Montooth And The Canfield Witch

The Story

The first in the Carty Andersson series, this novel begins with the spirited main character leading her close male compatriots in The Crew on heart thumping mayhem through the Florida swamps in 1950. Deep in Morose Swamp, on the outskirts of the Everglades, Carty and her friends encounter the last descendant of a family chased out of Salem, Massachusetts by Seventeenth Century witch hunters. The hag is being dogged by a nasty band of treasure hunters led by The Cuban, the cold, unemotional ex-Marine imbued with deadly focus and intelligence. The four teenaged members of The Crew are torn by their parentsz warnings to avoid the so-called witch's house and the chivalrous, protective impulses they feel despite their fears. Tucked inside the adventure is a fable about a unique alligator named Montooth whose presence in real life plays a key role in the story. Young adult readers will enjoy learning about lives of students in an era without television, cell phones, and iPods. Older readers will recall with fondness many of the long gone or seldom seen products that appear, like Bab-O, DeSoto, and Moon Pies. Carty is a well-grounded and capable girl whom todayzs teens can admire. Her male friends, who comprise a trio of diverse backgrounds, share a bond of bravery, loyalty, and ability with her. Though good is generally rewarded in Montooth and the Canfield Witch, and evil is usually punished, getting there is an arduous and frightening trip.