Hocus was a mean little witch, and she was determined that her younger sister Pocus should be one as well. Unfortunately, Pocus' spells had a tendency to be kind, rather than cruel. When Hocus and Pocus attend a Halloween circus, every single one of Hocus' ideas for ruining the experience for everyone goes wrong, thanks to Pocus' well-meaning bungling...

Published in 1983, Hocus and Pocus at the Circus was part of HaperCollins' I Can Read collection of beginning readers, and features a few simple sentences on each two-page spread. The story was engaging enough, although I didn't particularly care for the circus theme, given the use of performing animals. Leaving that issue aside, this had a sweet ending, and cute illustrations, and is one I would recommend to beginning readers who enjoy witchy tales. ( )