Magic is strictly forbidden for the Notwitches, but eleven-year-old Melanda is about to break every rule in the book to save her family.
Gary Panton makes his fiction debut with this whimsical series that feels like a modern nod to the nonsense worlds of Roald Dahl. In the first book, we meet Melanda Notwitch, a girl living in a world where being a “Notwitch” means you must absolutely never perform magic. The story follows her journey as she discovers her own abilities and navigates a society that fears her kind. This series currently offers two books, providing a manageable but exciting path for students to follow as they grow more comfortable with the characters.
This series is a fantastic find for students who are still building their reading stamina or learning English. The writing is zippy and fast-paced, using simple sentence structures that prevent readers from getting bogged down in dense text. Dotty Sutton’s black-and-white illustrations are scattered throughout, providing essential visual cues that bring the “Slug Beasts” and eccentric characters to life. In a classroom setting, these visuals act as a safety net, helping students confirm they’ve understood the plot even if they miss some words. Because the art style and humor remain consistent into the second book, Prison Break, students can move to the next installment with a sense of familiarity that lowers their anxiety about tackling a new story.
Total Books in Series: 2 Best Starting Point: The Notwitches
