Witch, Please

As you prepare for the Halloween season, you might get a hankering for some witchy young adult treats. Give one of these a try, from novels that revisit the Salem Witch Trials to stories relying on new world building and books that reinvent old favorites.

Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova
In Brooklyn, Alex doesn’t want to be a bruja, even if she is the most powerful. Magic has already taken her father from her and she wants no part of it. But when the rest of her family is taken to another dimension, she and a new friend must make use of her power to get them back. Will her struggle with her identity get in the way of the rescue mission?

A Break with Charity by Ann Rinaldi
Fourteen years after the events of the Salem Witch Trials, Susanna revisits the role she played in the devastating outcomes. Susanna recalls wishing to join the group of girls who would ultimately accuse members of the community of witchcraft, but when she discovers their cause is trapped in a moral dilemma. Will Susanna intervene and be free of guilt as she tells her tale?

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood
Working to keep her family’s magic secret from the Brotherhood in an alternate historic New England, young witch Cate finds herself struggling to maintain her family’s safety. When a new governess appears to care for her and her sisters, however, it’s unclear who has the girls’ best interests at heart. Meanwhile, Cate is caught in a love triangle -- but trusting anyone too much could lead to her fatal demise.

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: Vol. 1 by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa revisits the popular Sabrina comics of yesteryear in this graphic novel which introduces readers to the newly-sixteen-year-old Sabrina, the half-mortal, half-witch of Greendale. Now pushed to make the choice between living permanently as a mortal or a witch, Sabrina must also contend with the usual struggles of teenagehood in this spooky take of the 1960s.  

The Price Guide to the Occult by Leslye Walton
Nor is only interested in figuring out what her place in the world is now that she’s discovered her supernatural powers are anything but extraordinary. But when her mother returns to her life in full force, she knows going about business as usual isn’t an option. And with magic, there’s always a price.

Spirits That Walk in Shadow by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
A soul-sucking demon plagues the magically-abled Jaimie and her new roommate at college. With the help of her clan, Jaimie works to defeat the demon and bring peace to her world once again.