The Best Witch in Paris
Lauren Crozier
Luna rides a battered old broom that keeps crashing itself into the school pond. She has a witch’s hat and wand and sometimes she’s quite good at magic, but she isn’t completely sure that she’s a real witch. She doesn’t have a familiar for one thing, and she doesn’t know where she came from—only that she was found by three witches who she now calls her aunts. When she swaps her moonstone ring for an Australian boobook owl in the Lost Forest, the mysterious bird seller makes her promise to keep the bird hidden for as long as she can. This is not easy when you live with very inquisitive aunts. And it’s not easy when you find out that the fearsome Madame Valadon, the Best Witch in Paris, is missing her boobook owl and she’s sure that Luna knows something about it.
Could it be that Luna has Madame Valadon’s boobook? Why then did the mysterious bird seller give it to Luna? Why did she say the bird belonged to her? A familiar can only belong to one witch, after all. Luna has lots of questions—the biggest one of all is who she really is.
Fun and funny and full of life, The Best Witch in Paris is a delightful story of courage and self-belief, with colourful characters, fabulous magic and a puzzling mystery at its core.
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andThe Best Witch in Paris
‘Nobody should be surprised that the Text Prize is producing some of Australia’s finest young adult and children’s writing.’
‘A delight! A very funny and original adventure.’
‘Crozier has crafted a big story about found family, courage and resilience—with humour to cut through the tensions of early adolescence and self-discovery…Snappy sentences conveying clear emotions, motivations and actions…[The Best Witch in Paris] demonstrates the continuing high standard of Text Prize-winning novels for young readers.’
‘A funny original adventure full of magic, found family, new friends, and self discovery…An enthralling magical world and a feisty hero to enjoy.’
‘Filled with friendship, adventure, and love…Gives new life to stories about witches…A fantastic novel and well-deserving winner.’
‘4 stars. The reader is kept guessing until the very end as Luna unravels mystery after mystery…Crozier has made sure Aussie kids can feel a sense of place and possibility…A lovely story about finding your place in the world, discovering who your friends and family really are, and especially being brave.’
‘What a treat…pleasantly scary…Truly funny.’
‘A lovely story about being true to yourself, finding your space and place in the world, and about friendship and family…Crozier hooked me in with her colourful characters and humour…keeps it fresh and exciting, with strong characters, situations and settings that dance from the page…a magical read.’
‘This exciting novel is filled with adventure, danger, friendship and surprising plot twists…With quirky humour as well as magical thrills, this [is an] entertaining debut…Highly recommended.’
‘Themes [included in The Best Witch in Paris] range from never making assumptions about others, to self-belief and belongingness…[They] are nuanced in the absorbing and face-paced narrative arc. Lauren Crozier won the 2023 Text Prize using all the delightful tropes of witches, yet she has somehow brought the story into the 21st century…Using female camaraderie to solve complex mysteries.’
‘A deliciously witchy tale set in the City of Light—and Melbourne and the Otago Peninsula—starring an abandoned infant, adopted by a trio of witches, who grows up not quite sure of her witchiness.’
