Much of the action in the novel (and the other two) takes place around the ruins of St Hilda’s Abbey, which looms over the town at the top of East Cliff and is reached by a winding set of stairs – 199 in total. Normally invisible to humans, the Aufwaders are cursed to die out, but Nelda thinks Ben can help them find the moonkelp, a treasure from the deep, and save them all. Meanwhile, Ben has met the Aufwaders – Hester, Nelda and Tarr are part of a small tribe, the last survivors of an ancient race of fisher folk. On top of that, she, Alice and Ben all have separate encounters with the nervous new novice at the convent – Sister Bridget, who keeps herself hidden whenever she can but knows more than she lets on. Jennet is plagued by the howls of a big black dog, and has a closer encounter than she would have liked.

Rowena forces her way into the ladies’ circle and soon causes chaos amongst its members.

Then the mysterious Rowena Cooper arrives in town to open an antiques shop, and Alice’s suspicions are aroused. Ben sees ‘visitors’ (ghosts) which hasĬaused them problems in the past, and Alice and her friends are caught holding a séance, which worries Jennet. ‘Aunt’ Alice is in her 90s but seems younger, and encourages her young charges to explore their new home.īut while Ben and Jennet quickly feel settled with Alice, things aren’t perfect. Alice Boston lives in Whitby, a town which immediately enchants both children. Orphans Jennet and Ben have been placed unsuccessfully with several foster homes before moving to live with the friend of a great-aunt. While researching this post I discovered that a new series set in Whitby came out a couple of years ago, so when I’ve reread the other two in this trilogy I’ll be off to get myself the new stories too. The setting is completely different, but the stories have similar themes – displaced children, changing times, peculiar grownups and a dark, supernatural force to overcome. I read the other two books in the Whitby trilogy, which took an even darker turn than the first (that is possible, believe me!), and when Jarvis published his Wyrd Museum series, I couldn’t wait to get hold of them. In the end my parents read it too, and were more excited than I was to show me round the town. I didn’t need any incentive, of course, but it was something to look forward to. We agreed that if I read it all and liked it, we’d go on a trip to Whitby to tour the locations in the novel. This book was published in 1991, and I remember my dad bringing it home for me. The Whitby Witches – Introduction to Item 58 First time on the blog or new to the Time Pieces History Project? Find out what it’s all about here, and then come back to this page for today’s item – Robin Jarvis’ The Whitby Witches.

The Whitby Witches by Robin Jarvis