Montooth and the Canfield witch

The first in the Carty Andersson series, Montooth and the Canfield Witch follows the spirited main character leading her three close male buddies in The Crew on heart thumping mayhem through the Florida swamps of 1950. Deep in Morose Swamp, on the outskirts of the Everglades, The Crew encounters the last descendant of a family chased from Salem, Mass. by 17th Century witch hunters. The hag is dogged by cutthroat treasure hunters led by The Cuban, an ex-Marine imbued with deadly focus and intelligence. The four teenaged members of The Crew are torn by parental warnings to avoid the Canfield Witch's house and the chivalrous impulses they feel despite their fears. Tucked inside the adventure is a fable about a unique alligator whose presence in real life plays a key role in the climax. Young adult readers will enjoy learning about the apparent hardships of students living in an era without television, cell phones and iPods. Older readers will recall with fondness many long gone or seldom seen products that appear throughout the book, like Bab-O, DeSoto and Moon Pies. Carty is a well-grounded and capable girl whom today's 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. Though originally written for adults, Montooth has become a Crossover sensation as teens embraced it. Montooth has been garnering a number of awards including the number one position on the recommended reading list in the Anniverrsary Issue of My Magazine for Girls, Atlanta; a finalist in the Florida Writers Association's Historical Fiction category; and three awards from Young Voices Foundation, Virginia: Adult Fiction, Juvenile /Adult Fiction, and Mystery/Suspense Young Adult Fiction.