Magic

Twins Emilio and Rosa must contend with the mischief-making Janara - witches who play tricks on humans during the night - in this first entry in The Witches of Benevento chapter-book fantasy series, set in the witch-capital of Europe during the 1820s. Although their father does not at first believe that it is the Janara who are responsible for the various mishaps that occur on the family farm, and blames Rosa, who has a history of carelessness and is always trying to blame the Janara for her transgressions, the siblings know that there are supernatural forces at work. Together with their cousin Primo and their friends Maria Beppina and Sergio, the children consult local expert Zia Pia in order to learn how to keep the Janara away. When all of her suggestions prove useless, Emilio discovers something quite unexpected about former sailor Amerigo Pegleg, and finds a way to propitiate the Janara, so that they are helpful to his family, rather than doing them harm...

The first in a new series featuring the many magical creatures from the folklore of Benevento - mention is made of spirits, demons, ghosts, the Janara, the Clopper (a witch who haunts the open square before the Theater), and the Manalonga (a witch who lurks under bridges and in wells) - Mischief Season opens a window into a fascinating world of folklore and magical legends that are not well-known in the English-speaking world. The artwork, provided by recent Caldecott medalist Sophie Blackall, is absolutely charming, and adds to the general feeling of enchantment. The introduction and back matter, including a 'Witchonary' and some discussion of the historical background, give more information about the traditions upon which author John Bemelmans Marciano is drawing. All of which makes for an engaging read. That said, I found the writing itself a little awkward at times - Marciano's third-person narrator writes in the present tense, something I found rather distracting, almost as if listening to very young child recite a tale ("he says...." then "she says...") - and wasn't quite as involved in the story as I could have hoped. Still, I found the background and idea here absolutely delightful - it's refreshing to see other magical traditions making their way into Anglophone children's fantasy - and plan to read the second installment of the series, to see if I warm to the style. Overall, recommended to young children who are just getting going reading chapter-books, who are looking for fantastical tales. ( )