The Witches Alphabet, also known as the Witch's Alphabet or the Theban Alphabet, is a writing system that is often associated with witchcraft and the occult. It is believed to have been created or adapted by witches and practitioners of the occult as a way to communicate in a secretive and mystical manner. The alphabet is made up of a series of symbols or runes that represent each letter of the English alphabet. These symbols can be written in various styles, such as straight lines, curved lines, and dots, to form words and sentences. This unique writing system adds an air of mystery and magic to the written word, as it is not immediately understandable to those who are not familiar with it. The purpose of the Witches Alphabet is to provide witches with a way to write in code or secrecy, allowing them to communicate their thoughts, spells, and rituals without being easily understood by outsiders.

A Taste Of Magic

NYT bestseller J. Elle makes her MG debut in the delightful story of a girl who bakes up a plan to save her inner-city magic school.

Twelve-year-old Kyana has just discovered she’s a witch! This means classes every Saturday at Park Row Magic Academy, a learning center hidden in the back of the local beauty shop, and Kyana can’t wait to learn spells to help out at home. The only downside is having to keep her magic a secret from her BFF, Nae. But when the magic school loses funding, the students must pay huge fees at the fancy school across town or lose their magic! Determined to help, Kyana enters a baking contest with a big cash prize. Will she be able to keep up her grades while preparing for the competition and without revealing her magic? What about when a taste of magic works its way into her cupcakes?

Exciting up-and-coming author J. Elle combines the perfect balance of real-world issues and magical mishaps to create real magic.

Genres Middle GradeFantasyFictionMagicWitchesParanormalYoung Adult

357 pages, Hardcover

First published August 30, 2022

About the author

J. ELLE is the New York Times bestselling author of young adult and middle-grade fantasy fiction and a 2022 NAACP Image Award Nominee for Outstanding Literary Work for Youth and Teens. Her work has been translated into three languages. The former educator credits her nomadic lifestyle and humble inner-city beginnings as inspiration for her novels. When she’s not writing, Elle can be found on the hunt for new desserts sans Chocolat, looking for literally any excuse to get dressed up, and road-tripping her way across the country with her two dogs in tow.

The purpose of the Witches Alphabet is to provide witches with a way to write in code or secrecy, allowing them to communicate their thoughts, spells, and rituals without being easily understood by outsiders. This can be particularly useful for witches who wish to keep their practices private or to pass on knowledge to other practitioners in a discreet manner. One common use of the Witches Alphabet is to create sigils, which are symbols that represent specific intentions or desires.

Ratings & Reviews

Friends & Following

Community Reviews

Kyana lives in the Park Row neighborhood with her mother and grandmother. After turning 12 she discovers that she descends from a long line of Magicks and is actually a witch. And there are more witches and wizards all around her neighborhood! Her mother enrolls her into a magic school that hosts sessions in a room behind their regular hair salon.

One thing I can say about all the Black girl magic school middle grade books releasing this year is that they're all very different and I appreciate the variety. While the spells are cool and cause some chaos I wanted more clarity about the inner workings of the magic system. There's so much room to tie in the beauty salon aspect more. And with Kyana being a potions witch I'm interested in seeing what she comes up with when she starts experimenting more in future books.

Where I think where this story truly shines is with the relationships Kyana has with her family, friends, and neighbors. Kyana lives in the hood where parts of the neighborhood are going through gentrification but at the same time lack of funding still affects her school including her new magic school which has less money compared to the other magic schools in the area. Themes of supporting your community are emphasized throughout the story. We're introduced to multiple characters of different economic standing and we see how that effects their day to day lives as well as attitudes.

The relationship Kyana has with her grandmother is not one I often see in books. Her grandmother or Memaw as she affectionately calls her, helps raise her and passes down family recipes and heirlooms. Memaw is in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease and J Elle takes care in her portrayal of how the family is dealing with it.

