The Witching of Ben Wagner

Twelve-year-old Ben Wagner has problems. His father nevers gives him a break while his older sister Susan always gets her way. And now his family is moving to a new town. Ben has to go to a new school and try to make new friends.

On the shores of Lake Ontario, he meets Regina, who can skip stones better than anyone he's ever seen. But strange things start to happen whenever Regina is around. Ben looks at her pale eyes (which he's sure have changed color) and wonders if the rumors about Regina's home on the sandbar are true: could she come from a family of witches?

"Auch's characterizations are so convincing that even the rather dramatic scene of Ben rescuing his sister from drowning and an unmasking of sibling villainy are believably...This well-paced novel has much to offer: a slender, unimposing format, a plot that lends itself to booktalking, first-person narration that doesn't rely too heavily on Ben's ruminations, and satisfying touches of humor and insight." – Booklist