"I want to know what happens every time I finish a sentence" High praise indeed from an avid 8 year old reader who adores takes of magic and mystery!

What worked:
Reluctant witch is an appropriate title, since Willa is slow to accept her magical ability. Despite witnessing her thoughts causing things to happen, she doesn’t want to stay in the king’s castle to learn about magic. In one year, she’ll be forced to decide which of the two covens will become her home, and choosing from opposing sides isn’t unique in children’s novels. However, in this case, Willa will blow up if she doesn’t make a choice, and that is truly peculiar and imaginative. The two witch covens have been at war for years, casting spells back and forth at each other, with an area of Ordinary Folk living in between. The focus of the plot shifts from Willa’s problem to mysterious spells being cast directly at Ordinaries, a violation of the laws of the land.
Willa is an orphan, and she dreams of being reunited with her parents, victims of a spell that changed them into clouds. This is a bit strange, since most of the memories describe them as being critical and trying to suppress her undiscovered magic. Willa hasn’t felt like she belonged with anyone since her parents left, so she’s excited to meet Gish, a messenger for the king’s clerk, and Marceline, a princess looking for adventure. Together, the story describes their efforts and escapades to find the rogue witch terrorizing the Ordinary Folk and to help Willa. There must be a way for her to not choose one of the creepy, disgusting covens without exploding when she turns thirteen.
The author makes humor a big part of the descriptions. The opening scene finds frogs literally raining down from the sky, and other spells cause people and animals to dance until they drop or capture their voices in floating bubbles. The king is frightened of magic and is often found behind plants hiding from his constituents. The prince takes over and becomes obsessed with finding witches which makes him an irritating character, if not an actual antagonist. Willa searches the library for help with her magical problem, but a mischievous, rogue book constantly torments her and thwarts her efforts. Spell-casting by the two covens involves dancing, spinning around, and repeating nonsense words, and Willa’s attempts frequently result in unpredictable incantations. An inner voice of wild magic wants to be released, so Willa frequently has mental clashes as she struggles to keep the power under control.
What didn’t work as well:
The silliness of the magic sometimes overshadows more important moments. It’s awkward to have critical confrontations or investigations while strange-looking characters or errant spells are involved. However, the whimsy and playfulness of the book are keys to its appeal. It has a clear, engaging conflict that is enhanced by the author’s wit.
The Final Verdict:
You can’t make a swan quack. Learning to be who you’re meant to be, not what others try to make you, is an important lesson. The mystery of a rogue witch stirring up war and a main character who might explode offer compelling problems to entertain readers. The addition of humor is icing on the cake. I highly recommend you give this book a shot.

Fun, magical, and adventurous this title is perfect for 9-12 year old's, dodging spells and trying not to explode is at the very heart of this book and I adored it.

Funny and clever, this is sure to find a home on shelves where The Okay Witch, Kiki's Delivery Service, and Eva Evergreen can't stay put.

A Reluctant Witch's Guide to Magic is full of magic and silliness with a touch of mystery. It would be great for readers of Roald Dahl's books who love the weird and wonderful. I found that the story took a while to get going, which might deter readers and fail to grab their attention. Also, the ending is quite ambiguous, which I found frustrating, but I find that young readers often don't mind this as it gives them the chance to use their imagination and come up with their own ending.

Unfortunately, we have plenty of stock in this genre so I won't be purchasing, but it is certainly a fun and entertaining read that I think young middle grade readers will enjoy.

This was a fun MG read that will have its fans, especially among those who enjoy 'gross' jokes and quirky humour. There were some real strengths, like the friendships between the main characters and the message that in the end it's important to be true to yourself. However, to me, much of the quirkiness felt a little forced, and I think the ambiguity of the ending will leave many readers unsatisfied. Great, the MC has come to trust herself and solved the mystery of who the bad guy was, but... what HAPPENS? Does the potentially dire outcome that propelled much of the action take place after all? If not, how does the MC prevent it? If so, then it's not such a happy ending after all, is it?

Willa lives in the Wild, in a city squished between two warring witch covens. The non-magical Wildians spend their days dodging wayward spells--from raining frogs to dancing chickens--all because of the witch war raging around them.
Being stuck in the middle of a magical war means the Wildians hate witches--none more so than Willa, whose parents were turned into clouds by a misplaced curse. Willa spends her days with her army of cats, dreaming of an end to the war and her parents' return.
So when Willa is accused of being a witch after witnesses catch her accidentally stopping a spell midair, she's certain there's been a mistake. She can't be a witch! Yet Willa is dragged to the palace, where she's given one year to master her volatile magic and choose a coven to join. If she doesn't, she'll explode.
But her attempts to control her magic are interrupted when a rogue witch begins nefarious spells against the Ordinary Folk. What does the witch want and what does it have to do with Willa? She must unravel the mystery to save her city, her friends, and herself.

