Lloyd always writes real, vulnerable characters that young readers can relate to and feel seen through. The Witching Wind has two wonderful main character you’ll be cheering for as they help each other stand up for themselves and embrace who they are. I loved this story so much and the way Lloyd shows that there’s strength in tenderness and kindness.

The Witching Wind by Natalie Lloyd has Roxie and Grayson trying to find their loved ones.

Will Roxie and Grayson save Granny and Beanie from the Witching Wind?

Roxie Darling
Roxie Darling is twelve years old, and she's not having a great start on her middle grade experience. She's already been bullied by the most popular girl in their class, and she doesn't know why. Not only that, but Roxie's Granny has gone missing. Besides that, the young girl is now shy, unlike how she was before being bullied. Roxie is resilient, though. I like Roxie and how she deals with everything happening to her.

Grayson Patch
Grayson Patch is in the same grade as Roxie, but unlike Roxie, Grayson is in foster care. She also needs a walker to get around because her bones are brittle, and she's small for her age. I do feel bad for Grayson for a lot that she has to endure. Grayson is one of those characters who doesn't care about what anyone thinks of her. She has one of those faces where she looks mad when she isn't. I do like Grayson and how she figures out a lot about herself.

The Story
Roxie and Grayson, and four other characters become the least likely friends. This group of friends help each other navigate the treachery of middle school in the first couple of weeks. Roxie, Grayson, and their friends also help each other get the stuff they lost to the wind. I loved Roxie and Grayson's friends since they helped each other out a lot and trusted each other. Another thing that I liked was how easily they got along and brought each other up when they were down or convinced someone that a guy like likes them.

Four Stars
The Witching Wind by Natalie Lloyd brings together a bunch of people that one wouldn't think could be friends and has them solve the mystery of the Witching Wind. I loved this story a lot, and I give it four stars. Ms. Lloyd is a great author, and this book brought back memories of sixth grade and how having a group of friends that has your back is worth it to stand up to a bully.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of The Witching Wind by Natalie Lloyd.

Until the next time,
Karen the Baroness

If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out Baroness Book Trove.

This is on the longer side, and I have a feeling some of my more reluctant readers will shy away from this based on the size alone. However, the story was on par with Lloyd's previous works. Female friendship and power are at the center of this story and I would recommend it to all young girls and their moms and loved ones to read together!

“She imagines her heart, broken. Covered in crackly fault lines. But love still shines, even through the broken places. There’s plenty of love-light to share, too. So that’s what she does.”

This is another magical realism book from Lloyd, and the things that often shine in her books are present in spades here.

First is the characters. Every character in this book shines, even some characters that never have “on-screen” time and are only mentioned. The side characters, even a toddler and the elementary school librarian, come to life and make everything feel like I could be put right in the middle of their school and point out the people I recognize. I also loved how while the grown-ups are flawed, they aren’t completely useless either. Parents tell kids they want to hear what their kid is struggling with, and adults listen when they point out things that need work.

Our two main characters are different, with different voices, personalities, and struggles. I often struggle with books with multiple POVs because it’s often hard for me to distinguish between them, but that isn’t the case here. Grayson manages to have an incredibly positive attitude despite her many disappointments and setbacks. Roxie is self-conscious and sad about what happened with her ex-best friend. Both need people to understand them beyond their defense mechanisms, and the way they view each other in their respective points of view help build the characters in a way you don’t often get to see in a single POV book.

The kids in this book might get to see some magical happenings, but they aren’t spared from how hard life can be. They’re dealing with body shaming, missing family members, growing up, disabilities, and class in the rural Appalachian Tennessee background. They have to learn how to deal with grief when what they’re hoping for isn’t magically solved.

The magic in this book doesn’t cure or fix, which is something I love. Too often, the magic comes in and solves all the problems. In this case, the magic helps them understand themselves and life a little better. The magic is well balanced with the real world, so I was never confused about what might be magic and what wasn’t, which can be tricky in magical realism books. The magic also fits well with the setting. Families having a “knack” for certain things is exactly the kind of magic that fits so well in Appalachia.

