Kirkus Discovery's review gave The Lost Spells a Star Review! A   star is assigned to books of unusual merit, determined by the editors of Kirkus Reviews.

A blind witch named Vira haunts 12-year-old Karl’s new home with deadly intentions. Though by fate, Karl discovers Vira’s spell book and turns the spells against her. If only she’d have left Karl and his family alone.

The haunting starts when Karl and his family move from their lush mansion in San Francisco to a broken-down ranch house outside of Tucson, Arizona. Karl grasps the potency of Vira’s power when he meets a talking spider named Mary. She’s a victim of the ghost witch, and has been trapped in a spider body for more than a hundred years.

Mary leads Karl to a conquistador treasure deep in the canyon behind his home. Vira steps up her attacks and captures Karl’s family.

With Mary’s help, Karl is able to decipher the lost spell book and save his parents. He then returns Mary to her human body and sends her back in time so that she may live her life.

Loaded with commentary, word definitions and story expansions, this fantastic debut young adult novel is a fast-moving, magical, action-adventure story that unobtrusively passes along a few lessons on how to disengage from the virtual world and develop solid values. 

click here to buy a copy