A coming-of -age novel featuring three generations of witches in t he 1960s, this whimsical yet heartwarming debut explores the importance of family and the joys and heartbreak of discovering who you truly are.
WHAT WE SACRIFICE FOR MAGIC
by Andrea Jo DeWerd
Crooked Lane, September 2024
It’s 1968, and the Watry-Ridder family is feared and respected in equal measure. The local farmers seek out their water charms and the teenagers their love spells. The family’s charms and spells have long served the town, passed down through generations of witches descending from the Black Forest.
Eldest daughter Elisabeth has just graduated high school?she is expected to hone her supernatural abilities so that she can help her grandmother, the indomitable Madga. She’s also expected to marry her high school sweetheart, and live the rest of her life in the small town of Friedrich, Minnesota. But all she can ask is why her? Why is her path set in stone?
She soon discovers that magic isn’t the only thing inherited in her family. That magic also comes with a great price- and a big family secret. The more she digs, the more questions she has and the less she trusts the grandmother she thought she knew. Who is Elisabeth without her family? She must ultimately decide what she’s willing to sacrifice for her family, for their secrets and their magic, or risk it all to pave her own way. A touching look at family and coming into one’s own, WHAT WE SACRIFICE FOR MAGIC is perfect for fans of Alice Hoffman and Louisa Morgan.
Andrea Jo DeWerd is a writer, speaker, and the founder of the future of agency LLC, a book marketing and publishing consulting agency. Andrea received her M.S. in Publishing from New York University and B.A. in English from the George Washington University. Born and raised in Minnesota, Andrea now lives and writes in Brooklyn, NY. WHAT WE SACRIFICE FOR MAGIC is her first novel.

Shivering and bruised, a teen wakes up on the side of a dirt road with no memory of how she got there—or who she is. A passing officer takes her to the police station, and not long after, a frantic man arrives. He’s been searching for her for hours. He has her school ID, her birth certificate, and even family photos.
Yun is a ninety-year-old woman recounting her time growing up in the Phoenix Pencil Company in 1940s Shanghai. While Japan invades China, Yun’s cousin moves in with them, and the two develop a competitive yet loving relationship. When the government discovers their family can magically Reforge a pencil’s words, bringing its words back to life, the cousins are separated and forced into a life of betraying stories in order to survive.