Isabella Castaspella

About

ISABELLA CASTASPELLA is a unique book (in print, digital, and audio) of ten chapters, all written in verse, with black-and-white illustrations. It tells the story of Izzy’s struggles with Lavinia LaMeanie, a nasty witch who is always trying to make life miserable for Izzy and her friends. It’s most suited for a 5-9 age range (K-3rd grade) and is the perfect bedtime story to be read aloud to young children. 

Each of Izzy’s diverse friends expresses a particular aspect or behavior of childhood. Messy Tessy has trouble finding her crystal ball because she doesn’t pick up after herself; MoonTune doubts his abilities as a musician; Daizy Dew is an artist who tends to be “scatter-brained”; Angel Cruz, the soccer champ, has trouble reading. Many children face problems like Daizy Dew’s ADHD or Angel Cruz’s dyslexia, but here they are never labeled as such. Their different ethnicities are also never mentioned. Each is accepted as is and treated with kindness. 

Then there are the animals: Myron, a super-smart frog, is Izzy’s companion; Maxine is a very particular cat with healing powers; and Messy Tessy’s pet Bruno, the lovable, ever-hungry bulldog, runs into trouble with mean old Lavinia LaMeanie. And let’s not forget Witchie the Wise; even magical little witches need a mentor. The friends find their strengths and coalesce into a team that wards off Lavinia’s efforts, utilizing more heart than magic. The only one using her magical powers in a mean way is Lavinia LaMeanie, the bully seeking revenge, who in the end is defeated by the power of love.