The Poisonberry Witch

by Cordelia Kelly

"An engaging tale that blends adolescent hardships with delightful frights." —Kirkus Review

Ursula misses everything about her old life in the city—her track team, vintage clothing stores, and most of all, her dad, who passed away four years ago. Now stuck in the stifling small town of Starfell, she’s grappling with mean girls at school who taunt her about Poisonberry Manor, the crumbling mansion her mom and stepdad have moved her into. Her paranormal-obsessed neighbor Max insists the house is haunted by a witch, but Ursula has bigger she feels invisible in her mother’s new, growing family.

Everything changes when a mysterious black cat leads Ursula to the attic, where she discovers a portal to another Poisonberry Manor—a mirror version of her house, only magical to the core. There, she finds the gingerbread cake her father used to bake, sparking hope that his spirit might be waiting for her. But the shadows in the other manor are no fairy tale, and as they start slipping into the real world, they seem bent on harming her family—especially her mom.

When mean-girl Angelica stumbles into the other manor, Ursula forms an uneasy alliance with her and Max to face down the witch. But the deeper Ursula delves into the mystery, the more she realizes Poisonberry Manor’s darkness is intertwined with her own buried grief and anger. To save her family, Ursula must confront the shadows within—and learn to let the light back in.

236 pages, Paperback

Published May 21, 2026

About the author

Cordelia Kelly is the author of the Port of Lost Souls series and the YA fantasy The Sibyl and the Thief.

Her short stories, including “Herbalista” (Prairie Witch) and “Dare to Survive” (Dark & Stormy), have been featured in several horror anthologies. She also self-published a collection of horror stories, Then She Said Hush.

Fun fact: together with her sister, Kelly blogged recaps of the entire Fear Street series on Shadyside Snark, a project that continues to attract over 10,000 hits per month.

Reviews

[Matt Sudds · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

I think this is a good book for middle graders starting to explore supernatural stories. The story follows Ursula Dionne, who is dealing with a lot. She is still grieving the loss of her father while at the same time trying to adapt to her mom re-marrying and consequences of that, which includes a move to the mysterious town Starfell. I liked this story as it had more a suspenseful mystery vibe versus it being a novel that focuses on jump scares. While there are stressful moments in the story, it was appropriate for the age group, finding a good balance of mystery and suspense. Grief is a central theme for the book, not just in loss of a loved one but also in loss caused by change (new home, new town, new school) and the story I think capture this well in terms of the high and lows that come with that journey. Overall, I thought this was an enjoyable read and sets up the potential for exploring the mysteries of Starfell further in future stories.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Bryana Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ursula moves to Starfell with her mom & step-dad, who are having a new baby, and she is less than thrilled about it all. Once there, she is bullied for being different & doesn’t really understand why.
The home they moved into is Poisonberry Manor and the town believes it’s haunted. Ursula believes her dad, who passed away off book, is reaching out through the house after a few strange occurrences. With the help of her newly acquired besties, Max and Jelly, Ursula is determined to find out all the secrets of her home before it’s too late. When she finally meets the witch behind all the rumors, what could go wrong?
Find out in this hauntingly fun read of three new friends taking on the world of magic & mystery.

[Barbara Behning · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life gets rearranged for Ursula by her mother and stepdad. Loosing all her friends and the new school kids are bullies extrordinare. It doesn’t help that they have moved into the “Haunted House” named Poisonberry Manor.

Her first friend is a black cat. Mourning the loss of her father, she struggle to survive the new stepdad who thinks he has all the answers.

The neighbor boy, who believes in ghosts befriends her and their adventures begin. They find many anomalies within the house and the stories found in the history books at the library. Have fun reading this spooky story.