Diary of Anna the Girl Witch: Foundling Witch (Diary of Anna the Girl Witch: Book 1) by Vic Connor

5 Stars

Publisher: Helvetic House

Date of publication: December 7, 2014

Genre: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Mystery, Paranormal

Number of pages: 284

POV: 1st person

Series: Diary of Anna the Girl Witch

Foundling Witch – Book 1

Wandering Witch – Book 2

Fighting Witch – Book 3

Where you can find Foundling Witch: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

What do you do when you discover you’re a witch… And that using your new powers destroys your soul a little each time? 

Set in the Swiss countryside, this story blends ancient folklore with a coming of age tale about a young witch on the brink of womanhood. 

Anna Sophia has always known she was different. She didn’t know just how different until now. 

On the eve of her 13th birthday — in the orphanage where she’s spent most of her childhood — Anna wonders about her past. She never knew her parents, doesn’t even know where she came from. All she has to go by is an unbelievable fairy tale her uncle used to tell: that she was found as a baby, tucked among a pack of bear cubs in the wilds of Russia. 

To make matters even more complex, Anna has discovered that she can see and do things that no one else can. So far, she’s kept her powers a secret, and they remain strange and frightening even to her. 

It’s only when Anna receives a letter from her mother — a mother she will never meet — that she discovers some of the truths about her past, and begins to uncover the possibilities in her future. As Anna continues to learn more about her secret abilities, she finds out that her neighbors are hiding something of their own: a plot to harm Anna and her friends. 

Can Anna Sophia use her newfound supernatural powers to stop them? Can she fight back, without endangering her own soul? And maybe, just maybe, is her own secret tied up with theirs? 

Through a story of otherworldly magic, Anna Sophia finds a sense of real-world belonging. With its cast of strong characters, an inventive setting, and engaging storyline, this fantasy adventure is a relevant novel for middle-grade children or young adults. 

Genre: middle grade / young adult adventure.

Trigger Warning: none

My review:

I have mentioned in earlier posts that I am always on the lookout for middle-grade books for my soon to be 10 years old. He is a voracious reader and I often have trouble keeping up with him in the book department. So when I decided to review Diary of Anna the Girl Witch: Foundling Witch, I had him in mind. I am glad that I reviewed this book because not only was a book that I know he will like but I actually ended up loving it!!

Diary of Anna the Girl Witch: Foundling Witch starts off with Anna having her 13th birthday. Anna is very excited for her 13th birthday because that means that she is a teenager. She receives all sorts of presents from her friends at the orphanage. She also receives presents from her “Uncle” Misha and from the man who handles her money. The presents from the man who handles her money were odd. A letter from Anna’s birth mother, a picture of a house on chicken legs and a carving of a hand.

Anna realizes that there is something different about herself at her birthday party. She is able to freeze time and save her friend, Lauraleigh, from having a snake dropped around her neck. Instead, she changes it into a scarf. On a balloon ride with her friend Gaelle’s adoptive parents, André and Marie, she uses the dream stone. She sees a black cloud over their castle and is intrigued. That begins an adventure that will test Anna. It makes Anna question everything she has known about the Montmorencys’ and herself.

I loved Anna. She was very upbeat and very positive. Even when the bad stuff was happening, she always kept her hope up. I loved her reaction to reading the letter from her mother. It was hilarious and what I would think a very young teenager would do. She loved her friends and it was that love that uncovered what André and Marie were doing. She wanted to protect Beatrice and save Gaelle and Mei.

André and Marie came off as evil from the moment that they were introduced at Anna’s birthday party. I thought that Anna made a good choice at declining their adoption request. Which brings me to another thing. They adopted lots of girls from the orphanage that disappeared after they turned 17. You would think that someone would look deeper than them saying “Oh they went to university“. Like Anna, I was like “They are full of it“. I was so happy when I was proven right!!!

I liked how the author described Anna’s using her magic. She couldn’t use her magic in anger or against someone or she would lose a bit of her soul. She had to walk that fine line between good and evil.

I do want to add that I loved the pictures sprinkled throughout the book. They added more depth to the story by letting me visualize different parts of the book.

The end of the book was one that was full of suspense and action. It was a page-turner from the moment that Anna went to Sister Constance. I could not put the book down, I was that intrigued. I did like that all the storylines except the one with Anna’s parents were wrapped up. That along with the epilogue left an opening for book 2!!

Diary of Anna the Girl Witch: Foundling Witch was a fantastic read for adults and tweens. The book had relatable characters. It also had a very well written plot and wonderful illustrations. This is a book that I would recommend for tweens on up!! A great read!!

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Tween

Why: Mild violence. There are several scenes that might scare younger readers, so I suggest the parents read first.

I would like to thank Vic Connor and Helvetic House for allowing me to read and review Diary of Anna the Girl Witch: Foundling Witch.

All opinions stated in this review of Diary of Anna the Girl Witch: Foundling Witch are mine.

I received no compensation for this review

**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**