''Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth'' is a

children's novel Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

E. L. Konigsburg Elaine Lobl Konigsburg (February 10, 1930 – April 19, 2013) was an American writer and illustrator of children's books and young adult fiction. She is one of six writers to win two Newbery Medals, the venerable American Library Association aw ...

. It was published by

Atheneum Books Atheneum Books was a New York City publishing house established in 1959 by Alfred A. Knopf, Jr., Simon Michael Bessie and Hiram Haydn. Simon & Schuster has owned Atheneum properties since its acquisition of Macmillan in 1994 and it created Athen ...

in 1967 and next year in the UK by

Macmillan MacMillan, Macmillan, McMillen or McMillan may refer to: People * McMillan (surname) * Clan MacMillan, a Highland Scottish clan * Harold Macmillan, British statesman and politician * James MacMillan, Scottish composer * William Duncan MacMillan ...

under the title ''Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth and Me''."E(laine) L(obl) Konigsburg 1930-"
. CMS Library Information Center. Coleytown Middle School.

Westport, Connecticut Westport is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, along the Long Island Sound within Connecticut's Gold Coast. It is northeast of New York City. The town had a population of 27,141 according to the 2020 U.S. Census. History ...

. Retrieved 2011-12-07. ''Jennifer, Hecate'' was the author's first book published, the same year as her second book ''

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler ''From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler'' is a novel by E. L. Konigsburg. The book follows siblings Claudia and Jamie Kincaid as they run away from home to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. It was publishe ...

''. ''Mixed-Up Files'' won the 1968

Newbery Medal The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished cont ...

and ''Jennifer, Hecate'' won a

Newbery Honor Newbery is a surname. People * Chantelle Newbery (born 1977), Australian Olympic diver * David Newbery (born 1943), British economist *Eduardo Newbery (1878–1908), Argentine odontologist and aerostat pilot * Francis Newbery (disambiguation), s ...

, making Konigsburg the only person to win both citations in one year."1997 Newbery Medal and Honor"

Association for Library Service to Children The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) is a division of the American Library Association, and it is the world's largest organization dedicated to library service to children. Its members are concerned with creating a better future ...

. ALA. Retrieved 2011-11-15. The Newbery Honor was initiated for the 1970/1971 cycle and Newbery Honors for books published before 1970 were named in retrospect. She had submitted both manuscripts to editor Jean E. Karl, who accepted both."Jean Karl, 72; A Publisher Of Books For Children"
(obituary). 3 April 2000. Eden Ross Lipson. ''The New York Times''. Retrieved 2011-10-21.

Summary

''Jennifer, Hecate'' is narrated by the

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...

Elizabeth in the title. She has moved into a big apartment building in a town where almost everyone lives in a house. She doesn't yet have any friends when she meets Jennifer on her way back to school after lunch on

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observan ...

day. Although dressed as a

Pilgrim A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journey (often on foot) to some place of special significance to the adherent of ...

, Jennifer claims to be a real

witch Witchcraft traditionally means the use of Magic (supernatural), magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In Middle Ages, medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually ...

. After one Saturday meeting, Jennifer takes Elizabeth as an

apprentice Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...

and sets weekly meetings with assignments. "For the first week ... you must eat a raw egg every day. And you must bring me an egg every day. Make mine hard boiled." They meet only in school, the library, the park, or the woods between home and school. The apprenticeship is difficult for Elizabeth. Sometimes she gets mad at Jennifer, but "before I'd got Jennifer, I'd had no one." After several weeks, they choose a long project--to prepare an

ointment A topical medication is a medication that is applied to a particular place on or in the body. Most often topical medication means application to body surfaces such as the skin or mucous membranes to treat ailments via a large range of classes ...

that conveys the ability to fly. It will also be a test for Elizabeth's promotion from apprentice. The final ingredient will be a live

toad Toad is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands. A distinction between frogs and toads is not made in scient ...

, selected in advance. During the intervening months, the toad becomes a pet. Elizabeth stops Jennifer from adding him to the brew, which terminates the ointment and their friendship. Later she realizes that her affection for the toad was part of the test. Finally, Elizabeth deduces that Jennifer's dad is

gardener A gardener is someone who practices gardening, either professionally or as a hobby. Description A gardener is any person involved in gardening, arguably the oldest occupation, from the hobbyist in a residential garden, the home-owner suppl ...

at "The Estate" across the street, and they live on site. As Elizabeth proudly puts the clues together, Jennifer is walking to her door. Inside, Jennifer soon laughs and admits that the whole witch thing was just a make-believe fantasy. The two girls become normal friends who focus on reality-based pursuits.

Origins

Konigsburg recognized that her children were "

suburban A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separa ...

kids, comfortable/uncomfortable kids". Their experiences were quite unlike her own, more like her former students at Bartram School for Girls in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which th ...

; they were "softly comfortable on the outside and solidly uncomfortable on the inside.""Meet the Author: E. L. Konigsburg"
. No date. Houghton Mifflin Reading. Retrieved 2011-12-07. She wrote for the Book of Junior Authors that ''Jennifer, Hecate'' was "based upon what happened when my daughter was the newcomer to our apartment house in

Port Chester, New York Port Chester is a village in the U.S. state of New York and the largest part of the town of Rye in Westchester County by population. At the 2010 U.S. census, the village of Port Chester had a population of 28,967 and was the fifth-most po ...

""Konigsburg, E. L."
Autobiographical statement from Connie Rockman, ed., ''Eighth Book of Junior Authors and Illustrators'' Wilson, 2000 (). CMS Library Information Center. Coleytown Middle School.

. Retrieved 2011-12-07. where the family had relocated from Jacksonville in 1962.

Controversy

Some controversy regarding Konigsburg's works has concerned

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...

, she told Scholastic Teachers. For example, "there are people who don't like ''Jennifer, Hecate ...'' because the little girl pretends to be a witch.""E. L. Konigsburg, Interview Transcript"
. No date. Scholastic Teachers. Retrieved 2011-12-07.

Adaptation

The book was turned into an ''

NBC Children's Theatre ''NBC Children's Theatre'' is an American television anthology series airing from November 3, 1963 to March 17, 1973. Its stories were primarily drawn from classical and contemporary children's literature, including The Merry Adventures of Robin ...

'' feature called ''Jennifer and Me'' that aired on March 3, 1973.

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...

winner June Reig produced, directed and wrote the special.

Notes

References

E. L. Konigsburg, ''Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and me, Elizabeth'', New York: Atheneum Books, 1967. Third

Aladdin Paperbacks Aladdin Paperbacks is one of several children's-book imprints owned by Simon & Schuster. It was established by Jean E. Karl at Atheneum Books where she was the founding director of the children's department (1961). Atheneum merged with or was a ...

edition, February 2007. {{reflist 1967 American novels American children's novels Newbery Honor-winning works Witchcraft in written fiction Novels by E. L. Konigsburg 1967 children's books American novels adapted into films American novels adapted into television shows 1967 debut novels Atheneum Books books