Jessica Haggerthwaite: Media Star

This is the second adventure for the Haggerthwaites and has Mrs Haggerthwaite established as a professional witch, while Dad is set up as a landscape gardener. Younger brother Midge is happy with the family’s quiet life but Jessica is bored and looking for a challenge. She develops an ambition to become a TV star, hosting a science programme of course, but is side-tracked by the appearance in town of competition for her mother. This comes in the form of the mystical Xandra, friend of the Wind Spirits.

Despite the prevalence of witches, this book is far more concerned with the human than the supernatural. The Haggerthwaite family are all perceptively drawn, particularly Jessica who, though constantly irritated by her mother’s pig-headedness, fails utterly to recognise the trait in herself. The book examines our fascination with hocus-pocus – particularly in the form of popular TV programmes – while pointing out the wonders of nature and science. A funny, entertaining and thought-provoking read.