Reese, James. The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mademoiselle Odile.

Reese, James.     The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mademoiselle Odile. Macmillan/ Roaring Brook Press  357p  $17.99      978-1-59643-684-8    

ms/hs       Good        Fantasy

Odile comes from a long line of witches. When her parents are killed she and her brother are basically thrown out into the street during the Prussian war in Paris, France.  It is in this setting that Odile tries out a few spells to save her brother, who has fallen very ill and may die if she does not find a special spell to restore his health.  The spell works, but with dire results for her brother, who is now almost a monster but still alive and healthy.  However, she is very much afraid that the spell may break at any moment and cause her brother’s death.

For Dr. Jekyll, who has given Odile and Greluchon a home, this is a stroke of luck, as he begins his journey into discovering his other side, Mr. Hyde.  With the left-over serum, or "salts" as Odile calls them, Dr. Jekyll experiments on himself, but the salts only work temporarily on him, whereas they seem to be permanent for Greluchon!

Can Odile save her brother and Dr. Jekyll before they both become monsters and die, or must she allow Dr. Jekyll access to her salts for his own experimentation in shape shifting?

This story is loosely based on the original classic by Robert Louis Stevenson.  The historical facts slowed the story down quite a bit, making it hard to follow the story of Odile and her brother.  The witchcraft story line is lost in all the historical background.       

Witchcraft, Fantasy, Spells-Fiction       --Magna Diaz

Thompson, Paul B. The Devil’s Door

Thompson, Paul B. The Devil’s Door: A Salem Witchcraft Story
Enslow 2010 160p 27.93
978-0-7660-3387-0 ms/jr Witchcraft VG-BN
Historical Fiction Adventures(Enslow)


Sarah Wright and her father move to Salem Village, Massachusetts in 1692 during the witchcraft hysteria.Sarah and her father escape from an attack from the Wabanaki Indians after they kill Sarah’s mother and brother. Ephraim Wright and his daughter land in Glouster and set off for a place to live. In time they hear of some possibilities in Salem Village. Times are tough in the area, but Ephraim is willing to work for room and board. He found work at the home of Goody and Dr Griggs. He was to build the new addition on the doctor’s house.
Sarah tried to fit with the household. The Griggs’ indentured servant, Betty, had other ideas. Betty was friendly with some other girls in the community. These girls started having spells and declaring members of the community to be witches. Before long the community was in a state of hysteria with the girls constantly denouncing members of the community as witches. At one point Sarah’s father was arrest as a witch because he refused to work as a sheriff unless he was paid in real coinage.
In this book it is easy for the readers to see how hysteria spreads widely without discretion in such situations. Sarah’s thoughts and feelings give the readers an understanding of what it was like to live in such a trying time in history.
The author included the facts concerning the real history of the time period for comparison. Also included were bibliographies and websites for further information.
Historical McNeil, Linda