Witch Catcher [Hardcover]

There are some authors that I associate directly with my own childhood. E.B. White. C.S. Lewis. Shel Silverstein. By and large these authors have two things in common. They wrote for children and they are dead. One particular author from my childhood, however, bears only a single similarity to those I've already mentioned. Certainly she writes for children, but she is definitely not dead. Not even close. I remember well, "Wait Till Helen Comes", which remains one of the best-written children's ghost stories out there today. Imagine my delight then when I found that not only is Hahn still writing, but she's still churning out some fairly interesting fare. "Witch Catcher" takes some of Hahn's old stand-bys (not being able to trust your own family members, rare friendships, etc.) and reworks them into something new. Plus there are fairies. Lots of `em.

If your father's spooky old uncle died and left him a gigantic mansion full of beautiful antiques, you'd be thrilled right? Jen certainly is. Not only does she get to live in a kind of West Virginian castle, but there are lots of things to discover. For example, behind the house is a kind of free-standing tower. Despite her dad's warnings to keep away from it, Jen sets about exploring and finds a beautiful iridescent bottle the size of a softball hanging from the ceiling. This domestic happiness is short lived, however, particularly when Jen's dad starts dating an overly sophisticated antiques dealer by the name of Moura. Moura is fascinated with the contents of their uncle's home, but her real goal is to find something she calls a "witch catcher". A witch catcher that sounds suspiciously similar to the sparkly glass thing Jen already discovered. When the object breaks by accident, Jen suddenly finds herself enmeshed in the trials of a girl by the name of Kieryn who is the daughter of the fairy queen and has been trapped by Moura, a witch. Together the two must free the rest of Kieryn's fairy kin, break the love spell between Moura and Jen's father, and trap the witches threatening the fairy land.

The book includes yet another girl with a dead mother living with her devoted father. My mother-in-law once pointed out to me how prolific this particular genre story is. Heck, Disney practically built its empire on it! So I was a little disappointed to see that Hahn had written yet another story with that particular type of family. There are some loose ends left hanging after it comes to a close too. At one point one of the bad guys buys a painting of Kieryn the fairy girl, and we're left to wonder what sinister plans he has for it. I would have loved to have gotten some more information but Hahn isn't particularly interested in following that line of thought. Just the same, she gets down the wild nature of fairies fairly well. Even after Jen has helped them all escape a fate worse than death, it becomes crystal clear that despite her aid, the fairies still may have sinister plans in store for her.

In a little Author's Note at the end, Hahn says that the impetus for this novel came when she discovered real witch catchers at a craft fair about fifteen years ago. Enchanted by the story behind them she bought one, hung it in her window, and then set about coming up with a story worthy of such an interesting object. The book is being promoted as "Ms. Hahn's first fantasy novel", which is downright bizarre. Ghost stories aren't fantasy? What are they then? Fact?

Fairy stories abound in children's libraries. This particular book, however, doesn't really go into the logistics of their ways. This belongs far more to the genii in the bottle type stories than intensive peerings into fairy lore. As it goes, this particular book will certainly be much beloved by those kids who enjoyed "The Spiderwick Chronicles" and stories like Katharine Langrish's, "Troll Fell". It wasn't the most original work of fantasy I ever encountered but it proceeds at a fast clip, has just the right balance of good characters vs. evil ones, and contains a swell plot to boot. Not an outstanding work in its field, but a nice tale all the same.

I loved this story. I love stories about witches and fairies and adults who are mean to children, then the children outsmart them. This book has all three themes. Jen and Kieryn make a great team, and especially at the end. Moura is a very vivid character, too, and Tink is a very good character, even though he's a cat. He doesn't say anything, but he's a big part of the story. Kieryn's brother is called Brynn, and he is annoying just like my brothers. The ending is a bit of a cliffhanger.

I wish I could write a story like that. I hope the author writes a sequel soon. I can't wait to read it.

I am ashamed to admit that I only recently discovered Mary Downing Hahn's works, but having enjoyed All the Lovely Bad Ones, I am making up for lost time and have several of her books on my Kindle. In"Witch Catcher", a father and his teenage daughter move away from the suburbs to the mountains of West Virginia. Jen's father has inherited a castle-like estate in a remote place in the mountains, far away from grocery stores, pizza places, and other amenities. Jen and her father don't mind however. Having been motherless for so long, Jen is incredibly close to her father and loves that she gets to spend more time with him, and also explore the cavernous mansion that they have inherited. There's also a mysterious tower in the backyard which appears dilapidated, but does not prevent Jen from wanting to explore it, despite her father's warnings to stay away.

Things would be perfect, except that Jen's father has a new woman in his life, the sinister antiques dealer Moura whom Jen dislikes from the very beginning. Moura appears to have a keen interest in the family home, especially in its contents. Meanwhile Jen has found something amazing, a beautiful glass globe which she prizes as a treasure. It is also the object that Moura seems to be looking for, something Moura terms "the witch catcher". Things start to go horribly wrong when Jen's cat breaks the glass globe unleashing not only an otherworldly entity, but also chaos as rival fae battle for dominance.

I loved how this story was written, with a perfect blend of Gothic mystery and suspense, high atmosphere, and adventure. Hahn even explains at the end how she came to be inspired to write this story. A wonderful and engaging read, young fans of the supernatural will especially relish this offering.

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