48 pages • 1 hour read
Claribel A. OrtegaWitchlings
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2022A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Character Analysis
Seven Salazar
Seven Salazar is the novel’s main character. She is 12 years old and has “tawny-brown skin and dark curls” (3). Seven is determined and brave, as demonstrated when she invokes the Clause of the Impossible Task, a bold decision that sets the story’s plot into motion. Another one of the character’s primary traits is her intelligence. Seven earns the “the best grades in her class” at the Goody Garlick Academy for Magic (216). Seven’s studious nature advances the plot because she uses her knowledge of magical plants, casts advanced spells, and brews complicated potions to facilitate the Witchlings’ search for the Nightbeast and the person controlling the monster. At times, Seven’s intelligence leads her to stubbornly insist that she knows best. For example, Valley considers Seven a “know-it-all” because she repeatedly causes problems for the Witchlings by disregarding Valley’s monster-hunting expertise. Although Seven sometimes gets into trouble because of her reluctance to listen to others, her determination, intelligence, and bravery serve her well on her adventures.
Seven functions as the novel’s protagonist and viewpoint character. When she is first introduced, she is narrowly focused on her plans for success, wary of Valley, and dismissive toward Thorn. However, she comes to understand and cherish her fellow Witchlings as they bond through their shared struggle to achieve the Impossible Task. Seven becomes more open-minded and selfless over the course of the narrative, and this transformation culminates when she uses the ave to protect Valley and Thorn even though doing so may mean sacrificing herself:
She wanted to become someone important, but if she couldn’t do that, if there was no hope for Seven living the life she’d always hoped to live, she would make sure her two best friends in the world got that chance. She would give up her life for theirs (306).
By offering access to Seven’s thoughts during this decisive moment, the author’s use of third-person limited narration highlights the character’s altruism and growth. The love Seven has for Thorn and Valley speaks to the powerful trust they have built. Ortega uses Seven’s initial closeness, strain, and eventual reconciliation with her former best friend, Poppy, to explore the ways that Systems of Exclusion and Disenfranchisement damage relationships and perpetuate inequality. In addition, Seven develops the theme of Self-Discovery in the Face of Adversity by unlocking her ability to speak with animals during the climactic battle with the Nightbeast, a power that sets the stage for the novel’s happy ending and her appointment as an Uncle-in-training. Seven is a dynamic protagonist who learns valuable lessons about herself and the power of trust.
Valley Pepperhorn
Valley Pepperhorn is the novel’s deuteragonist and a member of Seven’s coven. In Chapter 2, the narrator describes the 12-year-old as a tall girl who wears black clothes, black nail polish, and “dark eyeliner all the time” and dyes her hair “the color of a dried-up rose” (20). Valley’s ever-present dark wardrobe and makeup add to Seven’s impression of her as an intimidating loner while her pink hair suggests that there is another, softer side to the character than Seven initially perceives. Valley is deeply impacted by her father’s mistreatment of her. Because she feels powerless to confront her abuser or ask for help, she struggles to regulate her emotions and sometimes becomes “angry enough to explode” (135). One of Valley’s positive traits is her protectiveness. Her dream in life is to “be a monster hunter and keep Ravenskill and all the magic towns safe” (85). In keeping with Valley’s goal, Ortega characterizes her as a daring figure who boldly fights monsters and confidently navigates eerie settings. Valley may appear angry and cold, but she is a caring and brave character who leaps to her friends’ defense.
Valley’s transformation over the course of the novel develops the theme of cooperation and trust. Seven initially resents and doubts Valley because she thinks that Valley’s been “bullying [her] for two years straight” (165), but she eventually realizes that Valley is a misunderstood girl who longs to make friends. During her momentous apology to Seven in Chapter 15, Valley confesses, “I was scared if I tried to talk to you, you’d laugh at me” (166). This revelation helps the protagonist better appreciate her positive attributes and contributions. Two key assets that Valley brings to the team are her courage and her monster-hunting skills, and these add to the novel’s suspenseful action scenes. Ultimately, the bonds of trust and cooperation between Seven and Thorn allow the Witchlings to combat systems of exclusion and save their town from the Cursed Toads’ machinations. Another key shift in Valley’s characterization is the healing she experiences after her father faces consequences for abusing her. While she still has a journey of recovery ahead of her, she’s happy that Seven told her mother about the abuse because she no longer has “to be sad in private and hide things” (274). Valley and Seven’s unexpected yet life-changing friendship illustrates Ortega’s assertion that people should refrain from judging others.
Thorn Laroux
Thorn Laroux is the third member of Seven and Valley’s coven. The 12-year-old has a petite build, “straight, short black hair and bangs,” and “deep, dark blue” eyes (10). At the start of the novel, Thorn is so painfully lonely that she’s thrilled to be a Spare, the most oppressed segment of the Twelve Towns’ population, merely because of the prospect of companionship: “‘I’ve never had two friends at the same time,’ Thorn said, almost under her breath” (18). Thorn is a creative girl who co-owns a fashion company with her mother and sews the “beautiful red outfits” that the Witchlings wear into battle (192). The color red symbolizes their status as Spares, and Thorn’s ensembles help Seven take pride in her coven despite their marginalized place in society. Another of her positive traits is her infectious kindness: “It was hard not to be friendly when Thorn was around, if only because it made Seven feel like a crummy witch to be mean” (164). The kind and creative Thorn gains the friendship she yearns for and makes important contributions to the group’s unity.
