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Witch Saga #2
Witch Water
Lynn is more than ever convinced that their neighbor, Mrs. Tuggle, is involved in witchcraft but finds it difficult to convince her family of the old woman's evil.
179 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1977
40 people are currently reading
342 people want to read
About the author
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
199 books1,038 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 - 20 of 20 reviews
August 20, 2007
This whole series scared the ever living snot out of me when I was 12. For kids' books, they're pretty damn scary.
August 24, 2018
am i the only one who, in the middle of reading a mundane description of a child's literary lunch, suddenly gets really hungry?
like...shredded wheat? grilled cheese and some leftover tuna? if that shit were in my fridge, i'd do a hard pass.
in a book? YUMMMMM.
that's where i'm at right now.
look, i loved this series as a kid. and i'm doing the proper mom thing of rereading before i hand them over to my children (#liesitellmyselfsoitsokaytoreadkidbooks). i dislike how the parents in these sorts of things never seem to believe or support their kids (yes, i get the ridiculousness of the things lynn says to a parents' logic seasoned ears). i mean, they practically threaten to send her to a psychiatrist but that's about it.
i'm pretty sure they actually DO send her to one in one of the later books...but again, not really top notch parenting here.
but, hey, remember when you could send your kindergartener outside to play for hours unsupervised and no one thought you negligent?
oh, how the times of changed.
like...shredded wheat? grilled cheese and some leftover tuna? if that shit were in my fridge, i'd do a hard pass.
in a book? YUMMMMM.
that's where i'm at right now.
look, i loved this series as a kid. and i'm doing the proper mom thing of rereading before i hand them over to my children (#liesitellmyselfsoitsokaytoreadkidbooks). i dislike how the parents in these sorts of things never seem to believe or support their kids (yes, i get the ridiculousness of the things lynn says to a parents' logic seasoned ears). i mean, they practically threaten to send her to a psychiatrist but that's about it.
i'm pretty sure they actually DO send her to one in one of the later books...but again, not really top notch parenting here.
but, hey, remember when you could send your kindergartener outside to play for hours unsupervised and no one thought you negligent?
oh, how the times of changed.
October 5, 2020
Stadig en fantastisk serie. Virker ikke bedaget på trods af sin alder. Men der er skruet op for action og suspense. Så skummelt.
November 14, 2024
Jeg kan godt lide at jeg ikke kan finde ud af om den gamle dame er heks eller ej
December 7, 2017
The second book in the Witch Saga. As with the first one, it was well-written and captivating. I truly enjoyed reading this one so much that I read it in a day. It is elementary level reading so it was quick, but it captured my attention especially after reading the first one.
This book has Mrs. Tuggle with her eyes on Mouse, Lynn's best friend. And it is only Lynn who can help save Mouse from the old lade in the creepy house that whispers things and seems to have cats and birds at her bidding.
If you read the first one, "Witch's Sister", you must read this one.
This book has Mrs. Tuggle with her eyes on Mouse, Lynn's best friend. And it is only Lynn who can help save Mouse from the old lade in the creepy house that whispers things and seems to have cats and birds at her bidding.
If you read the first one, "Witch's Sister", you must read this one.
November 17, 2021
This was a great follow up to the first book in the series, Witch’s Sister. In the first book, Lynn suspects her old neighbor, Mrs. Tuggle, is a witch trying to get Lynn’s sister to join her coven.
Now it appears that Mrs. Tuggle is after Lynn’s best friend, Mouse.
Not quite as unsettling as the first book until later on but I still thought the plot was captivating and liked the themes discussed.
Mouse is probably my favorite character. I thought the theme of friendship was excellent and loved how strongly Lynn fought for her friend when even Mouse wanted to give up.
The slight suspicion on Lynn’s mother’s part was interesting to see—and I hope it continues to unfold more so if Lynn’s suspicions prove to be correct.
I thought the scene with the girls at Mouse’s house was especially powerful, though I worried about the spell. The ending makes me wonder if my hunches were correct.
There is some animal harm/attempted animal harm in this one so be careful if you are sensitive to that. Despite the animals being depicted as bad, it was still a little difficult for me to read about the scene with the cat.
