The Misadventures of Salem Hyde: Spelling Trouble

• written and illustrated by Frank Cammuso
• published by Amulet Books (Abrams)
• Roar Score: 4/5

We first learned of Frank Cammuso through his book Otto’s Orange Day. We saw him at a comic-con, picked up the book, and were smitten. Frank is the creator of several graphic kids series: Knights of the Lunch Table (currently 3 books from Scholastic), Otto (with Jay Lynch, and currently 2 books from Toon Books), and now Salem Hyde (soon to be 2 books from Abrams). In fact, Book 2 in the Salem Hyde series comes out in only a few weeks, on May 7.

We picked this up from Frank at last year’s SPX. Beyond our familiarity with his art and storytelling style, we were drawn to the image of Salem on the cover. She bears more than a passing resemblance to Vanellope, and it was immediately obvious that she’s a little rabble-rouser. (The fact that she bears more than a passing resemblance–in many ways–to Zoey became clear the more we read.) How could we resist?

In a nutshell, Salem is an extremely…independent little girl who also happens to be a witch. An impulsive witch who often gets into trouble. To help keep her on the straight and narrow, her parents find an animal companion to do the dirty work. Enter Whammy, er, Percival J. Whamsford III. He’s the perfect foil for Salem. Misadventures and minor disasters ensue.

The story is told through a series of vignettes, which almost makes this feel like a compiled webcomic. For little ones, this is perfect for reading at bedtime or in short bursts. Over the span of only a few pages, Salem can find herself some new brand of trouble to be in, Whammy can stress about it, and they can work together to arrive at a “solution.”

Despite this choppy or episodic nature, the book still works as a whole, since these vignettes all come together to tell a single story. What begins as a fun romp with our two protagonists in and out of trouble ultimately turns into something much more touching. Something with heart.

Verdict? An unmistakable winner. Zoey was enchanted from beginning to end. We’re hoping for many more adventures to come and can’t wait to see where Salem will go from here. Bravo!