The other thing I can’t help but love is Natalie Lloyd’s prose. I often find myself highlighting sentences because they’re just so beautiful. I still think of one particular line from “A Snicker of Magic,” and I think there are a few sentences from this book that might stick in my head too.

Occasionally, the book was a little too sweet and idealistic for me as an adult reader, but I think it will resonate well with many readers.

Overall, this is another magically sweet story about things that are missing and finding ourselves.

Absolutely stunning. Just lovely.

When I read a Natalie Lloyd book I swear I never want to read any other author. Her writing is so poetic and beautiful and her books always make you feel seen and loved.

This is a cute middle grade magical realism novel. Grayson is a foster kid who's in her last foster home, because her big sister is about to turn 18 and will be able to be her legal guardian. Roxie is a middle schooler who just had to most embarrassing experience of her young life, but that's okay, because her beloved, retired rock-star grandma wants to go on tour again and is going to take Roxie as a member of the band. However, Silas County is home to the Witching Wind, which occasionally steals what you love most. So when Gray's sister and Roxie grandma both go missing, the obvious answer is the Witching Wind, and so the girls team up to go get their loved ones back.
I liked this book. The characters were compelling, and Grayson was good disability rep. As an adult, it wasn't the most interesting middle grade novel, but it's probably a lot better for children. It was pretty decent, though. A good introduction to magical realism for kids.

I really don’t know where to begin with what I loved most about this book. The prose! The setting! The magic! But I think what captured my heart more than anything else were the two main characters, Roxie and Grayson. They are just so real - so flawed and confused and beautiful and brave - I absolutely fell in love with them and their stories. I love how Natalie Lloyd routinely injects wonder into otherwise everyday occurrences and really makes the reader believe and feel that magic could be hiding anywhere.

This is a book about friendship, about accepting yourself, about coping with really hard situations, and about being honest and vulnerable with others. It’s a small picture of the world I wish we all lived in (except for Love… you’ll get that reference if you read it). It’s a book I’ll be sharing with students and recommending to teachers!

The Witching Wind by Natalie Lloyd is a middle grade novel that explores friendship, belonging, and being confident in yourself. Roxie and Grayson are the main characters who are an unlikely pair that end up becoming best friends.

This novel would be a great read aloud to allow discussion about the themes of friendship, bullying, body positivity and found families. Definitely a book I will be purchasing for my library!

This book started just a little slow for me, but before I knew it I was fully invested! I loved the chapters told by alternating characters-this kept me wanting to read and provided a strong storyline. There was a bit of a fantasy feel from the wind (that almost seemed like another character!) but overall it was a realistic fiction read. It’s a story of friendship, grief, loss, family, and finding self confidence. This is a great book for
middle grade readers who may be struggling to find confidence and voice. I will absolutely be adding this to my library collection!

A coming of age story times two. Grayson is expecting her sister Beanie to come and whisk her away from foster care. Roxie thinks her grandmother is going to take her on tour with her folk band. The two meet when things are not going as expected and the Witching Wind is more engaged than in previous years.

The girls make friends with a rather rag tag group, stand up to bullies, save a missing cat, and so much more in this wonderful story! The confidence these two girls help each other gain during a time when life isn’t always easy is inspiring!

