The Witches of Worm

Jessica, whose mother Joy is frequently absent, finds herself the unwilling adoptive mother of an ugly kitten named Worm in this third Newbery-Honor book from the prolific Zilpha Keatley Snyder. Embittered by her mother’s neglectful behavior, her abandonment by her childhood friend Brandon, and haunted by dreams in which she is left alone in an endless void, Jessica comes to believe Worm can speak to her, and that he is responsible for the hateful things that she begins to do...

The Witches of Worm is another Snyder title in which the supernatural elements are questionable. Through the third-person narration, the reader is invited to view how Jessica’s rage at her mother and friends has colored her perceptions, and her abusive show more treatment of Worm is very hard to witness. The author depicts a troubled young girl who blames the object of her abuse for her own behavior, a girl who is her own demon.

Seen in this context, it is difficult to know how to read the exorcism scene towards the end of the book. Is the demon figurative, a colorful description of a psychological state, or is it external to Jessica, an actual supernatural manifestation? The evidence points strongly, but not conclusively to the former. Whatever the truth may be, this was a powerful, and quite disturbing read. show less

Jessica is a twelve year old who feels deeply the apathy and abandonment of her mother and friends. In addition to her mother's behavior, she has managed to lose all her friends this past summer and so for all intents and purposes is alone. One day while reading in the little cave behind her house, she finds an abandoned kitten. Jessica normally does not like kittens but takes this one home with the hope that she can give him to her neighbor who has many cats. But her neighbor says that she does not want the extra responsibility and encourages Jessica to keep the kitten which she names Worm. But coinciding with Worm's arrival, Jessica begins to do and think bad things about those around her who had either scorned or annoyed her. She show more believes the cat is speaking to her and directing her on the bad things that she does and at one point seems to sincerely want to be rid of him.

This is a strange book in that it presents a very young heroine who is somewhat disturbed. Her alienation from life and the lack of care that she receives from her mother had obviously shaped her personality. She is angry at the world and because she is so young, cannot clearly identify her feelings about various situations. Rather she blames everyone around her and avenges herself on them by being destructive, mean and manipulative. It would be near impossible to walk away from this book with warm and fuzzy feelings. I was really surprised while reading as I did not find this book to be typical YA fare(for me at least). The author captures very succinctly the loneliness of childhood especially one where the parent is truly neglectful. I did feel sorry for her because at the end of the day despite her behavior, she was a child and severely lacking in love and direction. The end is not at all cookie cutter but does leave you hopeful for Jessica's future. show less

I image this 1973 Newbery honor book would give youngsters the heebie jeebies and it might take a more mature YA to sift through the overtones of paranormal to the fact that the author is making a strong statement about those who seem to blame others or outside forces for their own character defects.

Jessica is more than a latch key child, she emotionally neglected by a selfish, immature and young mother. Astute in knowing she is not wanted, Jessica suffers dramatically and acts out viciously.

When she discovers an abandoned, weak, feeble, scrawny kitten, she reluctantly nurses him to life. Calling him worm, as he grows, she projects her inner turmoil to the cat and blames worm for her evil, nasty, spiteful deeds.

Believing both young and show more old are against her, and refusing to accept responsibility for her actions, she grows more and more out of control.

I cannot recommend this book. While the author is a three-time Newbery honor winner, this one doesn't seem to be one of her best. show less

An awesomely creepy book from Snyder, who I love for her unique treatment of the supernatural; always leaving it realistic, ambigious, and not always totally evil.

Jessica feels abandoned; her glamourous mother is gone most of the time, her (former) best friend seems to have forgotten her, and she spends most of her days alone, bothered only by the nosy landlady.

Then Jessica finds Worm, a tiny black kitten, in a cave on a stormy night. He doesn't behave anything like a normal kitten; he wails, he has piercing yellow eyes, and he frightens Jessica in a way she doesn't understand.

And then she starts hearing him in her head. Is Worm really evil; a witch's cat sent to turn her into someone terrible? Why is Jessica suddenly playing cruel show more pranks and lying to her mother? And why is she so unable to resist Worm? Is he really the demon...or is Jessica the witch?

Creepy in an utterly psychological way, the interplay between Worm's supposed evil nature and Jessica's own mental state is fascinating. In the end, it will take a unorthodox exorcism, a reconciliation with her best friend, and a chilling climax chase to reveal the true natures of both Jessica and Worm. A great read for supernatural fans that's appropriately scary but still has a warm ending. show less

I don't know what to make of this. The main character, Jessica, is basically an evil psychopath who finds breathtakingly convoluted ways to blame anyone and everyone else. The story suggests that the issues started when she took home a demon-cat, but long before the cat she got in a fight with her best friend because they were acting out a story that involved howling wolves and she found a dog that was tied up and she started beating it with a big stick to make it howl and when her friend stopped her she got mad that he was jealous because she had improved the game. The end suggests that maybe things will be different in the future, but Jessica has serious unaddressed mental health issues. I can't believe this was a Newberry Medal Nominee.

Snyder's works are well written and I can see why the Newbery committees recognized her works with honors. That said, this is a book that is sure to puzzle typical and conservative audiences alike. I read Snyder's introduction/ explanation for her story. She is attempting to write a story of how the Salem witch trials might have gone in the present day. You end up with a story of a lonely, angry child who gets in over her head with a malevolent cat. How can the protagonist undo the harm? Once you know what Snyder is attempting, the story makes sense, but there really aren't any likeable characters in the story.

There was something weirdly unsettling about this book. Perhaps when the Bad Things the cat told her to do culminated into attempted murder and an exorcism, was when I had to stop and think about how "children's" book is this.

Also, there were pictures. "Scary Stories to Tell In The Dark"-esque pictures.