The Witches of Worm by zilpha keatley snyder

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 16,2025

This was an odd book and not what I expected. It takes place in the seventies and follows a twelve year-old girl who's incredibly lonely. He mom is neglectful, constantly ditching her for dates with men and leaving Jessica home to do all the chores and make her own meals. I really disliked the mom and wished there was more of a conclusion to the story where we see her realize how terrible she is.

Jessica finds a cat and begins thinking it's a demon that forces her to act out. Whether there is something sinister about the cat or not is kind of up to interpretation, but I'm thinking it's just a girl who wants someone to pay attention to her.

The ending feels abrupt and I really wish there had been a couple more chapters. Does Jessica start being friends with Brandon again? Should they be friends after we find out how violent he can be? Do things get better at home after the counselor visit? So many unanswered questions!

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TrisTops

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 16,2025

The last sentence is confusing!I had a little guess to what it could mean, but it reall does not make sense.It states..."I am sorry that you died Worm." but Worm didn't die, so it gets a little confusing.(In case you do not know, Worm is a witch's cat".I read this book to see if it was any better than "The Egypt Game" because it is written by Zilpha Kneatly Snyder.

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Silva97

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 16,2025

There was something weirdly unsettling about this book. Perhaps when the Bad Things the cat told her to do culminated into attempted murder and an exorcism, was when I had to stop and think about how "children's" book is this.

Also, there were pictures. "Scary Stories to Tell In The Dark"-esque pictures.

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Nanalogy

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 16,2025

This book is about a sad, lonely, somewhat angry girl named Jessie who rescues an ugly abandoned cat, which sets off a strange chain of events she believes has its root in witchcraft. The cat, who she names Worm, does not look or behave like a normal cat. Pretty quickly after obtaining him, Jessie also starts to engage in unusual, not very nice, behavior. The book is very creepy. Although Jessie commits some morally questionable acts, you can't help but like her and feel sorry for her. An enjoyable read if you like books with a paranormal twist.

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wajaj00

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 16,2025

Okay, I'm really procrastinating on lots of "grown-up" reading and work...

Hmmm. It was okay. I probably would have liked it a bit more if I had read it when I was younger reader. In any event, it does remind me of the tough transitions and jealousies that come from being, oh, I'd say a 12-year old angry girl who is very alone much of the time. The book was also a bit creepy; perhaps a good Halloween or overnight read-aloud for the daring.

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Sarski

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 16,2025

This is a chilling story for older children and young adults, about a lonely teenaged girl, Jessica and the kitten she raises without wanting it, called Worm (you can tell she didn't like cats). At least Worm is some company for her in the apartment block, since she has elderly neighbours and a mostly absent mother trying to pick up a new husband, and she has quarrelled over a stupid matter, as teens do, with her friend Brandon.

As the months go by and Jessica reads about the Salem witchcraft trials, she starts to think about what it would be like if bad things happened to the people she doesn't like, and especially if it wasn't her fault. Then she seems to hear Worm telling her how to harm a girl at school by getting her into trouble with her parents.

Jessica has a vivid imagination, but is the cat really speaking or is it suggestion? She continues making trouble and matters swiftly escalate, so that the people around her are harmed, but her acting skills are such that she fools them into thinking that she has had blackouts. Can't be her fault can it?

Worm acts completely in character for a cat which has never known affection and is locked in an apartment with two people who feed him but never stroke him. A cat who is grabbed and pulled out of a cosy nook and snapped at, is going to respond with flattened ears and growls rather than come running when his name is called. The descriptions of his behaviour could only have come from a longtime cat owner, and as such Worm comes across - finally - as perhaps the greatest victim in the book.

The eerie atmosphere builds up gradually and skilfully and will give food for thought for long after the final page is read. The last chapter has a positive slant which helps make sense of the earlier events and will encourage re-reading.

This book won the Newbery Honor Medal for children's literature.

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NigmaShady

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 16,2025

When I first tried to read this book, it kind of freaked me out; but that few years ago. When I re-read it, I realized it was okay. (Any book that has a kitten it has to be okay, right...?)

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rueful

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 16,2025

"We invite our own devils and we ourselves must exorcise them."

This was an interesting read. Jessica is a lonely preteen girl whose mother, Joy, neglects, and her friend, Brandon, abuses (he hits her). Jessica herself is rather mean-spirited with no compassion for animals. She finds this kitten, a rare breed called an Abyssinian, and Jessica is disgusted by the kitten. She reluctantly takes care of it and her mother names it Worm.

Jessica becomes more and more unhinged as the book progresses. She imagines this cat talking to her, imagines it being a witch's cat, and uses the cat as an excuse to act out and contemplate doing truly terrible things (murder). She doesn't understand the difference between "playing pretend" and lying and hurting others.

There's a lot of repressed anger in Jessica. She's also bored with an over-active imagination that's channeled in a destructive way. Her non-existent mother certainly doesn't help, and the fact that she doesn't have any friends makes for a good recipe for cooking up bad things. Seriously, the ideas in her head ARE alarming.

I did feel sorry for her, but mostly, I felt sorry for the cat, Worm. This was an interesting story about how we can let our own demons run away with us.

On a side note - this book has a little controversy attached to it. It has been banned because it talks about witchcraft. Well meaning adults will be horrified at Jessica's behavior, but I think this is still a relevant book that kids should read today.

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The Witches of Worm

zilpha keatley snyder

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