The Hocus Pocus film is one of my favourite movies of all time - it was a tradition to watch it as a child and this holds true with my own children. The film Hocus Pocus 2 is also now an annual staple in our home. Needless to say, I went into this book with very high hopes. And for the most part - the book rose to the occasion. That is not to say that the story is without it's faults, but it had what I came for and that was more tales of the infamous Sanderson Sisters. Bonus points for the novelization of the original movie which was a very enjoyable way to start this book. It provided a great opportunity to flush out some of the characters a bit more than we got in the original movie.

Hocus Pocus the Sequel occurs 25 years after the events in the film and it follows Poppy, the daughter of Max and Allison who famously fought off the Sanderson sisters in the movie alongside Dani (who is a character in the sequel as well). Similar to her parents, Poppy is navigating highschool and all that that entails. Challenging classmates, crushes, bullies, and casting an accidental spell that summons the Fabuous Three and sends her parents and her beloved aunt into the depths of hell.

Though some parts of the book felt a bit forced, other parts landed well like when the sisters tried to navigate Siri on an IPhone. I particularly like that the author stayed true to the original characters, the plotline of the sequel was faily engaging, and I loved that we got cameos from Thackery Binks, Emily Binks, and Billy Butcherson (to name a few). This book had lot of potential and I had a good (not great) time reading it. If you are looking for a Sanderson Sisters fix, check this book out.

3.5 stars

Many thanks to Netgalley who provided an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

There were 2 parts with this. The first part was the original Hocus Pocus, which I really liked. The book was great and easy to read. Fun and quick to read. The second part was the Sequel which was Sam and Alison with their daughter Poppy and their adventure with the Sanderson sisters. I must admit that the writing with this one was not quite as good. It seemed like the writer felt it was a chore to write it. It was not long and I was able to read it quick enough.

The first half of this book is the novelization of the original Hocus Pocus movie, and the second half is devoted to the sequel, which follows Allison's and Max's (protagonist/romantic couple from the first story) kid and the new hijinks created by the return of the Sanderson Sisters to Salem. I dearly love the original film and the novelization was a fun way to relive the magic of "seeing" the film for the first time. However, the sequel didn't seem to live up to the same standard. The Sanderson Sisters didn't seem as menacing in the sequel, or perhaps it's because I'm coming to this new story as an older person. There are still moments of pure Halloween magic to be found, but the sequel just doesn't seem to have the same level of magic as the original.

... Two years later...
Decent. Very simple story, but I wasn't expecting any different. The end was bittersweet, especially with Thackery and Emily, who played a larger role. I like that it left the story open for more if they choose, but can also end here.
Notes in updates.

Hocus Pocus always has and always will be one of my favorite movies. That being said, I hate to admit that I was let down by this sequel. The book adds little extra to what we already knew about the Sanderson sisters and instead takes a collection of young and interesting characters and pits them against familiar but lackluster renditions of antagonists we are already familiar with - the villain motivations fall flat (because we’ve seen them before), the young characters were interesting and charming but would have been more so if we had seen them go up against a different antagonistic force, and I just think the author faced an uphill battle trying to bring three iconic performances to life on a page.

Overall, 3/5 stars for the nostalgia and interesting young characters. Everything else fell short.

Oh, how I wanted to love this book.... I really wanted to love it. But instead it left me feeling the frustration of wanting more. I had such high hopes, as the movie is one of my Halloween favourites. The book was separated into two parts, including a novelization of the movie and then a sequel to the original story. I can't be the only one who felt like the novelization left out some of the best things in the movie, like the little quips between the sisters. The sequel was rather dry in moments, but I liked it more than the first half of the book. For once in my life, I have to admit that the movie was better.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I know this book gets a lot of hate, because don't most Sequels of beloved nostalgic things? I honestly loved it! It was such a cute and fun read and can we say hello to a LGBTQ+ character! I add this book to my spooky and cute reads I do every Fall.

I was so excited about this book then so disappointed. I love the movie but was sad to see that the book was like a direct rescripting of the movie. It felt like someone had the movie on and kept pausing to write down what they saw which led to there being nothing extra or enhanced from the movie version of events. It was difficult to get though because I felt like I should just watch the movie. I liked the idea of a new story but I was just overall bummed by this book I was so looking forward to.

I’m a huge fan of the Hocus Pocus movie, so the first part of this book was super nostalgic for me and really didn’t stray from the plot of the movie at all. I was excited about the sequel but I just felt that it didn’t dive below the surface all that much and could have been much more developed and detailed. Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

Terrible, simply terrible! I think this is like, the worst book I’ve ever read. I really really want to rate it 1 star (which I’ve NEVER rated a book!), but I can’t even do that, because the first part won’t let me. Gah. I actually really liked the first part, the novelization of Hocus Pocus. I mean, it was pretty spot on, exact, word for word, the same as the movie. And because I love the movie, I of course, loved this too! It even stuck in a slight few more tidbits…thoughts to base reasoning of things that happened in the movie. It was great, and it got me hyped for the sequel portion, which may be part of why it was such a let down, though it also did that pretty well on it’s own. From the very start, I was not enthralled with the story, or where our characters were in their lives, in relation to Halloween and their familial history with the Sanderson sisters. I don’t know what I expected, even…and I tried to keep an open mind, to see where it would go. It was just boring, really, though…until the ended up actually getting to Halloween night and meeting the witches. And even then, halfway through the actual action portion of the sequel (the last….half? of the book), I skimmed a lot to just get done. I didn’t like the witches’ portrayals…you really saw Mary and Sarah so much less, their roles very unimportant, and they felt very unimportant to Whinny. Whinny felt much meaner. I didn’t like Max and Allison’s kid, she was such a waffler, until the witches were slapping her in the face, and the rest were just as bad. The whole story starts off with no backstory to how it is happening and took some crazy turns that just…blah. By the time we were getting to the climax, I was ready to be done. The book was SO LONG.

