Mischief Season (Witches of Benevento Series #1)

by John Bemelmans Marciano, Sophie Blackall (Illustrator)

Overview

The first book in an exciting new chapter book series by John Bemelmans Marciano and Caldecott medalist Sophie Blackall. 

Welcome to Benevento, an ancient town famous for its witches!

The children of Benevento have to be careful and clever to evade the clutches of such witches as the Manalonga, the Janara, and the Clopper, who hide in wells and under bridges, fly at midnight, and play tricks during Mischief Season.

Five cousins – Primo, Emilio, Rosa, Maria Beppina, and Sergio – share adventures and narrow escapes, and discover astonishing secrets as they outwit the witches in each exciting story.
 
Book #1   
Mischief Season: a Twins Story
The Janara are wrecking the farm with their nightly mischiefs. Father blames Rosa for everything that goes wrong, and it’s up to the Twins and their friends to find a way to stop the Janara. Will some mysterious advice from an unexpected source be the solution to their problems?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780698175440
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	04/12/2016
Series:	Witches of Benevento Series , #1
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	128
Lexile:	750L (what's this?)
File size:	20 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Writer and artist John Bemelmans Marciano is the grandson of Ludwig Bemelmans. John has continued his grandfather’s legacy of the Madeline books with Madeline and the Old House in Paris, Madeline at the White House, and Madeline and the Cats of Rome. He is the author of Bemelmans: The Life and Art of Madeline’s Creator, and of The Nine Lives of Alexander Baddenfield, illustrated by Sophie Blackall. John lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Andromache, and their daughter, Galatea.
 
Sophie Blackall has illustrated more than thirty books, including Finding Winnie, for which she won the Caldecott medal, and the New York Times Best Illustrated books Big Red Lollipop and The Baby Tree, which she also wrote.  Born in Australia, Sophie lives in Brooklyn with her children Olive and Edward. 
 
John and Sophie share studio space in Brooklyn, which makes it easy for them to collaborate.

Editorial Reviews

01/25/2016
Marciano and Blackall, who previously collaborated on The Nine Lives of Alexander Baddenfield, inaugurate the Witches of Benevento series by introducing twins Rosa and Emilio, who live in a small Italian village where demons, witches, and ghosts run rampant. The Janara are supernatural creatures that visit in the night and enact mischief; Rosa has long blamed her own mischief on the Janara, an excuse that has worn out. With the help of friends, the twins set out to find a solution to the increasing woes on the family farm. Marciano’s simple, fablelike sentences will be readily accessible to younger readers, though more complicated words and topics (tarot cards, outdated Italian currency) may prompt questions or investigation. Caldecott Medalist Blackall’s two-color illustrations aid in decoding some of the references, while adding a sweet, playful touch and occasionally calling to mind the work of Wanda Gág. An old-world atmosphere and prickly sibling rivalry make the book read like a classic fairy tale, while an undercurrent of mystery paves the way for future books. Available simultaneously: The All-Powerful Ring. Ages 7–9. Author’s agent: Jill Grinberg, Jill Grinberg Literary Management. Illustrator’s agent: Nancy Gallt, Nancy Gallt Literary Agency. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for The Witches of Benevento series:

“Blackall’s delicate, lovely artwork is bewitching and Marciano’s text is, as the title implies, loaded with molto mischief. I can't wait to read what the Janara have in store for the Benevento kids next.” —Lane Smith, author of Return to Augie Hobble

“Not your run-of-the-mill chapter book. What we have here is a fresh, charming tale about an Italian village afflicted with witches and the brave, quarrelsome band of friends who try to make their acquaintance. A frisky, ingenious introduction to an old world and a new series.” —Annie Barrows, author of the Ivy and Bean series

