Witches Garden by Laurel Lorenzini has a delightfully quirky premise and characters. Mags has a special role in the town as the local witch who spends time helping everyone with whatever ails them. Her potion shop is where everyone goes when they need help and where you’ll encounter a variety of unique characters. A mystery unfolds when Mags discovers her screaming strawberries are missing from her garden. With her granddaughter away, she sets out to solve the mystery alone but she can’t imagine who in the town would do such a thing. She keeps an open mind as she searches for answers and works on ensuring that the ghoul flu potion is ready in time when the town will need it.

The tone is playful with great attention to detail that Laurel Lorenzini uses to bring this eccentric world to life. From the quirky names of plants (booberry) to the different creatures, every detail works toward establishing the Halloween aesthetic of the town. Children will enjoy the different characters and will love getting to know Bill the Vampire, Haggle Tooth, and Clevis the Werewolf. Through these characters, you’re able to see the importance that Mags has in the town and how she uses her garden to help people. Some also provide humor in the story such as a werewolf with a toothache, which will no doubt make children laugh. The illustrations are vivid, bright, and cheery images that fit the tone of the world that Lorenzini has created. These pair well with the zaniness of the characters and provide lovely peeks into the town such as Mags’ shop, the different beings, and her role. Witches Garden is a charming children’s chapter book that serves as a great foray into reading with a story that is lighthearted, quirky, and charming.

Laurel Lorenzini's character, Mags, is a witch who worries about her garden's success and her traveling granddaughter, Bo. She runs a shop that sells items to ease health problems, but she is overwhelmed by the increase in her business. In Witches Garden, Mags must discover how her screaming strawberries are disappearing before they all vanish. Luckily, she has the help of her renowned sister, Flo, and her other friends in Green Mist Bay. As she cares for her cat, Shadow, and a lizard, who hopes she doesn't see him, Mags works to solve the mystery and finds an unlikely assistant to work with her in her shop.

Laurel Lorenzini has created lovable and quirky characters. Witches and vampires, some of the beings that usually scare children, are given more helpful and cooperative roles in their community, reflecting more likable qualities. The illustrations by Gabriel San Martin pop off the pages and give more life to each part of the story. The narration is fast-paced, and a reader who is familiar with short chapter books will love learning about the harmonious atmosphere in Green Mist Bay. Readers will see examples of friendship, respect, releasing worry, and forgiveness throughout the pages, and the author leaves plenty of room for a series to develop. In the story, readers will learn who is stealing the screaming strawberries, but the mystery of Mags's daughter's disappearance is a subject Lorenzini can explore in another book. Children who enjoy tales about supernatural beings with a hint of mystery will like Witches Garden.