Endearing story of friendship, a sense of belonging, and how we define family.
Maybe a bit didactic in places, sometimes flirting with being saccharine sweet....but in today's world, we need that now and then.
Thought aimed at middle grade readers, there are some early high school kids who will love this.
I received an ARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I love Natalie Lloyd's books. She writes such beautiful books about family, and friendships, set against the Appalachian Tennessee background.
I really liked our two main characters Roxie & Grayson. I love the representation of disability and how you can still have a beautiful life. Grayson is struggling when her sister Beanie doesn't show much to get her like they planned on her 18th birthday. I loved watching Grayson adjust and find a group of friends that really cared for her. And she really grew to care for them.
Roxie is dealing with her grandma disappearing and being made fun of because she is a "bigger" girl. But she's strong and proud of who she is and a great musician. She struggles, but these new friends really help her though it all
I loved the "witching wind" and how it is like it's own character. I liked learning more about this community and this beautiful area. I would love to go and visit there.
"I imagine her words full of light, framed by wings, fluttering around somewhere deep inside. Where they'll shine forever." Lloyd has such a way with words and there were so many lines like this. I can't wait to have a copy and highlight all these beautiful lines like this.

Such a beautiful middle grade novel.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

Another gem by Natalie Lloyd! She has such a talent for subtly working magic into a story. I was hooked from the very beginning to the last word. Grayson has all sorts of plans for her life once her sister beanie turns 18 and can take her put of foster care. Those plans change though when Beanie disappears. Grayson connects with a group of other misfits at her middle school and they quickly become united due to the mysteries of the witching wind. Found family, foster care, dementia and disability rep are all present.

I read this with my 7 year old daughter and we absolutely loved it! Grayson and Roxie are two new friends, who both have people they love dearly disappear. They know their loved ones wouldn’t have left them on their own, so there has to be another reason. The girls soon learn about the Witching Wind, which steals what you love the most. The girls then have to work together to outsmart the Witching Wind to save their loved ones.

Oh, how I love Natalie’s books! The Witching Wind is wonderful and I cannot wait to share it with readers. Natalie brings together so many different pieces of life so beautifully and magically. Perfect for readers in 3rd grade through adult.

The Witching Wind whisks us away on an adventure with Roxie and Grayson. Just before starting sixth grade, Roxie suffers a humiliating incident, while Grayson faces yet another foster home placement. Both girls, yearning for connection, find solace in an unlikely friendship. But their newfound bond is tested when Roxie's grandmother vanishes and Grayson's sister fails to appear. Blaming the legendary Witching Wind, a magical force known to steal what you hold dear, the girls embark on a daring quest for answers. Together, they face challenges head-on, discovering the strength of courage and resilience within themselves. This heartwarming story celebrates overcoming obstacles and the power of friendship.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I love this book. The writing has me hooked. Natalie Lloyd has nailed magical realism. The characters had my heart. So fun and full of folklore.

4.5 stars!

The Witching Wind is a middle-grade book that my daughter (age 10) and I read. It alternates between the POVs of two girls: Roxie and Grayson. Grayson is living a tumultuous childhood as a foster child and hoping her sister will become her guardian upon her eighteenth birthday, while Roxie is dealing with middle-school drama and feeling like she doesn't fit in. When a magical "Witching Wind" blows into town and takes something from each person, the girls are united in their journey to recapture what they've lost. Along the way, the girls learn important lessons about believing in yourself and finding the people who appreciate you as you are, rather than trying to fit the mold of the "popular girl."

I'd recommend this for readers who enjoy:
*magical realism
*strong female protagonists
*found family
*disability representation
*dual POV

These characters! Their stories! The legends and folklore behind the Witching Wind!
The storytelling by Natalie Lloyd is just magical!
This book has heart and meaning while helping to deliver some truths about life and what it means to be a human in this world. It is also adventurous and honors those deep and special friend groups you can form (for me especially so in middle school like the characters).
One I will for sure recommend to my students and add to my library collection.

Natalie Lloyd does it again! She writes beautiful, realistic characters and makes the reader just want to hug them. The Witching Wind is written in dual perspectives which gives us the opportunity to have two protagonists. Both girls are fully fleshed out and go through challenges. I love the way Lloyd writes magical realism while incorporating themes of friendship, self-confidence, and what it means to be a family. Wonderful middle grade novel!