Witch & Wizard

November 16, 2009
Patterson (the Maximum Ride books) and Charbonnet launch a new series about political and cultural oppression, which suffers from some questionable storytelling choices. Ordinary teenagers Whit and Wisty are taken from their house by representatives of the oppressive “New Order.” Accused of being a wizard and a witch, they're thrown in a dank prison to await execution. While there they begin to master previously unknown powers and, thanks to some otherworldly help, they manage to escape and are united with the resistance movement. The authors rely on coincidence and plot holes—each teen is allowed to bring one possession into the otherwise barbaric jail, and thus end up with magical implements. The story is further undercut by frequent recapping and short chapters, alternately narrated by the siblings, which break up the narrative for no perceivable reason. There's some fun world-building, including a stream of thinly disguised pop culture references in Wisty and Whit's alternate world (from the books of Gary Blotter to the artist Margie O'Greeffe), but even these are inconsistent (their world also includes Red Bull and the adjective Dickensian) and come across as groaners. Ages 10-up.

March 1, 2010
Gr 5-9-Wisty and Whit Allgood have magical powers, but they don't know it. At least they don't know until they are arrested by the guards of the New Order, which has just come to power. Their parents have always been into herbs and plants and predictions; they don't send their kids to typical schools, and when the teens are allowed to take only one item each to jail with them, they send a drumstick and a book with no words that are visible to the naked eye. The kids start to get an inkling of what they can do when Wisty bursts into flames when she gets angry, and before long she is turning people into creatures and conjuring tornadoes, and lightning bolts shoot from her hands. The bulk of the book takes place when Whit and Wisty are locked up in a reformatory where they are bullied by the guards. The chapters are only one to three pages in length and alternate between the two main characters' points of view. The action doesn't really pick up until the last third of the book, when the siblings make their escape. Readers expecting something akin to Patterson's "Maximum Ride" series (Little, Brown) are bound to be disappointed, but the groundwork is set for subsequent volumes that might make wading through the first one worthwhile."Jake Pettit, Thompson Valley High School, Loveland, CO"

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2009
Grades 6-9 Although marketing muscle might make this book a hit, its hard to believe too many readers will be satisfied with the confusing blend of sorcery and political dystopia. Fifteen-year-old Wisty and her 18-year-old brother Whit are awoken one night by troops from the newly elected N.O. (New Order) regime. The siblings are chained, tossed into a prison, and accused of being a witch and wizarda charge that seems preposterous until Wisty envelops her body in flames and is no worse for wear. With the help of Whits dead girlfriend (who exists in a limbo known as the Shadowland), the teens escape to a bombed-out department store where a teen resistance movement fights the dastardly N.O. Wisty and Whit are standard-issue teen smart alecks, the baddies are stock villains who use phrases like dangerous fiends, and the meandering plot seems to make up the rules as it goes along. Its got an enticing prologue, though, and Pattersons trademark bite-size chapters at least keep things zippy.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)

March 26, 2012
Narrators Elijah Wood and Spencer Locke turn in captivating performances in this audio edition of the final book in Patterson and Dembowski’s dystopian fantasy trilogy. The two readers have previously portrayed the eponymous characters, siblings Whit and Wisty Allgood, and once again they enhance the authors’ prose with their assured portrayals of teenagers who discover they have magical powers. The grim mood and sense of despair in this imagined world are conveyed from the very start, as Wood’s slow, deliberate narration emphasizes how bleak the setup is: all music, art, and books have been banned by a dictatorial and murderous regime headed by the One Who Is the One. Locke is especially convincing and believable in her portrayal of a teenage witch girding herself for the ultimate showdown with Evil, making this an entertaining audiobook that will likely inspire listeners to read the trilogy. Ages 10–up. A Little, Brown hardcover.

November 1, 2010
Filling the gap between the first two volumes of Patterson's bestselling Witch and Wizard series, this original graphic novel finds teenagers Whit and Wisty Allgood (no subtlety there!) using their newfound magical powers (inherited from their parents) to fight the New Order, an oppressive dictatorship now running the U.S. In this caper, the siblings must go on various highly dangerous missions into both New Order Territory and another dimension known as the Shadowland. Of course, being teenagers, there are various emotional subplots among the teammates, including Whit's longing for his girlfriend, Celia, who is now a ghost. Although fans of the prose series will probably give this a look, they might not be entirely sold. Santos creates likable character designs, but his art is garish and confusing in many places, with no sense of world building. It's also completely out of character for the grim dystopian feeling of the novels and oddly unsuited for what is basically a nonstop action story. Ages 12–up.

January 1, 2010
In alternating voices, brother and sister Whit and Wisty describe their fight against a fascist regime that has recently come to power. Along the way, the kids are accused of being a wizard and a witch, respectively, and they develop supernatural powers. The story's magical system is underdeveloped, but the fast-paced plot may hook action-fantasy fans.

(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)