Mary Hayes, a scrawny, bookish 12-year-old orphan from New York, is elated when someone finally chooses to adopt her. Anyone, anywhere, would be better than the grim Mrs. Boot at the Buffalo Asylum for Young Ladies. So when Mary sees the long-nosed, hunched old woman who wants to take her home, she is excited and not at all wary.
She should have been wary. The old woman--Madame Zolotaya--is a witch, and those familiar with Baba Yaga of Russian folklore will quickly recognize the similarities, the most frightening of which is that Madame Z eats children, simply because she finds them delicious. Mary is delighted to behold Madame Z's small, captivating home in the forest, and is shocked to discover that not only does she have her own sweet room, it's clear she's just meant to "Eat and play." At her luxurious leisure, Mary begins to explore the quirky nearby town of Iris that specializes in occult-based storefronts--"A town of con artists, fakes, and charlatans"--and even makes a charming, freckled magician friend named Jacob Kagan.
Edgar Award-winning Katherine Marsh (Jepp, Who Defied the Stars) builds the suspense like a pro--will Mary be eaten or will she win the powerful witch's heart? And, of course, what is that little door by the staircase? Along the way, readers will revel in brilliantly described fantastical elements, a house with giant chicken legs, a talking cat, a steady parade of mouthwatering Russian delicacies, and an interesting thread contrasting the "huckster magic" of Iris with "real magic," and a whole other kind of magic, which turns out to be love. --Karin Snelson, children's & YA editor, Shelf Awareness