Mirium was an elderly witch with a bit of a memory problem, and her spells suffered as a result. When she saw a sign advertising a dog show, she decided to attend, only to be told by a policeman that she needed a dog herself, if she wanted to be on the field. Her attempts to conjure a dog resulted in all kinds of chaos, as different animals - a bird, a cat, some sheep - appeared instead. When Mirium accidentally disappeared ALL the dogs in the show, could she put things right...?

Brought out in 1971 by the Garrard Publishing Company, which also released Ida DeLage's fourteen books about 'The Old Witch,' Mixed-Up Magic was also published (in that same year) as The Mixed-Up Witch. Although one edition was in hardcover and the other in paperback, I'm not really sure why it was necessary to use two different titles, but leaving that issue aside, it was a silly but engaging little witchy confection. The story and artwork, done by one David Stone, have a distinctly vintage feel to them, and the book, with its simple text and short sentences, can be used as an early reader. Recommended to anyone, especially beginning readers, who enjoys vintage witchy tales. For myself, I'll have to see about tracking down the sequel, Here Comes Mirium, The Mixed-Up Witch! ( )