While the ending seemingly wraps up with a neat bow there's still much that can be explored. Overall the is was a pretty solid start and the fast pacing is sure to keep readers engaged.

This book was so sweet and fun and engaging and I didn't want to put it down! It feels so fresh and fun and I LOVE magic schools, and this was the magic school I've been WAITING for.

"once we have our trays of obligatory, unidentifiable cafeteria food, we veer through the crowd to a table. without a word, she takes my fruit and i take her chocolate milk. it's just our thing."

there’s a lot to love about this book. the history, the lore, the community, the worldbuilding, the politics interwoven (like gerrymandering), and the magic system were some of my favorite things. tethering unavailables—so cute and quirky in the best way possible! if you’ve read amari and the night brothers, it’s like finding out the lore of the elevators. it’s fantastic! the food was mouthwatering and i can’t wait to try the recipes in the back! the grandmother was the sweetest part of the book and made me miss mine 😭

with that said, this book should’ve been 50-100 pages shorter. it needed more of the coziness and camaraderie of the last 50 pages and less of the same chaos in the first 300. the mom never gives kyana time to feel upset (“don’t pout, get up and just do it” mentality) and i know she’s a kid but she kept making the SAME mistakes; she even admits it at around the 300page mark! beat for beat, it was kyana being a bad friend to her best friend naomi, making a magical blunder, and then trying to fix it and chase after her friend after getting ignored only for the cycle to restart. and the lifelong ride or die best friend who was getting sidelined and mistreated was the one to apologize! i can't stand that and it gave me some anxiety reading it constantly. i know all of the life changes were a lot for a 12-year-old to juggle and i wasn’t expecting therapy-level communication skills but 300 pages of miscommunication is too much. like i said, there’s so much to love about the world but this formula wasn’t one of them.

i can only hope that, with the bulk of the character development out of the way, we’ll get more magic than mayhem in the sequel.

trigger warnings: antiblack microaggressions (hair touching 2x; one done and another attempted), hair touching is unchallenged and only addressed as a brief inner dialogue of discomfort, bullying (kyana’s best friend naomi gets bullied pretty badly via recollection of her birthday party early in the book), ignoring friends and missing outings

A magic school in a real world setting and some baking too!

I liked that this book is set in a regular town and focuses on some middle school kids instead of creating a fantasy land for witches. The characters are relatable and their struggles can be translated to real world issues.

This story isn't overly complex and a bit predictable, but a good amount of content for the intended age group.

I hope Kyana has some follow-up adventures now that she has figured out her magic more.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy of this ARC for my honest review.

This MG gem is such an incredible read, filled with hope, humor, food, magic, and love! Every kid struggling to accept themselves, flaws and hidden talents alike, needs to read this story!

A Taste of Magic by J. Elle is one of those books that feels like a slice of childhood and personal nostalgia that's perfect for all ages. While I was more familiar with her darker Wings of Ebony series, the impact of the life lessons hits just as well here. With lots of baking, Black Girl Magic, friendship and family, this Middle Grade contemporary fantasy is a fun and sweet story I won't forget anytime soon.

Kyana Turner discovers on her twelfth birthday that she's a witch, thinking about how she's going to help her family. However, it's not so easy as she has to juggle magic life with friendship and math. Kyana is a great protagonist and relatable to many, outgoing with the urge to help her family, yet wanting to dive into this new magical world, and I love her growth and determination throughout. The supporting cast was fleshed out too, with several layers of depth, and some characters surprising me by the end.

