I love how this series is so good at rolling out pivotal moments/parts of childhood -- this one is all about turning 12 and the witchy initiations that are part of that maturation. Also mermaids. Mermaids are super cool. ( )

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through NetGalley.)

The summer has sadly come to an end, and Effie and her friends are about to start middle school (junior high?): Berrit is studying drama, while Oliver is enrolled in school that offers robotics classes. Effie and Garance are off to the same school, one that emphasizes sustainability (and magic?). For these two undercover witches-in-training, their twelfth year is especially significant: this is when young witches consult a seer to evaluate their potential for developing dangerous magic. It's witch law, after all.

Effie's evaluation goes sideways pretty quickly. Her seer, Becky, is a mermaid - which catches Effie off guard, especially so since she just heard the seagulls at the beach gossiping about a mermaid's return. (Ever since she accidentally awakened a dragon in S'MORE MAGIC, Effie can understand some animal species. Nbd.) As it happens, Becky's sister Iruna went missing a month ago, not long after the Mermaid Parade at Coney Island. Becky implores Effie, Selimene, and Carlota to investigate - and lends Effie the talents of her turtle friend, Professor Sir, to aid in her communication with the gulls. The path to Iruna is paved with heartbroken illusionists, combat magic, and time travel (!).

I've been devouring the WITCHES OF MERMAIDS series, and SPELL OF A TIME might be my favorite one yet. (Although, how do you compare dragons to mermaids? It's a toss up ... until you throw in time travel, that is.) Escabasse manages to introduce one new mythical creature in each installment, and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next. (Sasquatch, maybe?)

I don't love that the kids are mostly scattered this year, but hopefully Escabasse will devise plenty of hijinks to throw the Scooby gang back together. As always, Effie, Selimene, Carolta, Garance, Francis, and Lion are an engaging, eclectic group, and Escabasse expands the 'verse with the addition of Becky, Iruna, Walter and - of course! - the very boopable Professor Sir.

She also introduces a darker, more worrying element in the form of Effie's evaluation, which should be an interesting avenue to explore in future volumes.

I especially love the environmental bent this series has taken; the caper kicks off when Effie and her classmates are cleaning up the beach, which leads her and Garance to wonder about using their magic to rid the ocean of microplastics. And Effie's ability to communicate with animals is especially promising, doubly so in light of Carlota and Selimene's vegetarianism. ( )

When a mermaid goes missing, Effie and Garance time-travel back to the Mermaid Parade at Coney Island to set things right.

The fourth Witches of Brooklyn book has all the charm, humor, and magic of the first three. Marvelous! ( )