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Summary
Summary
Salem Hyde just isn't like other kids. For one thing, she's stubborn, independent, and impulsive. For another, she's a witch. Salem acts first and thinks later-which means most of her thinking involves coming up with excuses!
Good thing she's been assigned an animal companion, Lord Percival J. Whamsford III. This over-anxious cat doesn't like Salem calling him "Whammy," and Salem doesn't like listening to his long-winded explanations as to why she shouldn't do something . . . like enter the class spelling bee.
Salem knows she can beat all her classmates at spells, no problem. Too late, she realizes the competition is about spelling words, not magic. And there's nothing like a misspelled spell to cause all kinds of havoc!
Praise for The Misadventures of Salem Hyde: Book One
STARRED REVIEWS
"A fledgling witch receives necessary guidance from a talking cat in this utterly adorable page-turner... A delightful buddy story and an auspicious series opener; be sure to make room on shelves for Salem and Whammy."
-Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"It's just about the perfect story for comics-loving fathers to read with their comics-loving daughters."
-Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Cammuso evokes both the sarcastic spunk and gentle warmth of Calvin and Hobbes in this humorous tale of unlikely pals."
-The Bulletin of The Center for Children's Books
"Young readers will eat up Cammuso's (Otto's Orange Day, 2008) action-packed panels, full of cartoonish antics, silly puns, and playful slapstick humor."
-Booklist
"The humor, appealing artwork, and underlying message of friendship will attract readers."
-Library Media Connection
Author Notes
Frank Cammuso is an Eisner-nominated cartoonist, the creator of the popular middle school graphic novel series Knights of the Lunch Table, and the illustrator of several beginning reader graphic books, including Otto's Orange Day . He lives in Syracuse, New York.
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Salem Hyde is brash, outspoken, and has a pair of pigtails that resemble bat wings. She's also a witch, and she needs help keeping her powers under control. Enter Percival J. Whamsford III (aka Whammy), a magical cat Salem's family hires for that very purpose. Never mind that she would've preferred a unicorn: "A witch and a cat?" she grouses. "That's so unoriginal!" Illustrated in energetic green-and-black cartoons packed with physical comedy, Cammuso's (Otto's Backwards Day) odd-couple story reads like a salute to the comic strips of yesteryear, with plenty of punning and deadpan deliveries; he even sneaks in a few references to Star Trek and The Simpsons. Along with the ongoing clashes between headstrong Salem and persnickety Whammy, the plot concerns Salem's quest for success in an upcoming spelling bee, while outsmarting a teacher who has it out for her. In one of many funny moments, Whammy tries to sanitize the story of Moby-Dick for an impressionable Salem ("Did I say harpoons? I meant... balloons"). It's just about the perfect story for comics-loving fathers to read with their comics-loving daughters. Ages 7-9. (Oct.)? (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Young witch Salem Hyde has trouble distinguishing between spelling and spell casting. Her parents find her a magical animal companion, Whammy, but she refuses the cat's guidance until another misspelled spell creates chaos at the school spelling bee. The black-and-white illustrations with green accents provide tons of visual jokes. This pleasing first graphic novel is sure to gain followers for the series. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Young witch Salem Hyde wants to win the spelling bee and be crowned the spelling queen, but when she accidentally turns the school's crossing guard into a dinosaur, she know she needs help with her spells (and, coincidentally, her spelling). Enter Percival J. Whamsford III, a cat who has helped many witches over the past 800 years, and he still has five lives left. But Salem is a challenge: she flies on a vacuum cleaner, she's impatient and impulsive, and she gets her spells just wrong enough to cause big havoc. For instance, when Salem casts a spell to win the school spelling bee, misspelled words come to life, turning the teacher whose constant lecturing made him a bore into a garbage-munching boar. Can Whammy help Salem put things back to normal before Mr. Fink gets her expelled? And can Salem learn to be a great witch after all? Young readers will eat up Cammuso's (Otto's Orange Day, 2008) action-packed panels, full of cartoonish antics, silly puns, and playful slapstick humor.--Kan, Kat Copyright 2010 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-5-It's hard enough navigating elementary school, but for Salem Hyde she has to do so while keeping her magical skills in check in Cammuso's (Knights of the Lunch Table, 2008) charming new graphic novel series. After Salem confuses the upcoming spelling contest with spell casting and accidentally turns the crossing guard, Mrs. Fossil, into a dinosaur, her non-magical parents enlist the help of a magical companion to assist Salem. Percival J. Whamsford III, or "Whammy" as Salem likes to call him, is a cat who has 800 years' experience teaching young witches to use their powers. Salem's impulsive antics (flying a vacuum cleaner instead of a broom and having a whale materialize in the gymnasium when "wail" is misspelled during the contest) frustrate Whammy, but ultimately the two come together to make things right and form a strong friendship. Cammuso's play on words are simple enough for new readers to understand and sophisticated enough to entertain those with more advanced skills. A memorable scene about a "WHAT Witch" test that is reminiscent of Abbot and Costello's "Who's on First" routine. The characters are drawn with big smiles and wide eyes, invoking classic comic imagery, while the mostly black-and-white illustrations are infused with shades of pale green. Fans who like their Sunday cartoons with longer plots and hysterical antics will clamor for the next adventure in this creative series. Move over Babymouse--there's a clever new character in the graphic novel section.-Kristine M. Casper, Huntington Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A fledgling witch receives necessary guidance from a talking cat in this utterly adorable page-turner. Plucky, pigtailed and bespectacled Salem Hyde just wants a friend. After a misguided attempt to use her magic lands her in the principal's office, Salem's family decides she needs an animal companion. One well-placed call later, she meets knowledgeable and talkative feline Percival J. Whamsford III, otherwise known as Whammy. Whammy isn't just a chatty kitty; he is a Magical Animal Companion and will help Salem learn how to use her magic properly. However, the two get off to a rocky start (Salem had wanted a unicorn, not a cat), despite Whammy's best efforts. When Salem casts a big blunder of a spell at her school's spelling bee, Whammy arrives in the nick of time to help her and prove his friendship. Cammuso's jokes are laugh-out-loud funny, with one of the most memorable bits borrowed from Abbott and Costello's iconic "Who's on First" routine. Simply drawn, wide-eyed characters populate Cammuso's genial tale, lending it a Sunday-morning-comics feel and a gentle nostalgia that conjures visions of Calvin and Hobbes meeting a young Samantha Stephens. A delightful buddy story and an auspicious series opener; be sure to make room on shelves for Salem and Whammy. (Graphic fantasy. 7-10)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
