The Rosemary Spell

A locked cupboard. An old journal. An elderly poet. A magic spell. For best friends Rosemary and Adam, these are all elements of the adventures they've always longed for, but have only experienced so far in books. However, when they speak the spell, unintended consequences lead to extremely high stakes: the spell makes Adam's sister Shelby disappear, and they have only a little while to reverse the spell and get her back.

I enjoyed this middle-grade novel, with its ties to Shakespeare and Rosemary's particular fondness for children's literature. The plot was compelling, and the author did a good job of making the panic over forgetting Shelby seem real. Recommended for fans of juvenile fantasy in a real-world setting.

I was quite pleased when I won a giveaway for Virginia Zimmerman's The Rosemary Spell. The copy I received is an ARC and geared toward a middle grade audience.

This book was great. It touched upon several topics such as loss, friendship, growing up and never giving up. There is suspense, mystery, witchcraft, and a bond of friendship that this story captured in a most brilliant way. It was quite refreshing of the way Shakespeare's literature was used in this book. I actually did not see this coming and was quite pleased of its usage.

This story captured me and left me not wanting to put down the book and try to figure out the mystery behind it. At the end of the book since the characters story is geared toward literature, I saw it very show more fitting that there is a list of books the main character Rosemary has on her bookshelf. What a wonderful touch and it got me interested in picking up a few books I haven't read on Rosemary's list. show less

Books and words have always been important to Rosemary and her best friend Adam, so when they discover an extremely old book in a locked cabinet in her father’s old study, they are excited beyond words. Is it perhaps a secret, magical, ancient book? Did it once belong to Shakespeare or perhaps to Constance Brooke, an elderly poet suffering from Alzheimer’s disease who used to live in their house? When they begin to write in the book at school and strange Shakespearean verse magically appears and their friend Shelby suddenly disappears, solving the mystery becomes crucial. But is it too late and too dangerous to rescue Shelby? Can they retain their memories of her so she doesn’t permanently vanish? This fun, exciting tween mystery show more will appeal to readers and book lovers of all ages.

Sharyn H. / Marathon County Public Library
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