The Witches of Pepperwood Bay, Vol. 1

Gr 4-7–June, Lily, and Clover are witches and sisters. When the annual harvest festival of Pepperwood Bay ends, one of the older townsfolk sends the girls an urgent message asking for help. Her magical teapot, which she uses to water a rare and valuable plant in her garden, has been stolen. The sisters take on the case and tail a suspicious kelpie to the underwater village of merfolk. Along the way, Clover proves that her shapeshifting magic is very powerful but makes a mistake that puts the sisters in danger. Underneath the whimsical, magical setting of Pepperwood Bay, filled to the brim with mystical creatures and splashes of color, lies Wiley’s realistic portrayal of sisterhood. The three sisters are very close, but it is clear their differences still cause tension in their relationship. June and Lily have formal magic apprenticeships, but Clover doesn’t fit into that structure very well—she is a little wild, and her magic can be as well. Lily is able to see her sister’s merits, but June struggles out of fear for Clover’s future. That tension can spread and affect how the sisters do their jobs, including trying to solve the mystery of the stolen teapot. The sisters have skin tones ranging from pale to tan; more diversity in body shape and skin tone is represented among the townsfolk they encounter.