My Unwilling Witch Goes to Ballet School by Hiawyn Oram

(Book 1 in Rumplewick's Diary series)

Haggy Aggy makes a terrible witch much t the shame of her familiar Rumplewick. She refuses to dress in black, ride on a broomstick, or frighten children. Instead, she prefers to wear pink, drive her (pink) car, and take up normal girl hobbies like shopping and ballet. The problem is this: if Haggy Aggy doesn't act like a witch Rumplewick will find himself boiled in oil and back in the lowest grade at familiar school. Can Rumplewick convince Haggy Aggy to act like a witch and save his skin?

What I thought: A hilarious, quick read muck like Kinney's diary of a Wimpy Kid books or Bruel's Bad Kitty chapter books. Rumplewick as narrator is very fitting. Who better to describe a witch than her familiar? Perhaps you recall Salem's popularity on the TV show and cartoon series Sabrina? Rumplewick's distress at Haggy Aggy's un-witch-like behavior is sincere and thus all the more funny. The illustrations are great. They add to the story (like when Rumplewick imagines himself ballet dancing , we see him complete with tutu).

(Illus. Sarah Warburton. New York: Little, Brown, & Company, 2009, c2007)