Publisher's Synopsis
The Misadventures of Angelica - A Sixteen-year-old witch.
Angelica begins her life as a forest Nymph, but when her forest is burned and her life tree dies; she turns into a human child. Lady Sheila and Sir Johnathon raise her. Because of her difficult nature and innate magical abilities, Angelica spends her winters with Granny Mildred, a mountain witch. Here is where she learns to be a healer and a witch. When spring would come, she returned to her adoptive family. The words 'She has problems fitting in' is an understatement. She has been guilty of brawling, sabbath-breaking, blasphemy, tom-foolery, thieving, and branding her sister's unfaithful love among other offenses. She suggests beauty treatments for the local girls that create rashes and makes their hair fall out. Her magic is less than spectacular, she has a penchant for incantations that have no counter spells nor remedies other than lots and lots of time. Her adoptive mother, Lady Sheila, wants Angelica to be a lady-in-waiting for the princess. Angelica, stubborn, is determined she will not be a lady. Her brilliant plan to avoid this is to speak out against the war in front of the queen and king. The good news is that Angelica is not hung. The not so good news is that she gets a day in the stocks and the lowly position of a maid instead. She begins her new life in service to Princess Hannah who is betrothed to the Prince of Spain. and she soon butts heads with Claudia and Louisa, the princess's ladies-in-waiting. They lord over Angelica and her relationship with the ladies deteriorates further after she puts live lobsters into their bathwater. She feels the princess is not being adequately protected so she rings the warning bells which creates havoc with the derelict soldiers who race through the countryside looking for the invading army. Since the English are at war with the French, the French do not want this wedding to take place between the English princess and the Spanish prince so a plan is hatched to kidnap the princess. When kidnappers attempt to take the princess, Angelica turns the princess into a pig to keep her from being taken. The problem is, Angelica doesn't know how to turn the princess back. Armed with only her on-again/off-again magical powers, Angelica needs to thwart the kidnappers and save the princess. She must battle the enemy soldiers and mages. If she fails the princess will be given to the enemy by the kidnappers. Readers who enjoyed Karen Kushman's Catherine Called Birdie and the Tiffany Aching series of books by Terry Pratchett will love Angelica.
