THE MEMORY THIEF

A girl uncovers family secrets and faces off against a witch called the Memory Thief.

Sixth grader Rosie wishes her cold, neglectful mother loved her—readers know from the prologue that her mother’s under the Memory Thief’s powerful curse—and copes by writing fairy-tale–esque stories. But when Rosie’s bold best friend, Germ, starts growing up faster than Rosie, she worries she’ll be left behind. Deciding to set aside her childish things, she burns her stories; in doing so, she awakens her sight, which allows her to see all the ghosts in her house. Friendlier ghosts lead her to her mother’s hidden witch hunter’s manual and educate her on her family’s long, tragic quest against the 13 evil witches who counter the good Moon Goddess. But the sight also draws the attention of the Memory Thief’s servants, bringing the witch directly up against Rosie. With help from Germ and a ghost friend, Rosie must learn how her mother protected her as a baby and obtain a weapon to use against the witch. The will-they-grow-apart friendship storyline is handled with love and nuance. The magical plot requires lots of exposition but reads quickly. At times, development of the themes—for example, the magic and power of stories—can be a little heavy-handed, but readers who connect with Rosie likely will benefit from such reassurances. After the resolution, the stakes are ramped up to tease sequels. Whiteness is situated as the default.

A bighearted adventure.