The story's well paced, juggling between Kyana's school life, family life and witch life, with most of the first half focusing on the new world of magic she's enveloped in by her discovery, before the second half focuses on baking and saving the new life she's grown to love. I laughed quite a bit throughout, and I appreciated the nods to Black culture (I love that J Elle isn't shy to add all the things in her books), including the hair texture activated wands and that the magic school is in a hair salon! I'm sure my younger self would have loved that! Regarding the magic side of things, there's a whole culture under mainstream society that comes with rules, potions, spirits, magical ferrets, wands based on hair texture, but my favorite was the ability to transport people into Nintendo games (something that's been a dream of kids since the 1980's). The baking portions are just as prominent, reminding me of my childhood days in the kitchen, and with the focus on magical potions, it was a perfect match for this story. I like how everything ties into the themes of community and determination in something that's easy to grasp for kids, but still resonates with adult readers, making this a great read for both to read together. While parts of this book made me nostalgic of my own childhood, it fits right at home with the kids of 2022.

There's also three recipes in the back of the book, which I can't wait to try out.

This is highly recommended for those that like contemporary fantasy with a whimsical and more "Disney-esque" feel, no matter how old you are. I await to see what type of adventures Kyana will go on next and await more books from J. Elle!

*I received an ARC from the publisher, Bloomsbury. All opinions are my own.*

This magical middle grade fantasy by author J. Elle was so good!

I really enjoyed the story of Kyana finding her magic, and the school she has to fight to keep open! This book addressed issues of racism and classism in an assessable way, giving the reader a fun magical adventure while tacking these important issues.

Kyana was such a strong character, and I really enjoyed her journey. I also liked most of the supporting characters, though Russ was hard to take, and his backstory didn't make sense to me fully.

But I still really enjoyed this book!

This was such a quick read, I couldn't put it down!! The magic system was really cool, intricate enough to be interesting without taking too much thought to get into. The characters, social commentary, and plot were all wonderful.

The only thing I didn't enjoy was the main friendship - it was so frustrating to see Kyana make the same mistakes over and over again, ditching her best friend and completely forgetting about her. I get it, and maybe this wouldn't have annoyed me as much if I was 12, but I kept rolling my eyes!

This is cute. I think that it checks a lot of boxes and people who are looking for those boxes will appreciate this addition to their collection/reading. My personal problem with it is the sloppy world building/magic system. It's kind of nonsensical but without it, there wouldn't be a story, but I don't like nonsensical magic systems.

My official blurb: Funny and sweet and absolutely charming. Middle grade readers will be going wild for this gem of a novel that is literal Black Girl Magic.

Obviously, I LOVED this book, and it was so fun reading it in book form this time!

A Taste of Magic is a really unique take on a magic school and magic system! Park Row Magick Academy is not the super fancy magic school you’re use to. It’s located in the back of a Black woman owned beauty salon. The school is extremely underfunded and lacking the resources it needs for it’s students to thrive. It has only lasted this long because of its dedicated teacher Ms. Mo. PRMA mirrors many of the schools in poor, underfunded areas all over this country.

Middle grade stories have some of the most genuine and pure relationships. Kyana has a multigenerational living arrangement with her mama and Memaw. They are such a tight knit family even though Kyana’s mom works a lot. Aside from Kyana, Memaw was my favorite character! She was constantly dropping this little nuggets of wisdom and nurturing Kyana’s passions which reminded me of my own grandma 🥰 I also adored Kyana’s friendship with Nae and the new bonds she formed with the Magic kids at Park Row Magick Academy like Ash and Russ.

A key takeaway from A Taste of Magic is that a Black child can make a mistake and not be vilified for it. Too often in our society black and brown kids are not given the grace to make mistakes and learn from them. It was refreshing to see Kyana be allowed to make a mistake, realize it and come up with a solution with the support of not only her family but the witch community as well.

The common household substitutions for magical ingredients Kyana found and used from the old spell book Memaw gave her were really ingenious! For example creaming together Kool Aid powder and cocoa butter as a substitute for slug skin paste when making the antidote potion.

The food descriptions throughout the book had my mouth watering. I never wanted a bowl of gumbo or a slice of cake so bad in my life! Being a GA girl, I agree with Memaw that the best food you’ll ever find is down south 😉

So much of this story resonated with me and I know BIPOC kids especially Black kids are going to love it. I can’t wait to see where this new series goes!

