• Age: 8 to 10
• Grade: 3 to 5
• Reading age: 8 to 10

Sixth-grader Maggie Ito believes she has been cursed by the Witch of Bloor Street. While her friends all seem to be best at something - Sasha is best at art, Alice is the most musical, and even her nemesis Jarrett Johnson is the fastest runner - Maggie believes the curse is keeping her from being best at anything. Her attempts to break it become increasingly far-fetched, but her luck is still bad.
With the help of her friends and a supportive teacher, Maggie finds confidence in her own abilities and the strength to confront her "witch." [Fry Reading Level - 4.0

BETH POLLOCK lives in Toronto, Ontario. She has written three books in the Streetlights series. Her Streetlights novel The Next Step was chosen as a Resource Links Year's Best in 2009 and The Witch of Bloor Street was chosen as a Resource Links Year's Best in 2011.

www.bethpollock.ca

Beth Pollock's profile page

• Commended, One of the Year's Best for 2011 - Resource Links

"If I was still teaching in the grade six classroom, I would want this book for my girls. I would also expect to hear giggles while it was being read. A fantastic addition to the library or grade 4-7 classroom".

Resource Links, Volume 16, No. 4

The rich cast of secondary characters, including Maggie's parents and small circle of understanding friends, help flesh out this satisfying story, which is told in Maggie's humorous, self-deprecating voice. Because Maggie is a particularly innocent sixth grader, readers as young as third grade can enjoy this window into the middle-school world and will hope to have friends like Magnolia and Sasha.

www.kirkusreviews.com