Review by Booklist Review
Cauldron's Cove has embraced its history as a seventeenth-century haven for witches escaping persecution, by becoming a kitschy, Salemesque tourist town. Unfortunately, that history includes a curse that's just been unleashed after 300 years. Its immediate--but unknowing--victims are four fifth-graders (Regan, Sofia, Bennett, and Darius), who have been unjustly sentenced to detention by their usually cool science teacher, Ms. Stein. Things get really weird when Ms. Stein pockets three of the kids' used tissues and yanks some hair out of Regan's head. The unnamed narrator conversationally follows the action as the kids try to figure out what the heck is going on--touching on themes related to being an outsider, dealing with parental expectations, and adjusting to life in a changing family--while combating dark magic and some very smelly clones. The story embraces horror tropes and gross-out details while keeping its emphasis on comedy, thanks largely to the narrator's intrusive, jocular style, which keeps the tone light and the puns heavy. An enjoyable read just right for Goosebumps fans.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Opening with a content warning send-up ("broccoli, lightning, annoying siblings") and quickly traveling back in time, Eulberg (The Best Worst Summer) starts this lively series kickoff with a brief look at the Salem witch trials. Parenthetical-studded prose details the flight of witch Ann Wilder from Salem to small-town Cauldron's Cove, where Wilder is blamed for an errant bolt of lightning and burned at the stake--and where a mathematical error causes her dying curse to remain dormant for 331 years. "Fast-forward to the time of the internet, long hot showers, and flushing toilets," where, in contemporary Cauldron's Cove, 10-year-old Regan Charles, who's dyslexic and has an auditory-processing condition, finds herself in detention despite having done nothing wrong. As beloved science teacher Ms. Stein begins to enact Ann Wilder's late-breaking revenge, Regan and her fellow detention denizens--sporty, blond Bennett Norland; his megasmart future stepsister, Sofia Vargas; and mayor's son Darius Washington, a superhero fan--are thrown into a high-stakes adventure around the witch's curse. Nonstop wordplay and an anonymous, fourth-wall-breaking narrator make for a spirited adventure. Most characters read as white; Sofia and Darius are described as having brown skin. Ages 8--12. Agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary. (Mar.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
An elementary school Breakfast Club jumps into action when their science teacher starts cloning them. Something smells when 10-year-old Regan Charles and fellow fifth graders Bennett Norland, Sofia Vargas, and Darius Washington find themselves in detention for the flimsiest of reasons. Even more suspicious, their typically fun science teacher, Ms. Stein, collects specimens of hair, saliva, and snot from the group. When they discover her plan to create the perfect student, it's up to them to save the day. Despite the subject matter, this one is more funny than scary. Frequent asides from the narrator, though humorous, may break the book's flow for some readers. Fortunately, the multifaceted protagonists make up for that. Regan, a proud fat girl who wears bright colors and isn't afraid to take up space, is in tune with her fears and anxieties but doesn't let them hold her back from being selfless, brave, and awesome. Outwardly confident Bennett must learn to stand up to his friends while trying to win over his prickly, soon-to-be stepsister, Sofia, who may have a softer interior than anyone realizes. As a Black boy, Darius deals with racism; he also feels the pressure of being the son of Cauldron Cove's mayor when he just wants to bake, hang out with friends, and read his comics. Conversations about privilege and confronting historical injustice are included without feeling didactic. Regan and Bennett present as White; Sofia is cued as Latine; Ms. Stein is described as having curly dark hair. Short on chills but big on humor and heart. (Fiction. 9-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
