had previously read, but from what I understand she is iconic. The (now) 7yo was given three of Konigsburg's books by an uncle who understands the need to read and chose this one to begin that very night.

Narrated in first person with a well-rendered child's voice, Konigsburg explores the meaning of friendship with an interesting, appealing story. Given the often pervasive racism of US books prior to that era, the subtle, inclusive nature of the relationship between Jennifer and Elizabeth is beautiful. The only way a reader would know Jennifer has dark skin is from the illustrations and a single very fleeting observation - there is really nothing in the story to indicate it. The story is simply about two girls who are friends, with a light refrain on being different.

While Elizabeth's age is never specified, both Elizabeth and Jennifer are in "5th form", and Jennifer is a "serious reader".

Jennifer - protagonist, says she's a "Witch" and becomes Elizabeth's friend.
Hecate - goddess associated with witches. Appears in Macbeth as the Witch Queen.
Macbeth - the prophetic witches from Shakespeare's Macbeth of Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble. fame.
William McKinley - Jennifer and Elizabeth attend William McKinley Elementary School. (William McKinley was the 25th President of the US).
Elizabeth - protagonist and narrator, Jennifer's apprentice witch.

Appealed to and engaged a young Aussie girl 45 years after it was first published. What more can an author (or parent) ask?

E L Konigsburg
http://cms.westport.k12.ct.us/cmslmc/...
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/ar...
http://www.eduplace.com/kids/hmr/mtai...

Age (taking into account comprehension, concentration, language):
Read aloud - 6+
Read yourself - 8+ (but the girls are "5th form")

[E.M. Epps · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmm. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy reading it, it just seemed a bit pointless at the end. There are better books about magic, about imagination, about friendship, about school in the 1960’s, and there are better books by E. L. Konigsburg. Read some of them instead.

Some of these taboos seemed pretty hard. I told Jennifer that I didn’t think some of them made any sense. She told me that if I were looking for things to make sense, perhaps I wasn’t yet ready for promotion. I asked Jennifer if she always obeyed the taboos. She said that she always did—except that now she was allowed to light matches. I remembered that she had had to light a candle when I first became her apprentice. I was convinced that I could, I would, obey. I asked Jennifer for a list of the taboos so that I wouldn’t disobey by mistake. She said that witches don’t rely on lists. The list might get lose and fall into the hands of some good person and that would mean trouble for witches all over. She said that I must memorize the lit before school started the next day. She was afraid that back at school my mind would be all cluttered up with school stuff. Right then I had to learn them all; Jennifer checked me. She stood up and said to me, “You have reached the end of your apprenticeship. You are now a journeyman witch.”

[Kate]

I don't know how I missed this book in childhood given that I loved others by E.L. Konigsburg (chief among them, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler). But no matter, I'm just glad to have discovered it now thanks to the recommendation of a friend (thanks Amy!). It's a marvelous book about not fitting in and friendship which I have no doubt speaks to the young readers for whom it was written, but it also has many layers for the adult reader to savor. Jennifer, the self-professed young witch under whose spell narrator Elizabeth falls while friendless and new to town, is a wholly original character. And so too is Elizabeth, although in less obvious ways. My questions about the two of them and their respective motivations were probably very different than those that I would have pondered had I read it as a child. Either way though, this slim novel offers much to think about and much to appreciate. I was particularly struck by how well Konigsburg conveys the independent universe that kids manage to carve out for themselves apart from their parents, even when they have the benefit of caring and present parents. Like so much else about the book, this rang very true for me. Highly recommended.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so glad this showed up in my recommendations! I've been thinking - what was that book I read in third grade where that girl becomes friends with that witch and they try to come up with a potion that lets them fly? I'm pretty sure this is it. I loved this book. It was fun. Even when me and my friends decided to come up (unsuccessfully) with a potion that let us fly. From what I remember, there was some lesson to be learned at the end, but that escapes me. The odd girl and the flying ointment - that's what I remember!

[Brian James · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written story that very delicately tells the tale of two lonely children who find friendship. Reading it as an adult, I couldn't help but feel for the main character. The trick to any great story about a lonely outcast is making that outcast someone the reader would want to befriend. E.L. Konigsburg does a fantastic job at this. In many ways, it's a very sad story that ends hopefully.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is Konigsburg's first book, and while I liked it, it definitely doesn't measure up to her later books. But it does have a fantastic title! Elizabeth is befriended--sort of--by Jennifer, who takes her on as an apprentice witch. Jennifer is a fantastic character, singularly herself; she divulges no personal details and doesn't seem to care what anyone else thinks (often with hilarious results).

[Sandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story has received much condemnation in reviews, I reread it to see how painful it was….
I did register the same level of disturbing issues others have noted. It seemed like a time capsule of a book that still has important small spells to cast.

I read this as a 50 year old plus children’s book that has charms and addresses the peculiarities of friendship and maturing.

It is a very short book where the main character finds a more authentic self.