Thorn is a dynamic character and acts as the mediator among the Witchlings. She serves as a “magical buffer” between Seven and Valley, helping the two girls learn how to work together despite their complicated history. When Thorn arrives in Ravenskill, she is timid and fearful because the Nightbeast recently killed her twin brother, Petal. She tells her friends that he was “always braver” than her, but she gradually finds her courage and avenges her brother. During the novel’s climax, she defeats the Nightbeast, the source of her trauma and loss. Thorn’s name is a prophecy referring to the way she contains the monster in a “cage of thorns” (314), which develops the theme of Self-Discovery in the Face of Adversity and further underscores how pivotal this moment is for her characterization. Thorn enters the story as a lonely, timorous figure, but she becomes a courageous hero and a beloved friend.
Knox Kosmos (The Gran)
Knox Kosmos is the Town Gran. Ortega doesn’t provide the woman’s age, but she’s been the leader of Ravenskill for over 50 years. The Gran has “gray braids” and wears a “long black coat [...] enchanted to look like the night sky” (9). The garment reflects her name, Knox, which is “an ancient word that meant night” (10). The coat is also a mark of her status because the magic of the Twelve Towns’ Grans comes from the stars. The Gran is the most powerful witch in Ravenskill, and she takes her responsibility of protecting the town seriously. She’s a progressive leader who seeks to implement social reforms, such as expanding Spares’ rights. The Gran’s words of wisdom and encouragement help Seven when she feels daunted by the Impossible Task: “You are never alone—remember that. Even if the people you love and count on can’t be by your side, they are always in your heart” (134). Her support is essential not only because of her power but also because most of the town’s population treats the Witchlings like outcasts. The Gran is a powerful, wise, and progressive leader.
The Gran serves as a mentor to the protagonist. Her advice helps Seven realize The Power of Cooperation and Trust: “I know you will figure out the impossible task with Thorn and Valley. Let them help you” (134). Seven remembers these words later when the Witchlings are fighting monsters. The Gran also makes important contributions to the theme of exclusion by fighting against Spares’ disenfranchisement. She opposes the inequitable social structure of the Twelve Towns and is the “original creator” of Amendment S. Her imprisonment escalates the story’s plot and suspense. In a few short weeks, the town’s highly respected leader is scapegoated by bigots, loses her freedom, and is nearly executed. This intensifies the stakes facing the Witchlings and other Spares by showing how far their enemies are prepared to go to prevent their enfranchisement. The Gran also contributes to the plot by giving Seven the ave, transforming the Cursed Toads into amphibians at the end of the climactic battle, and publicly honoring the Witchlings’ “resilience” and “commitment to [their] community” during the resolution (325). The Gran supports the protagonist’s growth, advocates for cooperation and inclusion, and helps to secure the novel’s happy ending.
Barbatos Birch (The Uncle)
Barbatos Birch, who disguises himself as Ravenskill’s Town Uncle, is the story’s antagonist. He wears a “furry green hat” and a robe “adorned with trees and various animals enchanted to scuttle about the fabric” (9, 8). The ceremonial robe represents his responsibilities as the Uncle, which include acting as “the liaison for and caretaker of all the animals of Ravenskill” (8). His ability to speak to animals foreshadows that he is communicating with the Nightbeast and using the monster for his villainous schemes. In addition, his hat becomes relevant to the plot when he uses it to send the cucos after Beefy. Birch possesses immense magical strength as “the most powerful witch in Ravenskill after the Gran” (8), but his most formidable weapon is his cunning. He impersonates the true Uncle, Rulean Pennyfeather, for 50 years before he’s discovered. On top of tricking the entire town of Ravenskill and the Gran, the villain manipulates the Witchlings into thinking that he is on their side. He recruits people like Mr. Dimblewit to advance his schemes while promising Seven and her friends that he “will do [his] best to help” them stop the Dimblewits (269). Birch’s motivation is rooted in discrimination. He and the other two Cursed Toads attained power and privilege by usurping the Uncles’ positions, and they don’t want to see anyone else from their marginalized group succeed. Barbatos Birch’s cunning, manipulation, and bigotry make him a threat to the Witchlings and their fellow Spares.
As the novel’s antagonist, Birch shapes the novel’s plot and suspense. At first, he appears to be a kind and helpful albeit somewhat bumbling figure, so the plot twist that he is the evil mastermind behind the cuco attacks adds to the novel’s mystery and tension. He also figures prominently in the climax, which is the battle between the Witchlings and the Cursed Toads. The conflict between the two Spare covens develops the theme of Systems of Exclusion and Disenfranchisement because Birch and the Cursed Toads attempt to take what few rights Spares have from them. The antagonist voices his internalized discrimination when he declares, “The Gran had no right to name us Spares. We were deserving of more; Spares are beneath us” (299). Rather than using his position to dismantle his society’s unjust systems, he displays a false sense of superiority and cares only for the way he and his coven have been mistreated. The contrast between the Cursed Toads and the three Witchlings emphasizes the importance of solidarity and cooperation.
