Even now, they form a powerful subtext that makes it a real achievement when the girls are finally able to drop their assumed roles and just be ordinary friends.

Elizabeth has been lonely for a couple of months how long has Jennifer been alone and friendless? What has she had to endure, that has caused her to find refuge in arcane knowledge and esoteric rituals? These questions are never overtly stated or even hinted at, but at the book’s publication in 1967 they would perhaps come more readily to mind than today. Barely mentioned in the text (though clear from Konigsburg’s illustrations) is the fact that Elizabeth is white and Jennifer is black, possibly the only black child in the entire school. In fact, there is more to this brief story than meets the eye. Konigsburg resolves this problem in a somewhat awkward and abrupt way, but the underlying truth of it remains. I think that both girls actually know that their “magic” goals can’t come to fruition, but as sometimes happens in childhood, they become trapped in the play and don’t know how to get out of it. But when a person feels powerless against some aspect of fate, it’s tempting to think that destiny can be changed through inner training this is what Jennifer is actually offering to Elizabeth. For some readers, it may seem strange or alarming that Elizabeth so unhesitatingly accepts Jennifer’s dictates (which, in spite of her admiration for the evil witches of Macbeth, are relatively harmless and often quite funny).

As an adult, though, I found myself pondering the role of witchcraft in the book. I accepted the “magical” elements without question as a child they were simply a source of excitement and mystery. Elizabeth’s apprenticeship in witchcraft, and its transformation into true friendship, is the central thread of the story. Unlike her, though, I was not lucky enough to meet the mysterious and fascinating Jennifer, who may or may not be a witch. I identified with the protagonist and narrator, fifth-grader Elizabeth, because I also had trouble making friends after moving to a new town. If you’ve any interest in reading along, let me know!įirst up is Jennifer, Hecate (etc.), a book that I loved as a child.

Konigsburg’s fantastically-titled novels, I’ve decided to try to read all fourteen of them in publication order…no deadline. Realizing that I’ve read many, but not all, of E.L.

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