In a witch's house, nothing is as it seems. When a scarecrow climbs over the garden wall, delivering twelve-year-old orphan Zita Brydgeborn a letter saying she has inherited a distant castle, she jumps at the chance of adventure. But little does she knowthat she is about to be thrust into a centuries-old battle between good and evil. Blackbird Castle was once home to a powerful dynasty of witches, all of them now dead under mysterious circumstances. All but Zita. And Zita, unfortuntely, doesn't know thefirst thing about being a witch. As she begins lessons in charms and spells with her guardian, Mrs. Cantanker, Zita makes new allies - a crow, a talking marble head, two castle servants just her age named Bram and Minnifer, and the silent ghost of a green-eyed girl. But who is friend and who is foe? Zita must race to untangle her past and find the magic to save the home she's always hoped for. Because whatever claimed the souls of her family is now after her. --Inside jacket. - (Baker & Taylor)

A suspenseful tale of witches, family, and magic from internationally bestselling author Stefan Bachmann. When a twelve-year-old orphan unexpectedly becomes the mistress of a seemingly abandoned castle, she is thrust into a mysterious plot involving murderous spells, false identity, and a magical battle of wills between the living and the dead. Readers of Kate Milford's Greenglass House, Victoria Schwab's City of Ghosts, and Diana Wynne Jones will be riveted.

Twelve-year-old Zita, an orphan and a housemaid, has resigned herself to a life of drudgery when a strange letter arrives, naming her the only living heir to the Brydgeborn fortune. Now the mistress of the castle, Zita soon realizes foul play led to the death of her family. And as she is guided through lessons in the art of witchcraft by the somewhat mysterious Mrs. Cantanker, Zita begins to wonder who is friend and who is foe.

Unforgettable and utterly enchanting, this stand-alone tale about family, belonging, and friendship will bewitch readers of Tahereh Mafi’s Whichwood, Katherine Arden’s Small Spaces, and Diana Wynne Jones’s Howl’s Moving Castle. Cinders & Sparrows is a magical page-turner by the author of The Peculiar, the acclaimed international bestseller.

A suspenseful tale of witches, family, and magic from internationally bestselling author Stefan Bachmann. When a twelve-year-old orphan unexpectedly becomes the mistress of a seemingly abandoned castle, she is thrust into a mysterious plot involving murderous spells, false identity, and a magical battle of wills between the living and the dead. Readers of Kate Milford's Greenglass House, Victoria Schwab's City of Ghosts, and Diana Wynne Jones will be riveted.

Twelve-year-old Zita, an orphan and a housemaid, has resigned herself to a life of drudgery when a strange letter arrives, naming her the only living heir to the Brydgeborn fortune. Now the mistress of the castle, Zita soon realizes foul play led to the death of her family. And as she is guided through lessons in the art of witchcraft by the somewhat mysterious Mrs. Cantanker, Zita begins to wonder who is friend and who is foe.

Unforgettable and utterly enchanting, this stand-alone tale about family, belonging, and friendship will bewitch readers of Tahereh Mafi's Whichwood, Katherine Arden's Small Spaces, and Diana Wynne Jones's Howl's Moving Castle. Cinders & Sparrows is a magical page-turner by the author of The Peculiar, the acclaimed international bestseller.

Horn Book Guide Reviews

Orphan housemaid Zita Brydgeborn quits her position and travels to Blackbird Castle after receiving a letter informing her she's the long-lost heir. But on arrival she discovers that she's also expected to assume the duties of the great witching Brydgeborn family, and her teacher, mean Mrs. Cantanker, doesn't even believe Zita is a witch. Young servants Bram and Minnifer offer a slightly warmer welcome, but they seem to be under a curse that prevents them from talking about certain things. As Zita puzzles through the twin mysteries of what happened to her family and how she was separated from them in the first place (and what if everything she's been told is a lie?), she faces dangers from beyond the grave. Bachmann incorporates magic and atmosphere in this appealing tale of persistence, from the shifting staircases and passageways of gothic Blackbird Castle to the irresistible feasts Zita devours with Bram and Minnifer. The author also engineers a particularly deft reversal mid-plot that will leave readers at first bewildered and then delighted. Copyright 2023 Horn Book Guide Reviews.

Horn Book Magazine Reviews

Orphan housemaid Zita Brydgeborn quits her position and travels to Blackbird Castle after receiving a letter informing her she's the long-lost heir. But on arrival she discovers that she's also expected to assume the duties of the great witching Brydgeborn family, and her teacher, mean Mrs. Cantanker, doesn't even believe Zita is a witch. Young servants Bram and Minnifer offer a slightly warmer welcome, but they seem to be under a curse that prevents them from talking about certain things. As Zita puzzles through the twin mysteries of what happened to her family and how she was separated from them in the first place (and what if everything she's been told is a lie?), she faces dangers from beyond the grave. Bachmann incorporates magic and atmosphere in this appealing tale of persistence, from the shifting staircases and passageways of gothic Blackbird Castle to the irresistible feasts Zita devours with Bram and Minnifer. The author also engineers a particularly deft reversal mid-plot that will leave readers at first bewildered and then delighted. Anita L. Burkam January/February 2021 p.98 Copyright 2021 Horn Book Magazine Reviews.

Kirkus Reviews

Although a 12-year-old servant girl doesn’t recall the time before she was an orphan, she remembers her secret, powerful name: Zita Brydgeborn. When she’s summoned to Blackbird Castle, which is ruled over by the unpleasant Mrs. Cantanker, to take her rightful place as the last of a family of powerful witches, it seems almost like a dream come true. But there is much to learn and no one she can fully rely upon, not even Minnifer, the maid, and Bram, the cook, both of whom are friendly toward her. There’s also the scary matter of her family, bewitched and moldering in the dining room. Mrs. Cantanker gradually reveals herself to be a dark force to be reckoned with. When she trusts to her own resourcefulnessâ€"which is ampleâ€"Zita is able to begin gathering tools of power: a loyal crow, magical scissors, and, finally, her Anchor. She’ll need them all as the depth of Cantanker’s evil scheme is finally exposed and Zita must fight the battle of her life to save her family and protect the world from a dead witch of undeniable power. Bachmann’s worldbuilding is delightful. The castle is rich with enough ghosts and enchanted staircases to satisfy any fantasy lover, and the cast of characters, all seemingly White, is well developed and engaging, especially intrepid narrator Zita. A suspenseful romp through an entertainingly witchy world. (Fantasy. 9-14) Copyright Kirkus 2020 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.

Publishers Weekly Reviews

When an animated scarecrow delivers a letter naming her sole heir to a powerful family's ancient estate, 12-year-old orphan and maid Zita Brydgeborn discovers that witches are real—and that she is descended from one of the last great witching families on the continent. Arriving at decaying Blackbird Castle, Zita is greeted by her bitter and disapproving new guardian, Mrs. Cantanker, and two young orphans, Minnifer and Bram, who staff the sprawling, haunted manse. As Zita learns witchcraft under Mrs. Cantanker's harsh tutelage, she, along with Minnifer, Bram, and some of the house's many spirits, searches for a way to reverse the curse that has petrified her family. In a house so full of secrets, however, nothing is what it seems. Through enticing details, Bachmann (A Drop of Night) creates a singular, gothic world in which a long-declining class of psychopompic witches defend against the restless dead. Though uneven pacing and sticky plot points occasionally betray the story's intricately laid (and mislaid) trails, dreadful creatures, an absorbing atmosphere of escalating tension and paranoia, and moments of delightful magic all make for a memorable adventure. Ages 8–12. Agent: Sara Megibow, Nelson Literary. (Oct.)