The fourth book in an exciting new chapter book series by John Bemelmans Marciano and Caldecott medalist Sophie Blackall.
Welcome to Benevento, an ancient town famous for its witches!
The children of Benevento have to be careful and clever to evade the clutches of such witches as the Manalonga, the Janara, and the Clopper, who hide in wells and under bridges, fly at midnight, and play tricks during Mischief Season.
Five cousins – Primo, Emilio, Rosa, Maria Beppina, and Sergio – share adventures and narrow escapes, and discover astonishing secrets as they outwit the witches in each exciting story.
Book #4 Respect Your Ghosts: a Sergio Story It’s Sergio’s job to take care of Bis Bis, the ancestor spirit who lives upstairs. Unfortunately, it’s hard to satisfy all the ghost’s demands and still keep Sergio’s mother happy.
"Winningly blends broad comedy with eerie encounters . . . A droll picture of life yesteryear in a—seemingly—ordinary Italian town" —Kirkus Reviews
"Blackall’s distinctive drawings are sweet and expressive" —School Library Journal Praise for The Witches of Benevento series:
“Blackall’s delicate, lovely artwork is bewitching and Marciano’s text is, as the title implies, loaded with molto mischief. I can't wait to read what the Janara have in store for the Benevento kids next.” —Lane Smith, author of Return to Augie Hobble
“Not your run-of-the-mill chapter book. What we have here is a fresh, charming tale about an Italian village afflicted with witches and the brave, quarrelsome band of friends who try to make their acquaintance. A frisky, ingenious introduction to an old world and a new series.” —Annie Barrows, author of the Ivy and Bean series
“There is a mystery in Benevento—a mystery of witches and spirits and magic. Will you go back in time to this charming town and solve the mystery? And if you do, will you tell me what the solution is? Really! Please tell me! But watch out for the spirits. They are mischievous indeed...The Witches is a charming, intelligent tale, illustrated beautifully and evocatively. —Adam Gidwitz, author of A Tale Dark and Grimm
Writer and artist John Bemelmans Marciano is the grandson of Ludwig Bemelmans. John has continued his grandfather’s legacy of the Madeline books with Madeline and the Old House in Paris, Madeline at the White House, andMadeline and the Cats of Rome. He is the author of Bemelmans: The Life and Art of Madeline’s Creator, and of The Nine Lives of Alexander Baddenfield and The Witches of Benevento books, which were illustrated by Sophie Blackall. John lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Andromache, and their daughter, Galatea.
View titles by John Bemelmans Marciano
Sophie Blackall has illustrated more than twenty books for children, including Big Red Lollipop, which was a New York Times Top Ten Picture Book, and the ongoing Ivy and Bean series, which has over a million copies in print. She won her first Randolph Caldecott Medal for illustrating Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear and her second for Hello Lighthouse. If You Come to Earth, her most recently published children’s book, has received wide acclaim. Her first book for adults was Missed Connections: Love, Lost and Found. She has created highly coveted limited edition holiday cards for the Museum of Modern Art, and her editorial illustrations have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Time, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Town & Country, and other publications.
View titles by Sophie Blackall
The fourth book in an exciting new chapter book series by John Bemelmans Marciano and Caldecott medalist Sophie Blackall.
Welcome to Benevento, an ancient town famous for its witches!
The children of Benevento have to be careful and clever to evade the clutches of such witches as the Manalonga, the Janara, and the Clopper, who hide in wells and under bridges, fly at midnight, and play tricks during Mischief Season.
Five cousins – Primo, Emilio, Rosa, Maria Beppina, and Sergio – share adventures and narrow escapes, and discover astonishing secrets as they outwit the witches in each exciting story.
Book #4 Respect Your Ghosts: a Sergio Story It’s Sergio’s job to take care of Bis Bis, the ancestor spirit who lives upstairs. Unfortunately, it’s hard to satisfy all the ghost’s demands and still keep Sergio’s mother happy.
Reviews
"Winningly blends broad comedy with eerie encounters . . . A droll picture of life yesteryear in a—seemingly—ordinary Italian town" —Kirkus Reviews
"Blackall’s distinctive drawings are sweet and expressive" —School Library Journal Praise for The Witches of Benevento series:
“Blackall’s delicate, lovely artwork is bewitching and Marciano’s text is, as the title implies, loaded with molto mischief. I can't wait to read what the Janara have in store for the Benevento kids next.” —Lane Smith, author of Return to Augie Hobble
“Not your run-of-the-mill chapter book. What we have here is a fresh, charming tale about an Italian village afflicted with witches and the brave, quarrelsome band of friends who try to make their acquaintance. A frisky, ingenious introduction to an old world and a new series.” —Annie Barrows, author of the Ivy and Bean series
“There is a mystery in Benevento—a mystery of witches and spirits and magic. Will you go back in time to this charming town and solve the mystery? And if you do, will you tell me what the solution is? Really! Please tell me! But watch out for the spirits. They are mischievous indeed...The Witches is a charming, intelligent tale, illustrated beautifully and evocatively. —Adam Gidwitz, author of A Tale Dark and Grimm
Writer and artist John Bemelmans Marciano is the grandson of Ludwig Bemelmans. John has continued his grandfather’s legacy of the Madeline books with Madeline and the Old House in Paris, Madeline at the White House, andMadeline and the Cats of Rome. He is the author of Bemelmans: The Life and Art of Madeline’s Creator, and of The Nine Lives of Alexander Baddenfield and The Witches of Benevento books, which were illustrated by Sophie Blackall. John lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Andromache, and their daughter, Galatea.
View titles by John Bemelmans Marciano
Sophie Blackall has illustrated more than twenty books for children, including Big Red Lollipop, which was a New York Times Top Ten Picture Book, and the ongoing Ivy and Bean series, which has over a million copies in print. She won her first Randolph Caldecott Medal for illustrating Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear and her second for Hello Lighthouse. If You Come to Earth, her most recently published children’s book, has received wide acclaim. Her first book for adults was Missed Connections: Love, Lost and Found. She has created highly coveted limited edition holiday cards for the Museum of Modern Art, and her editorial illustrations have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Time, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Town & Country, and other publications.
View titles by Sophie Blackall
