Hocus and Pocus and the Spell for Home: (An Illustrated Chapter Book of Friendship, Magic, Puppy Pet Adoption for Children Ages 5-8)

From award-winning author A. R. Capetta comes a new first-chapter-book series delivering plenty of puppies, magic, and charm.

Puppies Hocus and Pocus are still waiting to be adopted from the Shelter for Slightly Magical Pets. Even though Hocus can see two minutes into the future and Pocus can turn bad feelings into bubbles (which he eats!), nobody seems to want them. This could be because the two keep causing mischief so they won’t be separated. When Jinx the witch uses a “spell for home” potion to help a color-changing tortoise find his match, the puppies know what to do: sneak both their hairs into the mixture to ensure they get adopted together. But with these two, anything can happen—from a shrinking spell to giant bees! Can the puppies, along with Jinx and her young apprentices—witch Archer (he/him), wizard Ofelia (she/her), and warlock Tam (they/them)—fix the magical mess? And will they finally find a home, maybe even right under their noses? This adorable new series takes readers to a vibrant world full of magic, community, surprises, and welcoming homes.

A. R. Capetta is known for groundbreaking LGBTQ YA genre novels, including Echo After Echo, The Lost Coast, and The Heartbreak Bakery. The Hocus and Pocus series is their first foray into writing for younger readers. A. R. Capetta lives in Vermont with their spouse, author Cory McCarthy, their child, and two puppies who are almost as much mischief as Hocus and Pocus.

Charlene Chua (she/they) is the author-illustrator of Hug? and the illustrator of numerous books for young readers, include the Stonewall Book Award winner and Lambda Literary Award finalist Love, Violet by Charlotte Sullivan Wild; Bye Bye, Binary by Eric Geron; and the Amy Wu series by Kat Zhang. Charlene Chua lives near Toronto.