This was absolutely BRILLIANT. Hilarious, heartwarming, mysterious, adventurous, fun, exciting… the list could go on.

Plozza’s characters are unique and lovable and it was hard not to get invested in their journey throughout the novel. Laced with magic and adventure this book is fun and keeps you on the edge of your seat but at the same time teaches important messages about friendship, belonging, feeling different, perseverance and bravery.

What a wee gem of a read that I have already preordered to put in my classroom bookshelf because I will insist that my teenage pupils read this one! Keep writing Plozza!

A middle grade fantasy about Willa who lives in a kingdom between two warring witch factions and suddenly finds herself being courted by both when she displays magic. "A Reluctant Witch's Guide to Magic" gives Roald Dahl-esque take on the scenario, where all the villagers are cruel to young Willa who is both orphaned and forced to work to survive. There is an abundance of quirkiness to the book, but it seems to overburden the story more than help it. Partially, the unevenness might be because Willa is described in ways that contradict each other, such as the ending of chapter five saying "she always did what she was told" when she accepts her punishment, countering the later descriptions that she was a willful child her parents tried to "scold" her magic out of her. With a protagonist who is largely passive, refusing to admit she's a witch for almost a third of the book, most of the plot passively happens until she finally makes friends. There are a lot of charming aspects to the story, like tattletale plants or a sock stealing book that is very relevant to the plot, but it would be an additional fantasy purchase rather than a "must get."

A great read for the younger reader. What do you do when you discover that you are actually a witch and you have to chose which of two covens to join, or face exploding on your next birthday. A funny and exiting story of trying to be yourself and not being bullied by those around you. I look forward to seeing what happens in the next story in this series.

Sweet, fun and light! Perfect for middle schoolers who love fantasy and humor! Definitely the kind of book that would pull reluctant readers into reading.

A really cute book about a young girl who has been told she's ordinary only to find out she has powers. But these powers come with a catch: she has to choose a coven by her 13th birthday or she'll explode! This was a really interesting world to dive into with Willa as an awesome main character and handful of great side characters. Can't wait to hopefully get more in this series!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

This book is a little different but enjoyable. The different types of magic are perplexing but it worked for the book. Not a favorite but it will have readers.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Twelve-year-old Willa Birdwhistle is constantly having to dodge spells being cast by two warring witch covens: the Irontongues and the Silverclaws. Willa is not a big fan of magic since it whisked her parents away in a cloud and left her to fend for herself. When Willa experiences a strange, fizzy feeling and magic happens around her, she is told she must make a choice: join one of the witch covens or she will explode on her thirteenth birthday! Willa receives magical tutoring and learns how to harness her abilities. She spends the second half of the book looking for ways to avoid her undesirable fate. This book was fun to read, although the comic tone felt odd at times when heavier topics (being an orphan, violence against others) were being discussed. By the end of the book, I must admit that I was a bit tired of the jokes. However, there is heart and meaning underneath and Willa is a root-worthy character. I do recommend this for children who are not sensitive to things like spells that create Jumble monsters or ones that steal your voice.

A great middle grade book, especially for a child interested in magical elements, witches etc. I would recommend this to kids that come in the library for sure.

Short middle grade fantasy novel set in a world where non-magical people live trapped between two warring witch communities and often suffer the effects of rogue curses. One such resident is Willa, who lost her parents to a curse one year prior. Willa soon discovers (much to her own horror) that she is herself a witch and, what's more, she must choose one of the two witch clans to join before her next birthday or suffer a fatal magic explosion. There's a lot of humor in the work as well as the casual cruelty of adults often found in Roald Dahl works. The conclusion is a bit ambiguous, as it appears that Willa ultimately elects to enjoy her remaining time with her friends before exploding (?!)

This book was a lot of fun. The worldbuilding was magical and just slightly wacky. I really liked Willa as a protagonist and I adored the friendships she developed. I was a little disappointed as the ending didn't answer all my questions, but as I believe it was set up to make room for a sequel that makes sense. I'd definitely recommend this book for kids that love reading about witches and aren't to squeamish about gross stuff.