Module 5: Earwig and the Witch

Summary: 
Earwig is not your average girl. She's been an orphan for her whole life, and, unlike most orphans, Earwig has no desire to be adopted. So, when two very strange individuals show up at St. Morwald's Home for Children, she is unpleasantly surprised to be chosen by them for adoption. Frustrated and reluctant to leave, Earwig has no choice but to go with her strange new 'parents'. Upon arriving at her new home, things only get weirder. The doors aren't real doors, rooms that should be next to each other aren't really there, and, to top it all off, Earwig is used as the personal servant of the wretched witch, Bella Yaga. The horned man, who turns out to be a Mandrake, hardly surfaces at all, and when he does, cannot be bothered by anyone. Earwig pushes the boundaries and tricks her new hosts into submitting to her whim and will just like at St. Morwald's. Maybe her new home won't be so bad after all.

Jones, D.W. (2012). Earwig and the witch. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books.

Review: School Library Journal

Earwig is a most unusual girl. As a baby, she arrived at St. Morwald's Orphanage under mysterious circumstances. Since then, she has possessed a strange affinity for making the staff do exactly what she wants--from preparing her favorite meals to buying her new clothes. For this reason, Earwig goes out of her way to avoid being adopted. Then comes the fateful day Bella Yaga, accompanied by Mandrake, her sinister shape-shifting sidekick, arrives at St. Morwald's and takes Earwig to do her grunt work. Slave duty doesn't even come with magic lessons. But with the help of Thomas, a feline familiar, Earwig outsmarts the witch in a most ironic way. And before long, she has both Bella Yaga and Mandrake under her control. This appears to have been the first in a charming new series, cut short by the author's untimely passing in 2011. Earwig is a plucky, albeit bossy, heroine, and the story is packed with wit and humor. Zelinsky's illustrations enhance this imaginative tale.

LeMerise, A. J. (2012). Earwig and the Witch. School Library Journal, 58(2), 91.

My Impressions: 
Earwig and the Witch is a unique read, and it certainly has some appeal, but I felt that the story wasn't very compelling. While all the right pieces were there for suspense and action, the way Earwig is presented, I didn't feel very attached or interested in her as a character. I felt the story told me what I should think about Earwig more than it showed me. That being said, I realize the book is targeted to younger elementary students so I see the purpose for the writing style. I would have liked to experience a little bit more action between the main characters and some additional information about Bella Yaga and the Mandrake that made them more accessible and intriguing. 

Library Use: 
While it isn't addressed specifically, Earwig and the Witch hints at and weaves elements of folklore and superstition into the story through its characters. Given the age range for this book, Earwig and the Witch could be used as an introductory text to folklore and its place in literature as a whole. The purpose and history of literature could be discussed and explored with elementary students using Earwig and supplementing with juvenile non-fiction texts.