Overall, a solid sequel. Intrigued on what will happen next!
Now it appears that Mrs. Tuggle is after Lynn’s best friend, Mouse.
Not quite as unsettling as the first book until later on but I still thought the plot was captivating and liked the themes discussed.
Mouse is probably my favorite character. I thought the theme of friendship was excellent and loved how strongly Lynn fought for her friend when even Mouse wanted to give up.
The slight suspicion on Lynn’s mother’s part was interesting to see—and I hope it continues to unfold more so if Lynn’s suspicions prove to be correct.
I thought the scene with the girls at Mouse’s house was especially powerful, though I worried about the spell. The ending makes me wonder if my hunches were correct.
There is some animal harm/attempted animal harm in this one so be careful if you are sensitive to that. Despite the animals being depicted as bad, it was still a little difficult for me to read about the scene with the cat.
Overall, a solid sequel. Intrigued on what will happen next!
August 3, 2020
I read this series for the first time as a child. I was maybe 10 and was just discovering "scary" books, having devoured Wait Till Helen Comes around the same time. I remember loving this "witchy" series and figured I'd give it a re-read now that I'm an adult.
I gotta say...not living up to my memory. This wasn't even remotely scary. And how I feel about the characters has completely flipped. Poor Mrs. Tuggle. She's nothing more than a quirky old woman who prefers a solitary life and who is probably even losing it a bit. Lynn and Mouse are horrible to her. And don't even get me started on how they treat her cat!! If I could step into the story, I would turn them BOTH into toads and toss them into the creek to fend for themselves against the carp and the pike. Then I'd go up the hill to hang with Mrs. T. Because she seems pretty cool.
Don't think I'll be continuing this series.
I gotta say...not living up to my memory. This wasn't even remotely scary. And how I feel about the characters has completely flipped. Poor Mrs. Tuggle. She's nothing more than a quirky old woman who prefers a solitary life and who is probably even losing it a bit. Lynn and Mouse are horrible to her. And don't even get me started on how they treat her cat!! If I could step into the story, I would turn them BOTH into toads and toss them into the creek to fend for themselves against the carp and the pike. Then I'd go up the hill to hang with Mrs. T. Because she seems pretty cool.
Don't think I'll be continuing this series.
July 24, 2017
I really loved this book when I was 11. It was creepy but good.
August 10, 2017
I loved these books when I read them 25 years ago and I love them now. And I still find them suspenseful and scary!
November 11, 2018
I’d forgotten how scary some of the scenes at the end are!
September 8, 2024
The lead crow is dead; the demon cat survived an attempted drowning. The question remains: Is old Mrs. Tuggle really a witch? Lynn and Marjorie continue to pursue the mystery!
October 13, 2014
I got this book autographed at the William Allen White Awards when I was little, and am embarrassingly just getting around to reading it! I think it probably would have made more sense if I had read the first Witch story, but I actually think that after reading "How I Came To Be A Writer," it made more sense what she was going for in the book. I probably won't read the rest of the series, but I can see how it would be interesting and useful for a young reader.
August 3, 2012
I liked this up until the end. I thought it was pretty intense for middle grade, but not too extreme. But, even though I know there is a sequel, I didn't care for the ending. Too abrupt, and no satisfaction for me, the reader, with a closing. It was a bit disappointing, because I really think the author does a great job with most of her writing.
May 31, 2016
This might be the first time I've ever read a sequel without having read book one, and you know what? It was okay. The world didn't end, and I enjoyed the book! Maybe it's because I can't resist witchy fiction - or perhaps I was enchanted by the musty old book smell - but I found this to be a charming, cozy read. I finished it in one sitting and one mug of tea.
February 13, 2025
For the 10-12 year old market, the story is quite scary. No humor to lighten the fear.
September 21, 2007
An old favorite. Still holds up.
July 27, 2008
One of my favorite books from when I was a kid. I want to read it again.
May 31, 2013
I remember being really creeped out and yet totally unable to stop reading :P
October 12, 2024
Exactly as creepy as it was when I was eleven
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December 3, 2009just started it, it's ok
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews