A Coven of Witches: Spellbinding Tales of Magic and Myth
Alexis Powell
Illustrated by Marina Vidal
Gibbs Smith
Ages 8-12
Available July 14, 2026

This collection of scary stories form Alexis Powell asks what it means to be a witch, through the lenses of folklore, mythology, and history. Whether they’re climbing on to ghost trains or being dragged into the spotlight of a circus sideshow, the characters in these stories come face to face with the otherworldly and unexplainable. Will they make it out of their encounters unharmed?

Mixing the imagined and the factual, each story is accompanied by a blurb explaining the real folktale, mythological figure, or event its based on. Powell takes inspiration from across time and space, pulling from sources from the Bible to 19th century New Orleans.

A Coven of Witches is well-suited for readers from scared-cats to hardcore horror fans, with each story receiving a “fright level” score out of three to serve as a guide for those who might want to skip the true spine tinglers. A wide variety of cultural perspectives allows anyone who picks up the collection to learn something new, regardless of their previous knowledge of witchcraft and mythology.