Spooky, Bewitching Witches of Worm

The Witches of Worm by Zilpha Snyder

Dear Saralinda*:

What might Arthur Miller's The Crucible have looked like if it were told from the point of view of the young girl who falsely accused her neighbors of being witches? Perhaps we would have seen a story a little bit like Zilpha Snyder's The Witches of Worm.

The Witches of Worm tell the story of Jessica, a 12-year-old girl who spends most of her time alone. Her mother is single and is frequently out on dates. She had a falling out with her best friend and her attempts at making other friends have faltered. She is moping in one of her hideouts when she finds a very small kitten, one still unweaned and with its eyes closed. Though she hates cats, she takes it home. Her neighbor convinces her to keep the cat, whom she names Worm.

Soon, Jessica is convinced that Worm is talking to her, telling her to do things that are mean and destined to get her in trouble. She is plagued by nightmares, though this is nothing new for her. She hears him commanding her to do wicked, mean things and she complies alternating between responses of glee and horror once the acts are done.

As is usual in Snyder's work, The Witches of Worm has an element of the creepy. The book is highly suspenseful and we empathize with Jessica's growing fear of the cat and lack of understanding as to why she does what she does. We also become keenly aware of Jessica's loneliness and her desperate need for attention.

I found it tempting at points to skim read through the descriptions of her dreams as they were often repetitive, yet, it is those dreams that help to build the suspense and help us to better understand Jessica. Pay attention to both her dreams and the story that she writes for the school psychologist. Both reveal a lot more about her than she would like to admit.

Something I find especially interesting about The Witches of Worm is Jessica herself. Usually the main character is someone we have an easy time liking. We see the world through his or her eyes and understand why they make the choices we do. Jessica is a little more challenging. Sometimes I liked her, other times I wanted to cringe from her and distance myself from her as much as possible.

I recently read a picture book to your cousin called Sam, Bangs, and Moonshine. In it, a little girl named Sam comforts herself in her loneliness by making up stories and spinning fantastic tales. Although the author of that book decried the stories as lies and moonshine, I saw the fantasies as being a healthy outlet for her and a sign of her inherent creativity. There was also a major difference between Sam and Jessica. When Sam told her stories, it was to relieve the loneliness and to entertain herself. When Jessica tells her lies, the lies are meant to hurt other people. It's hard to like someone who hurts others.

However, the fact that the book has a flawed character does mean that there is room for the character to grow and change. In The Witches of Worm, the main point of the story is how the character grows. Snyder makes sure you are entertained and provides lots of chills along the way, but the story is about Jessica and how she changes.

Like her other books, Snyder spices the book with a peppering of unusual characters. Jessica's mother, Joy, is almost a non-character. She is neither the wise mom nor the cruel mother. She is just the absent mother who seems to have little attention to spare for her daughter. Then there are the two neighbors: Mrs. Post and Mrs. Fortune. The former is a nosey neighbor who is certain that she knows best about everything. The latter is an eccentric older woman whom Jessica can't decide whether or not to trust. We don't really get to know Brandon very well. We see glimpses of him through flashbacks, but throughout most of the book he is only the sound of the trumpet blasting through the apartment walls.

And, of course, Worm. It isn't often that an author is able to use a newborn, helpless kitten as an evil incarnate antagonist. Granted, there are times when it is easy to believe that cats are evil, but usually they are a little older than Worm.

The Witches of Worm won a Newbery Honor Award in 1973. While the book is 30 years old, it has aged well. About all that would be different if it were written today would be that Jessica could look things up on the Internet when the books she wanted were checked out from the library. Also, her mom would probably have a cell phone. Those factors aside, the book holds up well.

I didn't enjoy this book as much as The Egypt Game, but it was still a satisfying read and one that goes well with The Headless Cupid. Enjoy!

Love,
Aunt Bridgette

Three years ago I began searching out books that my then 13-year-old niece would enjoy. In an effort to help her enjoy the books more, I determined to write letters to go with each one. I wasn't always able to write as many letters as I gave her books, but a few were written. After stripping out the strictly personal information, I've posted them here as reviews. After all, my goal in the letter is to get her to read the book, perhaps I can do the same for you.

* I've changed my niece's name to protect her identity. The name I borrowed from another beloved children's book, the princess in James Thurber's The 13 Clocks.

--B. Redman