The Witching Wind

by Natalie Lloyd

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Steeped in the authentic emotions of love and human connection, Natalie Lloyd is back with a touching, uplifting story of real-life magic.

From Natalie Lloyd, bestselling author of A Snicker of Magic and Hummingbird, comes a heart-expanding adventure about the magic of family, friendship, and the lengths we go for the people we love.

Eleven-year-old Roxie was excited to start sixth grade... until a mortifying incident at a pool party turns her into a middle school laughingstock. Roxie can't imagine enduring a full year of bullying and body shaming, so when her country music star Granny invites Roxie to join her on tour, she jumps at the chance to leave her troubles behind. But then Granny--who's been struggling with memory loss--goes missing, leaving Roxie without an escape plan... and without her best friend.

Grayson doesn't mind being sent to yet another foster home. Her older sister, Beanie, is about to turn eighteen, which means she'll be able to become Grayson's guardian. It won't be long until they live in the same house again. It won't be long until they get to be a real family. But when Beanie's birthday finally arrives, she doesn't show up to collect Grayson. She doesn't respond to calls or texts. It's almost like she's just... vanished.

Roxie knows Granny would never leave without saying goodbye. And Grayson is certain Beanie would never abandon her. So when the new friends learn about the Witching Wind that "steals" what people love most, Roxie and Grayson are certain they've discovered the truth. Granny and Beanie didn't just disappear--they were taken. And it's up to Roxie and Grayson to outwit the Witching Wind before it's too late.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338858600
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	09/03/2024
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	109,472
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.30(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Natalie Lloyd is the New York Times bestselling author of novels full of hope, wonder, and magic for young readers. Her books include: A Snicker of Magic, The Key to Extraordinary, Over the Moon, Hummingbird, and The Witching Wind. She lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee, with her husband Justin, and their three spoiled dogs. Visit her online at natalielloyd.com

Editorial Reviews

★ 09/23/2024

Analytical 12-year-old foster kid Grayson Patch, who reads as white, has just been placed in the care of a new family in Silas County, Tenn., without her older sister. Her only solaces are sarcasm and the Christmas lights she strings around her walker, which she uses to assist with the decreased mobility caused by a bone disorder. Then she meets Roxie Darling, also 12, who was born with music in her heart and a famous folk singer grandmother. Roxie has been contending with bullying, as well as anxiety—the Dreads, as she calls it—which she considers part and parcel of her Appalachian heritage. As Grayson, Roxie, and several new friends grow closer, they soon learn that each of them has lost something to the Witching Wind, a legendary force that’s known to carry off objects, people, and memories alike. Lloyd (Hummingbird) weaves a tale of music, culture, and friendship in this bewitching love letter to hope, adventure, and life’s wild places. Collaboration toward a common goal and themes of weathering emotional and physical challenges lay the groundwork while found family dynamics, modeling of adaptive coping mechanisms, and open-minded characters delighting in possibility make for a story that encourages acceptance and inclusivity. Grayson and Roxie cue as white. Ages 8–12. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Hummingbird:

A Schneider Family Book Award Honor Book

* "With eccentric family members, a distinctive setting, and a supernatural element that is strangely believable within this otherwise realistic story, there's a lot to love here." -- Booklist, starred review

* "A must-have for any elementary school or middle school library, this magical and heartening novel will keep readers engaged until the end. A perfect fit for fans of realistic fiction and fantasy alike." -- School Library Journal, starred review

* "Olive's sparkly personality roars to life through assured first-person narration, metaphors rooted in the natural world, and simple yet piercing free verse that distills her self-revelations." -- Publisher's Weekly, starred review

"The energetic first-person narration, interspersed with Olive's thoughts in free verse, is full of bold personality... Her grappling with fears and bold dreams offers a rare depiction of physical disability that is allowed to be both complicated and empowering." -- Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Over the Moon:

* "Strong themes of friendship and loyalty drive Lloyd's story, which soars under Mallie's heroic lead. Her fiery and bighearted nature pierce the Dust and deceit covering Coal Top, and her physical disability never holds her back. Rather, she bravely proves that questions have power and one's story can be reshaped." -- Booklist, starred review

Praise for A Snicker of Magic:

* "This tale offers all [the] earmarks of fine storytelling, including colorful, eccentric characters, an original, highly likable narrator and a mighty 'spindiddly' plot." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "From every angle, Lloyd's first novel sparkles and radiates warmth . . . Working in the folksy vein of Ingrid Law's Savvy, Lloyd offers a reassuring, homespun story about self-expression and the magic that resides in one's mind and heart." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review

* "A delightful and inspiring debut... Mibs Beaumont and her magically gifted clan from Ingrid Law's SAVVY would feel right at home here. As Felicity loves to say, 'Yes...yes...yes!'" -- School Library Journal, starred review

From the Publisher

10/01/2024

Gr 4–6—As if starting middle school weren't challenging enough, Grayson and Roxie, both 12, are afraid they've lost the people they love most. Grayson doesn't plan to settle in with her new foster family or befriend her new classmates because she knows her older sister Beanie is going to become her guardian. Roxie is usually sunny and open-hearted, but when a mean girl's body-shaming taunts ruin the first school gathering, Roxie takes comfort in the promise of escaping middle school and going on tour with her musician grandmother. However, when Beanie doesn't appear or reply to any of Grayson's texts, and Granny Ruth, who has been forgetful lately, goes missing in the hills around their Tennessee town, Grayson and Roxie are determined to find them. Grayson's voice is sharp and spiky, while Roxie's thoughts have a folksy tone. Lloyd adds a layer of magic and mystery to the novel in the form of the "witching wind," a powerful phenomenon that howls over the county carrying away anything that's not clipped down and instilling fear in some residents. Grayson, Roxie, and the other members of the school newcomers club, a diverse and resourceful crew, search for the truth behind the legends in a somewhat jumbled series of outdoor adventures involving, among other things, an all-terrain vehicle, a nighttime cave exploration, and communicating with crows. VERDICT Although the plot sometimes gets tangled in metaphor, this is a warm and lyrical story about the ways that connections between loved ones can stretch across distance and time.—Jennifer Costa

School Library Journal

2024-06-15
New friends help each other find their missing loved ones.

After an embarrassing incident at the pool, Roxie Darling is dreading sixth grade. Granny, who’s a folk singer, offered to take her on tour, suggesting she do virtual school, but then Granny seemingly took off without her, leaving Roxie devastated. Meanwhile, Grayson Patch, who uses a walker because of her brittle bones, is perfectly happy to have a new foster home for the two days until her beloved sister, Beanie, turns 18 and can become her guardian. But Beanie doesn’t pick her up as planned and stops responding to messages. Assisted by the rest of their self-declared group of misfits in Club Yeehaw, the girls team up to find the missing “heart person” they each long for, even as a local meteorological phenomenon known as the Witching Wind comes howling down from the hills. Roxie and Grayson, who are cued white, burst to exuberant life in this warmhearted story. The members of the racially diverse supporting cast at times feel too idealized to be real, relatable people. Fans of fabulism will embrace the wild winds and the town legends about their origin, while realistic fiction devotees will appreciate the naturally developing friendships, strong family bonds, and straightforward portrayals of bullying, foster care, dementia, and rural life.

A powerful paean to human connection with a dash of magic.(Fiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews