Book Review: Time of the Witch by Mary Downing Hahn

The Time of the Witch by Mary Downing Hahn opens with Laura and her brother being sent to live with their aunt in the country because their parents are going through a divorce. Hoping to reunite her parents, Laura confides in Maude about her wish, unaware that doing so could have dangerous and unintended consequences.

When I was a kid, I used to dread reading chapter books because I often found them boring and hard to get into. That all changed during the summer between 5th and 6th grade. Sweet Valley Twins and The Baby-Sitters Club sparked a love of reading that has stayed with me for years.

Unfortunately, my middle school library didn’t have these series in stock, so I began exploring the shelves, hoping to find something else that would capture my interest. That’s when I stumbled across The Time of the Witch by Mary Downing Hahn. 

The synopsis immediately caught my attention, and I decided to give it a try. I instantly fell in love with the story. It was this book that ignited my fascination with paranormal fiction:  witches, vampires, demons, and other supernatural mysteries became my new favorite subjects.

My enthusiasm for The Time of the Witch led me to check out as many of Mary Downing Hahn’s books as I could find from the school library. Unfortunately, they didn’t have a wide selection, and the public library near my house had none of her books at all, so I eventually had to start buying them myself. Honestly, that wasn’t a bad thing; it was an excuse to build a small personal collection of her work.

The magic of this book recently came back to me in a surprising way. While on vacation in Charleston, South Carolina, this past June, a crow flew by and perched nearby, letting out a loud squawk. Immediately, I thought of The Time of the Witch, which features a crow as a mysterious and recurring presence throughout the story. When I returned home, I dug out my old copy and reread it, and it was just as enchanting as it had been in middle school. Mary Downing Hahn’s writing remains engaging and well-crafted, even years later.

Despite the fact that the story doesn’t mention modern technology like cell phones, I think today’s kids and tweens can still relate to the themes and characters. The scenes involving the crow are genuinely eerie, even for me as an adult, which shows how well Hahn builds suspense and atmosphere. I truly believe this book deserves a spot on every child’s reading list, particularly for readers between the ages of eight and twelve.

I gave The Time of the Witch by Mary Downing Hahn a full 5 out of 5 stars for its magical storytelling, memorable characters, and timeless appeal.

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