THE CHRISTMAS WITCH
by Steven Kellogg & illustrated by Steven Kellogg
Gloria is an oddball at Madame Pestilence's Academy for Young Goblins and Witches: Her spells don't work, and she keeps smiling, even while eating cockroach casserole. Then she meets an angel, declares herself a Christmas Witch, and is dispatched to make peace on a distant planet. After Gloria tricks the two warring factions into mingling at a costume ball, they sheepishly agree to study war no more. Though treacly and unbelievable, the story is built around the theme of waging peace, and it does feature Kellogg's deliciously dramatic illustrations—including a memorable sequence when Madame Pestilence sweeps operatically into the midst of the assembled multitudes and is reduced to a bug by Christmas magic. Worthy, but the parts are better than the whole. (Picture book. 8-11)