Witch High - Denise Little, editor

Witch High
Denise Little, editor
DAW

Fantasy/Short Fiction

This group of short stories takes place at Salem Township Public High School #4, commonly known as Witch High. Each of the fourteen stories has a distinctly different tone, and a different cast of characters.

Diane Duane’s contribution, “The House,” tells the story of Brianna’s contribution to Heritage Week. She’d initially wanted to something magic-sword-related with Arthur, the cute new exchange student from England. But when he’s not interested (and how humiliating is that?) she comes up with something a bit more edible and gets some revenge at the same time.

“Temporal Management” is a story in a lighter vein by Laura Resnick. She explores just what lengths an over-committed junior will go to in order to get a few extra days’ study time. Phaedra M. Weldon’s “Boil and Bubble” is darker in tone, and tells the story of how getting into the Omega Honor Society can set your path for life. But is that really a good thing?

Each story is unique, but stays within the theme. With an entire high school full of students, teachers, and parents, there’s plenty of material and the authors come up with some interesting storylines. Obviously, fans of Harry Potter will enjoy this group of tales, but the kids here face problems that are more realistic. This is a fun bunch of stories and a great way to sample different authors’ writing styles.

Rating: 8
October 2008
ISBN# 978-0-7564-0513-7 (paperback)