Book Description
for Curse of the Bane by Joseph Delaney and Patrick Arrasmith
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
In Revenge of the Witch (Greenwillow / HarperCollins, 2005), Thomas Ward was apprenticed to the Spook, who keeps witches, haunts, and other dark forces contained. Now, Tom and the Spook are in Priestown and facing two forces of evil. The Bane is a power who eluded the Spook years before. The Quisitor is a mere mortal, but one who wields power from the Church, along with an unholy desire to persecute any who he believes dabble in darkness, including the Spook and Tom. The Spook is captured by the Quisitor and sentenced to burn at the stake at the same time the Bane shows unmistakable signs that its power is growing, leaving Tom alone to deal with both crises. The return of Tom’s friend Alice, a young witch with questionable loyalties, the revelation of an astonishing secret in Tom’s family, and hints of a secret or two in the Spook’s own past lend additional drama to a riveting tale that will have readers eager for the next installment. (Ages 10–14)
CCBC Choices 2007 . © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2007. Used with permission.