Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth

Reviewed by Linda Jo Martin

When I started reading novels to my homeschooled children the first one we experienced together was a Newbery Medal winner, From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg. The sweet story about two children running away to live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City was memorable and imaginative. At the time I didn't think of reading her other book, which was a Newbery Honor Book the same year. A strange little book with a long title, Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth. For years I wondered what that book was about. I finally found out a few years ago when I took the time to check it out. What a great book it turned out to be!

Elizabeth is new to the neighborhood, and has a terribly hard time making friends. The wretched Cynthia only causes problems, making Elizabeth feel more miserable than ever. But then she meets Jennifer, a young girl sitting in a tree who claims to be a witch. Jennifer is the only friend Elizabeth has, so she has a profound effect on her. Elizabeth wants to be just like Jennifer - but becoming a witch isn't all that easy.

Part of her initiation involves eating fresh onions every day for a week. But Elizabeth meets the challenge because Jennifer is kind to her whereas Cynthia is terribly unfriendly. But is Jennifer really a witch, or is she just pretending so there will be something "special" about her? This is what the reader needs to figure out. And why is Elizabeth going along with all the ritual nonsense?

This book explores the power of friendship, and the interactions between two groups of children: the in-crowd and the disenfranchised outsiders. As a reader I knew which group I would have been in if I were there. How about you?

The author, E. L. Konigsburg, was the first person ever to win the Newbery Medal and to have a Newbery Honor Book the same year. She was a newly published first-time author at the time! Her books immediately struck a chord with children and their parents. She was a regular on the Newbery Medal list after that. Her book, The View from Saturday, won the Newbery Medal in 2000.

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