Thank you NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books for an eARC of A Taste of Magic in exchange for an honest review.

Kyana has just found out that she is a witch. She has to balance her new weekend witch training, middle school classes, and her friends. What happens when all of a sudden her witch training school is going to be shut down, she makes a mistake while trying to save it, and she her best friend is mad at her? Well that’s a lot for one 12 year old girl.
This book isn’t just about magic and cooking. There are so many great things discussed like owning your mistakes, apologizing when your wrong, and so many others. I think this would make such a great middle school book club book. (I might even do it for my middle school library.) I will definitely get a copy and recommend it.

A charming story about a magic school, baking, friendship, and determination. When Kyana discovers she's a witch she finds herself lying to her BFF, trying to learn spells that will help her overworked mom around the house, and entering a baking competition to save the magic school in her neighborhood. I loved the determination Kyana had to fix her mistakes, prove adults around her wrong, and show that even though she and her friends are young, they can solve big problems. Middle school students will truly enjoy it!
Thanks, NetGalley!

Tried reading it, but watching the book's protagonist try to lie to others made me cringe like how Disney channel shows made me cringe growing up. This is my own fault for trying to read juvenile fiction in my 20s so take my words with a very very tiny grain of salt.

32 books 54 followers

I loved this book! It was magical and it made me hungry. The characters were amazing, and I loved watching Kyana's confidence grow as the book went on. Definitely would recommend this one, especially if you are looking for witchy books or books about magic schools.

Heard about this on Twitter and I just. I'm all in. I can't WAIT!! Magic school goodness! Black main character! How lovely.

Elle's book about a Black girl who enters a baking contest to save her magic school is so full of fun and heart that I can't wait for more! Kyana's magic has just come in and she's started magic school on Saturdays in the secret room at her hairdressers. But redistricting means that her school might not be able to continue due to lack of funding. So what else is a new witch to do but use her baking skills to enter a contest, win the money, and save the day!

At first, I thought there was just too much going on. But I settled in and realized that it's not too much. it's just right. This was a fun one to read. It read older to me than, say, Amari and the Night Brothers. Not for content, but maybe because there was a good amount of slang that you don't usually see in middle grade? I don't know. It's nothing that would keep me from recommending this at all. In fact, I have a few customers in mind for this one at our store once it comes out.

Black Girl Magic meets Great British Bake Off, what more does one need in this fun middle grade read. When Kyana, a talented baker and cook, turns 12, she discovers she's a witch. She soon attends weekly magic classes that become endangered due to lack of funding. So, she enters a baking contest with a big cash prize. While learning her new role, she has to navigate old friends and new as well as the dreaded math class. For readers who love Amari and the Night Brothers, Nevermoor, and Harry Potter.

I received an arc from the publisher but all opinions are my own.

4 books 72 followers

Love the diversity, culture, and tight community with magical shenanigans, but it got long-winded and boring towards the middle.

