Hocus Pocus and the All-New Sequel

Goodreads Synopsis

Hocus Pocus is beloved by Halloween enthusiasts all over the world. Diving once more into the world of witches, this electrifying two-part young adult novel, released on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the 1993 film, marks a new era of Hocus Pocus. Fans will be spellbound by a fresh retelling of the original film, followed by the all-new sequel that continues the story with the next generation of Salem teens.

Shortly after moving from California to Salem, Massachusetts, Max Dennison finds himself in hot water when he accidentally releases a coven of witches, the Sanderson sisters, from the afterlife. Max, his sister, and his new friends (human and otherwise) must find a way to stop the witches from carrying out their evil plan and remaining on earth to torment Salem for all eternity.

Twenty-five years later, Max and Allison’s seventeen-year-old daughter, Poppy, finds herself face-to-face with the Sanderson sisters in all their sinister glory. When Halloween celebrations don’t quite go as planned, it’s a race against time as Poppy and her friends fight to save her family and all of Salem from the witches’ latest death-defying scheme (Goodreads)

Should Lit Girls read it? 

If you are a fan of the movie and have been longing for a sequel for years then this book is for you. The nostalgia is real with the original story and the sequel is both modern and endearing. I hope this is the story they choose to make into a movie. 

Lit Girls Take

(Warning Spoilers Ahead)

Hocus Pocus

I’m not going to bore you all with the story. Max lights the black flame candle and brings the witches back from the dead. Chaos ensues in the forms of Bette Midler, Kathy Nimjay, and Sarah Jessica Parker. That’s really all you need to know. Just watch the movie. Trust me, it’s worth it. 

The All-New Sequel

This book was adorable! It was exactly what you would expect of a book published by Disney. Jantha took the well-loved characters and allowed them to grow up, making room for a new group of teens to find their way in Salem. Poppy, Max and Allison’s teenaged daughter, struggles with normal teen angst; a secret crush, a mean girl, and the fact that her family is crazy (RE: the events of Hocus Pocus). But on Halloween night Poppy and her friends accidentally awaken the Sanderson Sisters. And they send Poppy’s family to Hell in their place! 

The modern twists on this book made it feel both different and similar to the original. The most notable being that Poppy is gay. I thought the book handled this beautifully, seeing Poppy fret over her crush, Isabella, without being overly dramatic was adorable and relatable. In fact, their relationship is handled in the same manner as any heterosexual relationship would be, which I found refreshing, especially for Disney. Additionally, while technology has come a long way since the ’90s, a cell phone is just as baffling to the witches as the paved road was in the movie. Still, they make good use of the technology, calling all the kids in Salem and bewitching them through song. 

There were plenty of nods to the original story, though, so the nostalgia was in full effect. We see that Jay is now the principal of the high school where Max teaches history. They hate each other, mostly because Max and Allison left Jay and his friend Ernie (aka Ice) at the Sanderson house. Even worse, they proceeded to let everyone think the two were crazy.

We also get reunited with some old favorites, Thackeray and Emily Binx are still hanging around the graveyard. They, along with the fourth and estranged Sanderson Sister Elizabeth (I know!), help Poppy to find the blood moonstone. This is the key to the witch’s success and/or defeat, so both sides are fervently looking for it. It becomes a race against time as Winifred is switching the souls of the Salemits for other dead witches, including her mother.

Only one small piece felt out of place. Through the novel, we get an inner monologue from Mary who is trying to resist and stand up to Winifred. They even go so far as to give her a song, which is really weird on paper. However, nothing ever comes of it. I was waiting the whole time for her to switch sides, but she never did. That particular piece was left unresolved.

This book was action-packed, endearing, and in line with the thread of the original story. Since at the end of Hocus Pocus we see that the spellbook is still awake (alive?), it is not unreasonable that the sisters could come back. There were a few repeat jokes (amok, amok, amok) but moreover, this story held its own alongside its predecessor. A perfect balance of new and old. Any Ninety’s kid who grew up with the movie will love this sequel, in all its Disney glory!