I really really tried to like this. I *LOVE* the movie. But alas, this book just wasn't for me. Maybe they'll make this into a movie someday, and then I'll like it. Thank you, though, for the opportunity to read.

The writing was more enjoyable than I really expected. The first half was slow because it did not really seem to add much new information. The novelization felt like it was just re-telling exactly what happened in the movie. But I did enjoy the sequel. It was nice to see what happened after the ending of the movi

I didn't love Hocus Pocus and The All New Sequel, I love Hocus Pocus (the movie) but this novelization fell flat for me, the sequel's too much like fan fiction.

This movie's is one of my all times favorites to watch every year through the Halloween season. Good story!

I really liked that first part. It was just a retelling of the first movie, with some more details added into it. I flew through that first part and I really enjoyed it.

As for the sequel, I felt the author captured the atmosphere of one of my favorite Halloween movies at the beginning, however it quick derailed soon after.

The plot was just very simplistic and convenient. There was a lot of tell and not enough show. I'd hoped I'd love the new characters, but as I grew deeper into the story, I realized I didn’t know much about them. They all fell flat and weren't memorable whatsoever.

Overall, I thought there were some interesting reveals and twists that could have paid off, but they were executed so poorly.

I have a seven year old daughter who has always spent her time being the make believe fourth Sanderson sister. This book was such a joy to share with her. I felt the sequel did the original justice and it keeps flying off the shelf in our teen room. Clearly this is a book the world needed.

Witch, please! I was actually really excited to get my hands on and read through Hocus Pocus And The All-New Sequel by AW Jantha. Normally I am not a huge fan of movie novelizations. They just are not my thing at all. However, nostalgia hits pretty hard. I am absolutely a child who grew up during the 90s (born in 87) so this book kind of spoke to me. I can even remember when the movie came out — and then going to rent it at the video store a few times. Naturally, I was ready to read the book version of the greatest Halloween movie of all time and then see what could possibly happen next – seeing as how the end of the movie was not open ended in the least.

Looking for a great Fall read or a Halloween book? Check out Hocus Pocus and the All New Sequel.

The plot of Hocus Pocus, the first part, mirrors the movie pretty closely. There are not a whole lot of deviations from the movie except allusions to another Sanderson sister. Anyways, for those who have not seen the movie (why are you still reading this?) — the story follows Max, Dani and Allison. Max and Dani are siblings who moved from California to Salem, MA. Max is struggling with the move. Allison is from Salem and is smart and popular. Her mom used to run the witch museum.

Anyways, what happens is Max lights a black flame candle and brings the three Sanderson sisters back to life on Halloween. Chaos ensues. Little children are nearly taken away. Also, there’s a really old cat named Thackery Binx who was once a boy. Also, a little girl named Emily whose life force was stolen by the witches in their quest to be younger. Everything turns out okay in the the end though.

Overall, the initial portion of the book that deals with the original Hocus Pocus is pretty fun to read. I think your mileage is going to vary. If you love the movie and do not mind novelizations that are essentially the movie relayed scene by scene – this is the book for you. If you are looking for something a little bit more original, then you would do well to read the sequel portion of the book. Personally, I enjoyed the OG Hocus Pocus bits much more than the sequel.

THE SEQUEL:
The setting of the sequel is 25 years later. This time, the story revolves around Poppy who is the daughter of Max and Allison. Somehow, Poppy ends up reawakening the Sanderson sisters. Meanwhile, she’s hanging out with her crush trying to make things right. I can’t remember her crush’s name. I do remember that her crush is another girl – so I am glad to see that there is diversity in this story. We also get to meet the fourth Sanderson sister who is basically the good witch trying to make things right. Oh and the one bully kid from the previous book is now a school principal and has a bully daughter. Again, chaos ensues.

For me, personally, the sequel was not as fun to read as the first portion. Maybe that is because my nostalgia is really coloring my view. I guess I felt like I did not care for or know the characters as well. One part that was unrealistic was the outcome of the bully kid growing up to be principal. Granted, this is a book about witches so how much realism do I expect? I think if you go in expecting a campy sort of read, you will not be disappointed. This is definitely a great book to have on your Halloween docket overall.

No... Just no...For those who love Hocus Pocus, don't waste your time on this new sequel. The retelling was well done the sequel felt like fan fiction and I did not enjoy it.

Fans of the Disney movie about a trio of magical sisters (aka Hocus Pocus) issued a collective shriek of excitement upon the announcement of this book's release. And Disney-Hyperion delivered.
The first part of this book fills in a few gaps from the Salem-witch trial days, as well as gives readers a solid recap of the events in the Hocus Pocus film. I was worried that I might see this as redundant, but this help set the mood for the events in the sequel.
The Sequel is set in current day Salem, as the children of characters from the movie navigate through the sometimes magical and sometimes murky cauldron waters of Salem. While Poppy isn't one for the Sanderson sisters mythos, her friends Trevor and Isabella (who is also the object of her affection) are and they want to check out the house where all of the things happened years ago. However, when the Sanderson sisters are summoned, the Binxes and a fourth Sanderson sister are enlisted to help good triumph over evil.
I was really impressed with the way author A.W. Jantha captured the original characters as well as the new characters--now the only question is when can we expect a tv movie?

Not nearly as good as the movie, but a decent return to the world of the Sanderson sisters. This didn't hold the magic, humor, that the movie did. Of course it is a book. The retelling of the movie was well done. The sequel was just okay.