“There is a mystery in Benevento—a mystery of witches and spirits and magic. Will you go back in time to this charming town and solve the mystery? And if you do, will you tell me what the solution is? Really! Please tell me! But watch out for the spirits. They are mischievous indeed... The Witches is a charming, intelligent tale, illustrated beautifully and evocatively.  —Adam Gidwitz, author of A Tale Dark and Grimm

"Marciano builds a charming environment of magic and trickery using a pleasantly old-fashioned tone to tell gently scary stories of witches and spirits. Blackall’s beautiful two-color illustrations, in shades of gray and blue, adorn almost every page and contribute significantly to the antique look of the whole package. This refreshingly unusual tale will appeal to kids in love with fairy tales." —Booklist

"Loosely based on folklore and decorated with Blackall's two-color drawings of elfin figures in country dress on nearly every page, the comical tale kicks off a projected series set in the picturesque town." —Kirkus Reviews

"Magical spells and amusing characters with distinctive personalities, coupled with an engaging story with a twist, will captivate readers and leave them clamoring for future stories centered on the other cousins." —School Library Journal

"An old-world atmosphere and prickly sibling rivalry make the book read like a classic fairy tale, while an undercurrent of mystery paves the way for future books." —Publishers Weekly

"There is a lot of character development packed into this trim novel. Blackall’s warm,
charming illustrations accent the text." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

From the Publisher

02/01/2016
Gr 2–4—In this, the first of a planned four-book collaboration between Marciano and Blackall, readers are introduced to Benevento, an ancient Italian town known for its witches. These aren't your run-of-the-mill witches; rather, they are spirits, fairies, ghosts, and demons, and lesser-known varieties including Manalonga, Clopper, and Janara. It is the Janara witches who come to Benevento, and they are impossible to spot because they can be anyone (even a neighbor or a relative). They transform at night by rubbing magical oil on themselves, which gives them powers including flight and weather transformation. Most of all, though, the Janara are mischief-makers, causing mayhem wherever they go. Five cousins, Primo, Emilio, Rosa, Maria Beppina, and Sergio, are hot on the trail of the Janara after Rosa is framed for masses of wicked mischief including the barn roof being torn off and all of the hay being tossed out of the barn. Twins Rosa and Emilio enlist the help of their cousins, and visit ornery fortune-teller and healer Zia Pia in hopes of finding a solution to their Janara puzzle. Blackall's distinctive illustrations are a charming blend of expressive drawings complemented with shades of blue. Marciano ends the story with a mysterious plot twist begging to be solved. VERDICT Magical spells and amusing characters with distinctive personalities, coupled with an engaging story with a twist, will captivate readers and leave them clamoring for future stories centered on the other cousins.—Michele Shaw, Quail Run Elementary School, San Ramon, CA

School Library Journal

2015-12-22
Of all the magical residents in an Italian town long renowned for its various sorts of witches, the mischievous Janara may be the most mysterious—and troublesome. By day disguised as neighbors or even relatives, the Janara become invisible with a spell (plus dabs of magic oil in the armpits) at night and set out to play such tricks as (ugh) feeding through a straw inserted up a sleeper's nose and down into his or her stomach. Thus, when bossy young Rosa wakes one morning itchy of schnoz and starving, it's time for her and her considerably less obnoxious twin, Emilio, to seek help. But all their efforts only result in further and more widespread "mischiefs," until town idler Amerigo Pegleg reluctantly admits that oregano is like catnip to the Janara (and he should know). Shrugging off Rosa's ill-tempered skepticism, Emilio rubs fistfuls of the herb around house and yard, and peace is soon restored. Loosely based on folklore and decorated with Blackall's two-color drawings of elfin figures in country dress on nearly every page, the comical tale kicks off a projected series set in the picturesque town. Appendices on spell casting and on Benevento's witchly history (not seen) will cap each episode. Volume 2, The All-Powerful Ring, publishes simultaneously. Witches never actually step into sight, but their offstage presence adds shivery hints of danger to this lightweight opener. (town map) (Fantasy. 8-10)

Kirkus Reviews