Twelve-year-old Lana isn’t looking for trouble when she ventures into the swampy marsh behind her family’s home in Galveston Bay. She’s just sweaty and bored and lonely, sick of sitting around doing nothing.
Her family never goes anywhere. Her mom and her sisters want nothing to do with her, and none of them will talk about their dead dad. With loads of unanswered questions and no other options, Lana decides to seek out the legendary Alligator Witch—if she’s even real.
What Lana doesn’t realize is that the Alligator Witch is very real and has spent decades plotting her revenge on the town. When the witch swiftly casts a terrifying curse, the only person Lana can ask for help is her unfriendly and generally unwilling twin, Gracie.
Together, the twins embark on a memorable journey to make sense of the Alligator Witch’s dark past, along with the unexpected role their family played in her descent. Despite their differences, Lana and Gracie must unite to make things right and save their loved ones.
Many middle-grade novels explore death and grief. And in most cases, the main character mourns in an unhealthy way and ends up doing more harm than good. In Lana’s case, she’s grieving her dead dad and wants to talk about him, but the rest of her family shuts down anytime he’s mentioned. When Lana learns that her father had a connection to the Alligator Witch, she goes out into the marsh looking for answers. This is clearly a bad idea, but since she isn’t getting any answers from the adults in her life, what else is she supposed to do? Seriously, so many books would be a lot shorter if the characters were in therapy and given healthy grieving techniques.
Lana and Gracie are fraternal twins, as shown on the front cover. Lana is on the left, and Gracie is on the right. Unlike most book twins, they aren’t very close. Lana hates twin stereotypes, like how people see them as ‘the twins’ instead of seeing them as two individuals. Lana spends most of the story annoyed and frustrated with her sister, but she gradually comes to better understand her.
The story is set on Galveston Island, Texas and I love how the Galveston Hurricane played a role in the Alligator Witch’s backstory. I recommend reading Lauren Tarshis’s I Survived the Galveston Hurricane, 1900 before reading this book.
Overall, this was a quick read that combined historical fiction with a dash of fantasy, highlighting the importance of discussing your feelings with your family after a death and/or tragedy.