Aunt Maria

September 30, 1991
After their father disappears, Mig and her brother, Chris, go with their mother to visit Aunt Maria, an elderly tyrant who is as demure as she is iron-willed. Upon arriving, Mig and her mother discover that they are expected to keep house for Aunt Maria, as well as provide freshly baked cakes for her daily tea parties. These unwelcome chores do not prevent Mig from noticing that there's something very strange going on in sleepy Cranbury-on-Sea. Aunt Maria and her cronies are the only residents with any will of their own--their husbands and sons are zombie-like, and all the children are locked away in a huge orphanage on the outskirts of town. When Chris is transformed into a wolf, Mig must rescue him by unraveling the twisted secret that guides the lives of the villagers. Wry observations about the oddities of family life, along with plenty of spine-tingling spookiness, will keep readers glued to every turn of the labyrinthine plot. In the tradition of her novels The Ogre Downstairs and Eight Days of Luke , Jones takes the ordinary world and steeps it in an intoxicating witch's brew. Ages 12-up.

October 1, 1991
Gr 7-9 -Something's definitely amiss in Cranbury-on-Sea. That's the conclusion Mig Laker and her older brother Chris reach almost immediately upon arriving to spend their Easter holidays with their Great-Aunt Maria . The men of this scenic resort village are all "gray-suited zombies," the children are passive orphans, and a core group of women, whom the Lakers nickname the Mrs. Urs, keep a sharp eye on things and report back to their aunt. Maria, a seemingly helpless elderly woman, holds court at daily tea; as it turns out, she runs the town and manipulates individuals and events through guilt, suggestion, and-if all else fails-intimidation. She's even occasionally forced to change uncooperative souls into cats, wolves, and other creatures. The narrative is comprised of Mig's account of the rather amazing goings-on in her journal, and expertly treads the fine line between the factual and the fantastic. Jones offers "possible" explanations for most occurrences; readers will question, just as Mig does, whether such events can really have happened or if they were simply imagined. The qualities of love and trust do prevail, and Mig's fondness for happy endings is realized. The intricate, multifaceted plot and rich cast of characters are deftly handled by this master storyteller. She spins an unusual yarn that is at once supernatural and realistic, humorous and horrifying, mysterious and enlightening.- Luann Toth, School Library Journal

January 1, 2004
Chris and Mig discover that their annoying invalid great-aunt is actually a powerful and malevolent witch, with the seaside town of Cranbury entirely under her control. Though Jones's own considerable powers of invention and storytelling are evident, this is not one of her strongest books: events happen rather pell-mell, and Aunt Maria is but a pale imitation of the devastating Laurel in "Fire and Hemlock".

(Copyright 2004 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 1991
Mig and Chris are appalled at Aunt Maria's growing interference after their father's death - it is clear that she is trying to gain control of the family. Aunt Maria is a well-characterized villainess, but the plot - incorporating ghosts, orphanages, humans changed into animals, and sinister tea parties - is convoluted, confusing, and indescribable.

(Copyright 1991 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)