Postcard For Reader

Spellapalooza

We see many of these on Halloween - little girls running around in bubbly Glinda-esque dresses and tiaras, boys with scars drawn on their forehead and a wand in their hand, and teens with witch hats plopped onto their head.

Witches and wizards are as much a part of Halloween as the vampires and werewolves and other paranormal creatures, if not more so. They come from a background steeped in hangings and hunts (Salem Witch Trials, anybody?) and have been embraced in the book community as a steady source of very well written books.

Don't believe me? I mean, LOOK at this list.

Harry Potter series
J.K. Rowling

For it's at Hogwarts that he finds not only friends, aerial sports, and magic in everything from classes to meals, but a great destiny that's been waiting for him... if Harry can survive the encounter.

These are the books that really had us - or, at least, me - fall in love with magic. I mean, you can't beat them - or the multitude of Halloween costumes they offer. (I'm THIS close to going as Luna Lovegood this year. Or Draco Malfoy from A Very Potter Musical. It's fifty-fifty.)

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Frank L. Baum

Dorothy, together with her companions the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow and the cowardly Lion, makes her journey along the Yellow Brick Road in search of the wonderful wizard.

"I'll get you, my pretty - and your little dog, too!" It's the classic book that inspired the movie we all know and love. How many people do you see dressed as Glinda and Dorothy and the Wicked Witch around Halloween? A LOT, that's how many.

Wicked: The Life And Times Of The Wicked Witch of the West
Gregory Maguire

And then there is the little green-skinned girl named Elphaba, who will grow up to be the infamous Wicked Witch of the West, a smart, prickly and misunderstood creature who challenges all our preconceived notions about the nature of good and evil.

I'm Team Elphaba - you have the Wizard of Oz and the other half, Wicked, which is just as freaking awesome. And if you're a Broadway fan, you never see The Wicked Witch when you see the little green skinned girls running around, asking for candy. You see Elphaba.

The Warrior Heir
Cinda Williams Chima

At the head of this magical society sit the feuding houses of the Red Rose and the White Rose, whose power is determined by playing The Game - a magical tournament in which each house sponsors a warrior to fight to the death.

My co-reviewer Liz LOVED this book, and from the summary, I can see why. It sounds like a magical version of The Hunger Games, set in an alternate universe - and we all know how kick ass that can be. Plus, this combines two fantastic parts of Halloween - magic and warriors.

The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe
C.S. Lewis

Four adventurers step through a wardrobe door and into the land of Narnia - a land enslaved by the power of the White Witch.

It's a classic fantasy that has the best book-to-movie adaption ever, in my humble opinion. It's got feisty magical creatures, feisty humans, and a feisty Lion. Oh, and one helluva evil witch. What's not to love?

And there are so many other books with fantastic witches and wizards. I mean, just LOOK at this list! (Clicking will bring you to the Goodreads page to read more.)

What's YOUR favorite magic book? Do you have a favorite witch?