ARC provided by the publisher

Kyana lives in the Park Row neighborhood of Rockford, and goes to Thomspson Middle School with her best friend, Nae. It's an area that struggles a bit, but is progressive; Key is able to take a class on African American History and Diaspora studies. Her mother works long hours on her feet, but has the support of her mother, Meemaw. When Kyana sees sparks flying from her fingers and starts to notice similar light around various businesses in the neighborhood, she wonders what is going on, but her mother tells her that it is her magical powers coming to the surface a little early. There are a lot of rules surrounding dealing with magic, and one is that Kyana must attend a magical school for six months to learn how to use her powers. If she doesn't, she will have to be "sanitized" and have all of her magic removed. Even though it means missing Nae's birthday party, Kyana reports to Ms. Moesha's Park Row Magic Academy in the back of Ms. Moesha's beauty salon. There are about 30 other students, including the popular Russ, who goes to Kyana's school. She makes friends with Ashley, and hopes to get chosen for the Charms specialty, since that is a path that leads to good job prospects. There are only two people chosen for that, and only one chosen for Potions. Most students end up in the general magic path. Kyana struggles with math in her regular school, and struggles with many different aspects of her magical training as well. It is intersting to learn about the magical community, which has come to the US from Winzhobble, and is having some difficulties that aren't apparent to the outside world. She also has to deal with lying to Nae, which puts a strain on her relationship. Her grandmother is starting to slip further and further into dementia, which increases the burden on Kyana's mother. When funding runs out for the Park Row Academy, the students are all in danger of having their magic stripped from them. They are given the opportunity to go to other magical schools, but the cost, as well as the matter of transportation, is not something that Kyana and her family can bear. Hoping to save her school, Kyana uses her skills as a baker to enter a competition, but things don't go all that smoothly. Will Kyana be able to reverse her spells that have gone wrong, learn to control her magic, and save her neighborhood school?
Strengths: Kyana is a character with whom many readers will identify: she wants to do well, but gets distracted when she really needs to be putting in the work. Nae was a good foil for her, reminding her to spend ten minutes reviewing her math every day! It was fun to see a local, neighborhood magical school instead of the far flung magical boarding academies we usually see, and contrasting it with a posh local school points out the inequities of the US educational system. There are many, many details about magic, magical outfits, magical creatures, and magical food that will absolutely delight readers of series like Black and Clare's Magisterium. I appreciated the fact that there really wasn't a central, horrible magical villain that Kyana had to fight. That alone makes this fresher than many similar books!
Weaknesses: I often wonder why so many books about magic focus on the problems with it. Not only is the school in danger of closing, by Kyana has a lot of trouble mastering the spells, and there are a lot of rules and regulations. Younger readers may enjoy the wealth of details more than I did; subplots like the one involving Russ and the breeding and selling of Groits gave this book a lot of different facets to keep straight.
What I really think: This is another great choice for readers who liked Mbalia's Amari and the Night Brothers, Okogwu's Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun, Dumas' Wildseed Witch and Clayton's The Marvellers.

A Night of Magic & Illusion

Every Saturday, we’re inviting NYC’s top musicians & magicians to perform in our art deco cocktail lounge, from local legends to Grammy award-winners.

This week’s performance is a magical act featuring illusionist Jeanette Andrews, Rachel Wax, and David Corsaro performing mind bending sensory illusions in our intimate space.

The magicians will perform table magic — where they perform right at your table — along with parlor magic to the entire room. You’ll be served a complimentary tableside cocktail by our Head Mixologist, and you can browse our curated menus of cocktails, beer, and wine.

Tickets for this intimate evening are $100, with two specialty cocktails included.

The event has two reservation options: 7:00-8:30pm and 9:00-10:30pm. Reservations are highly recommended and can be made by clicking the link below. Walk-ins will be accepted if space is available.

BONUS: If you join us at our New American restaurant, The Grid, for dinner before or after your magic show reservation, you will receive 20% off your dinner bill! *valid on the night of your magic show reservation only

Please note that your reservation is for 90 minutes and the room will be cleared after each seating.

We’re continuing to book fascinating musicians and magicians for Live from the Lounge series every Saturday, and will announce shows one-month in-advance, so check the schedule and we hope to see you soon!

About The Magicians:

Jeanette Andrews is hailed as one of the most innovative illusionists in the world today and has staged hundreds of sold-out and standing-room-only performances for Fortune 500 companies, theaters and universities including Infiniti, Kraft, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Lyric Opera & Chicago Ideas Week. She has presented commissioned and site-specific works for The Smithsonian’s Cooper Hewitt, the International Museum of Surgical Science, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.

Andrews presented her first magic performance at age four, was paid to do her first magic show at age six, began running her business that day and has never had another job since, and is now internationally recognized as a pioneer in her field. Andrews uses sensory anomalies, art and scientific anecdotes to create luxurious experiences that bridge everyday life to a special, heightened world. She loves creating experiences for audiences to engage with the impossible in fun, insightful, generous ways.

