THE DISAPPEARANCE (W.I.T.C.H. #2)

THE DISAPPEARANCE (W.I.T.C.H. #2)
Adapted by Elizabeth Lenhard
160 pages
ISBN: 0-7868-1729-1
Volo
2004
$ 4.99 Paperback

Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, and Hay Lin (W.I.T.C.H.) are learning quickly what powers each one has. However, their friend Elyon has disappeared, or has she? Is she just invisible?

In this second book of WITCH, the girls are still developing and learning about their unique powers. The girls know they have been chosen to protect the Veil between good and evil and they are now considered to be the Guardians. Will has the special position as being keeper of the Heart of Candracar, but none of the girls still know what is expected from them.

Elyon is now missing after the dance that happened in the first book. While flirting with Cedric, both of them disappeared. In place of them was Vathek who was reptilian and blue, one of the evil creatures of Metamoor.

In the process of discovering their powers, Will has the power of communicating with electrical appliances such as refrigerators, televisions, and the computer printer and the personal relationships between the machines. Taranee has the power over fire and is learning to control it. Hay Lin is learning to use the power of the air with the guidance of her grandmother.

Hay Lin’s grandmother gives the girls a scroll which is a map of the twelve portals which are passages through the Veil into Metamoor. These are the ways that the evil creatures will try to reach our world. The map displays a tiny glimmering pink point when a portal is sealed like the one the girls sealed in the school gym. The flames had closed it. The girls’ mission is to close the other eleven portals.

Hay Lin’s grandmother is able to visit with the Oracle who is the all-knowing one who has anointed the five Guardians of the Veil. Apparently, the map is not clear as to the location of the portals and the girls must discover them in their town if Heatherfield.

To complicate matters, a boy at their school, Andrew Hornby, is missing. With Elyon missing, as well as her parents now, and the death of Hay Lin’s grandmother, the girls realize the importance of their mission.

The books still has the comic page approach in both the beginning and the end to review and help visualize the text.

Being the second book in a series, this book strongly relies on information from the first. These books are to be read in order and would be difficult to understand as a stand alone.

As the girls are gaining knowledge and confidence in the magical and realistic sense, this book is a good guide for the character traits that make these girls special. Also, the value of friendships and the confusion of becoming a teen-ager help all who choose to read this set of books.