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Parents' Guide to

Once a Witch

By Debra Bogart, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Mildly bewitching with strong female characters.

Book Carolyn MacCullough Coming of Age 2009
Once a Witch Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

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age 11+

Based on 2 parent reviews

demusiks
demusiks Parent of 9 and 12-year-old
June 23, 2010
age 11+

Fun read for tweens, watch for bad examples

Tween loved the book. Good fantasy book, hoping for a sequel. The D-word was used a few times and there is some drinking and smoking, so there aren't great role models in the book. However, the story was fun.
witchluvr
witchluvr Parent of 14-year-old
October 7, 2009
age 10+

Perfect Book!

Love this so much. Really shows that portraying somebody else when it is not appropriate is not ok. It is really enjoyable read!
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Tamsin is a 17-year-old witch who has grown up in the shadow of her talented older sister. She believes she has no magical talents at all until a handsome young professor convinces her to try harder to develop her powers. But her attempts put her and her family in danger. With the help of time travel Tamsin's family works together to rescue each other and Tamsin discovers just how powerful a witch she really is.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (3 ):

Despite gratuitous drinking and smoking, this is an amusing coming-of-age story with some traditional witchcraft thrown in. Stock characters are made more agreeable by the humorous banter between Tamsin and her childhood friend and love interest Gabriel. Tamsin's self-doubts will ring true with teens, especially those with older siblings.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about whether witches exist (ed) and why they were persecuted?

  • Should Tamsin's family have hidden the truth from Tamsin?

  • Why did Tamsin pretend to be her older sister?

Book Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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