Andrews is an Affiliate of Harvard’s metaLAB and prior artist in residence for High Concept Labs and The Institute for Art and Olfaction. Illusion is Ms. Andrews’ life’s work and her performances have been praised by the Chicago Tribune, PBS and the New York Times.

Rachel Wax has been studying magic since the age of 16. Inspired by her father’s ability to make people laugh and amaze them, she strives to do the same in each performance. Originally from Chicago, Rachel moved to New York in 2013 to study fashion design at FIT. With a love of both magic and fashion, she found opportunities to purse both. Rachel now performs at venues all over the country appearing as a regular at New York City magic shows A Taste of Magic and Speakeasy Magick at the Mckittrick Hotel, Monday Night Magic, the Chicago Magic Lounge, as well as television appearances that include Master of Illusion, Penn and Teller’s Fool Us and Fox 5.

David Corsaro has been a professional magician and mentalist for over 25 years and was recently featured on the hit TV show “Penn & Teller Fool Us” (where he successfully fooled the famous duo.) He performed 31 shows earlier this year at the world famous “Magic Castle” in Los Angeles. He also is a featured entertainer in 4 different off-Broadway magic shows in NYC including “Monday Night Magic”, “Speakeasy Magick” and “Magic in a Bottle.” He has performed his amazing feats of magic for Fortune 500 companies (Toyota, BMW, Wrigley’s, Panasonic, Nestle, and Viacom) as well as top music acts (“Chicago”, “Earth Wind and Fire” and “The Milwaukees”). David also donates his talent for a variety of charitable organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Wounded Warriors, JDRF and Lions International. David’s personal brand of magic has been described as an enthusiastic blend of magic and comedy that will have you laughing while riveted to his every move.

Saturday, December 3

These sigils are often used in spells and rituals to help manifest the desired outcome. By writing the intention or desire in the Witches Alphabet, a witch can infuse their words with additional energy and power. Another use of the Witches Alphabet is in the creation of magical talismans or amulets. By inscribing the symbols onto an object, such as a piece of jewelry or a stone, a witch can imbue it with magical properties or protection. Although the Witches Alphabet may seem complex and difficult to learn at first, it is actually quite simple once one becomes familiar with the symbols and their corresponding letters. There are many resources available, such as books and online guides, that can help individuals learn and practice this unique writing system. In conclusion, the Witches Alphabet is a writing system that is often associated with witchcraft and the occult. It serves as a way for witches and practitioners to communicate in a secretive and mystical manner. Whether used in spells, rituals, or as a form of coded communication, the Witches Alphabet adds an element of mystery and magic to the written word..

Reviews for "Enhancing Spellwork with the Witches Alphabet Translator: Practical Tips and Techniques"

1. Jessica - 2/5 - I was really disappointed with the Witches alphabet translator. The translations were not accurate at all, and it was difficult to understand the symbols and how they corresponded to English letters. I was hoping to use this app to learn the Witches alphabet, but it was more confusing than helpful. I ended up uninstalling it and finding other resources online that were much more reliable and informative.

2. Michael - 1/5 - The Witches alphabet translator was a complete waste of time for me. The translations it provided were gibberish and didn't make any sense. I couldn't rely on it for any kind of accurate translation or understanding of the Witches alphabet. It was also filled with annoying ads that popped up every few seconds, making it a frustrating experience overall. I would not recommend this app to anyone who is serious about learning or using the Witches alphabet.

3. Samantha - 2/5 - I had high hopes for the Witches alphabet translator, but unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations. The translations were inconsistent and often didn't match the translations I found in other reputable sources. It also lacked explanations or tutorials on how to use the Witches alphabet effectively. While the interface was user-friendly, the app itself didn't provide reliable or accurate translations, making it a disappointment for someone looking to learn and use the Witches alphabet.

Creating Your Own Rituals with the Witches Alphabet Translator