BOOK REVIEW: Jinny & Cooper – Revenge of the Stone Witch by Tania Ingram

Stephanie O'Connell | 18 March 2016 | Reply

BOOK REVIEW: Jinny & Cooper – Revenge of the Stone Witch by Tania Ingram

Puffin Books
February 2016
Paperback, $14.99
Reviewed by Steph O’Connell

Junior Fiction

6.5/10

For Jinny, it’s not easy owning Cooper, her annoying talking, disappearing guinea pig with a love of biscuits and a talent for sniffing out trouble. Especially trouble of the witch kind!

‘She’s not a boggart is she?’ Cooper asked. ‘The last time a new girl moved next door to a house where I was living, she turned out to be a boggart.’
‘What’s a boggart?’ Tyrone asked.
‘It’s a small, hairy creature that creates mayhem wherever it goes,’ Cooper replied.
‘So, a bit like you then?’ I said, laughing.

Is the woman burying strange things outside Jinny’s house another witch?

The cloaked figure was still standing by the tree. As we watched, she held out her left hand and waved her right hand over it. Gold sparks formed and the figure quickly closed her hands as though to catch them. I saw the strange lady take something from her pocket and pour the gold light into it. Then kneeling down, she dug a small hole under the wattle tree and buried the object.

And why can’t Jinny bring herself to be friends with goody-two-shoes Katie, the new girl next door?

What was going on with my family? It seemed as though they were auditioning for the ‘I love Katie’ fan club. Isn’t Katie talented? Isn’t Katie the best cook ever? I had to admit, the sandwiches did sound pretty amazing and my mouth was watering from looking at them but that wasn’t the point. It was almost like my family thought Katie was perfect.

What do you think, Cooper? . . . Cooper?!

Having already introduced us to Cooper’s personality, sense of humour, and favourite foods in Jinny & Cooper – My Teacher’s Big Bad Secret, the second instalment is a lot faster to get into the action, with a more complex, witchy plot.

The story does, at times, seem a little too convenient. But this is still a good fun read for the age group, and explores an added element of jealousy which is particularly relevant to the demographic, who are of the age where they start to develop more specific interests. An age where they might meet others who are better at these things that they are.

Once again, this was a cute, funny read, with a blending of real-life and fantasy and, though this one did tend to lean more towards the fantastic scenes than the first book, there are more teachable moments in this one which helps to balance it out.

A great read for those looking for something a little more challenging than Billie B Brown, Hey Jack, and Zac Power, but not quite yet ready for Go Girl, Beast Quest, and other more wordy titles. I look forward to seeing what stories Ingram (and Jinny, Cooper, and Tyrone) might explore next!