I received an Advance Reader Copy of Bea's Witch: A Ghostly Coming-of-Age Story by Daniel Ingram-Brown. What attracted me to Bea's Witch was the story of a young girl who'd recently been adopted facing her past traumas by meeting the ghost of a notorious English witch - how perfect, right?

Without a doubt, this is one of my favourite reads of the year, for so many reasons.

First, a nod to the author. Ingram-Brown is an adoptive parent working to bring light to adoption through creative writing. Thank you for this work! As someone who was adopted at birth, the fact that you're creating works of fiction with adopted characters and children who have gone through the foster system is so important and vitally necessary.

Bea's story is about a young girl, adopted after a rough start to her life. Her mother seemingly abandoned her, allusions of something bad happening at her first foster house, and now she's safe with her adoptive mother, Denise. But she doesn't feel safe and she is defiantly not happy.

The story begins with Denise bringing Bea to Mother Shipton's grotto where she has a rather strange encounter with the wishing well. What happens from here is a compelling ghost story that had me glued to the pages (I finished within just a couple of hours!) needing to know what would happen next.

This isn't your campfire ghost story, but one that follows a young girl addressing the traumas of her short life. Her connection with Ma Shipton builds from the first chapter, with strange happenings occurring whenever Bea needs a boost in confidence or reassurance.

I also loved that Mother Shipton is a real English historic figure, so not only does Ingram-Brown deliver a story of finding your way back from trauma, he weaves in historical fiction as well. Bravo!

I would recommend Bea's Witch to Middle Readers and some YA Readers (and of course, adults interested in these reading groups, as well). There are spooky moments in it, so parents take note if you have more sensitive children. This book is a beautiful story on its own but would be especially impactful, I think, to adopted and foster children.

Thank you, Daniel Ingram-Brown, for this masterpiece. I can see it being a staple on bookshelves.