Bryn Savage

Sabine Städing’s Petronella Apfelmus is an engaging, but gentle series for kindergarten through elementary school (~4-9). My son was an early reader and I could comfortably hand him the books without worrying that the story lines might be scary or otherwise too mature. At the same time, it’s a wonderfully funny series with lots of fun magical creatures and plot twists that kept both of us laughing whenever we read together.

Petronella Apfelmus is an apple-tree witch who lives with her best friend, the stag beetle Lucius, high in an apple tree, in the overgrown garden of a disused mill on the edge of a small town. When nine-year-old twins Lea and Luis move into the old mill house with their parents Paul and Maike Kuchenbrand, Petronella is initially furious and afraid the family will disturb her apple orchard. She tries to scare the family away with hexes and spells, but soon changes her mind about the twins, and invites them to join in on her adventures, where they also get to know Lucius, garden sprites called Apfelmännchen and many more magical creatures. When Lea and Luis climb her magical ladder into Petronella’s apple house, they shrink to her size and have even more fun adventures. Many of the books’ plots revolve around the family’s bakery café they set up in the old mill and the scheming local master baker Kümmerling, who tries to sabotage them, but whom they always outsmart.

We love the warmth and atmosphere of the Petronella Apfelmus series, as well as the humor which is amusing and witty without being overly broad or crude. Petronella is kind and charming, but impulsive and her spells frequently go slightly wrong in comic ways. We also enjoyed SaBine Büchner’s illustrations that are sprinkled throughout each book, although I find them slightly cartoonish. Städing ties a lot of the books to the seasons as well as Christmas (and Walpurgisnacht), which can be fun if you are looking to find books that fit with a given time of year. The first book was published in 2014 and has been very popular, so there are lots of different ways to enjoy the series — 13 books in the main series, audiobook versions (available on Spotify!), graded readers (Erstleser), an animated TV series (on KiKa), activity books, games, and even an advent calendar and a Petronella witch costume.

The Petronella-Apfelmus Series (Main Books only)

1. Verhext und festgeklebt — Petronella tries every trick in her hexing arsenal to drive the noisy new Kuchenbrand family out of the mill house. But the twins Lea and Luis turn out to be hard to dislike.
2. Zauberschlaf und Knallfroschchaos — A circus comes to town, and Lea and Luis befriend the children of the troupe — but the tyrannical stand-in director is treating the performers and animals badly, and Petronella must step in.
3. Schneeballschlacht und Wichtelstreiche — Lea and Luis are desperate for the first snow of winter, while Petronella is busy winterizing her apple home — but a mischievous gang of Wichtel arrives and throws everything into delightful chaos.
4. Zauberhut und Bienenstich — Autumn arrives and the Apfelmännchen are busy with the harvest, but something is threatening the bees in the garden, and Petronella’s new hat seems to have a mind of its own.
5. Hexenbuch und Schnüffelnase — Petronella’s most precious spell book goes missing, and a mysterious sniffing creature appears in the garden. The twins and the Apfelmännchen must help track down both.
6. Schnattergans und Hexenhaus — An exceedingly chatty goose arrives in the garden and disrupts everything, while the question of Petronella’s winter shelter becomes an unexpected adventure.
7. Hexenfest und Waldgeflüster — The Walpurgisnacht approaches and Petronella must pass a major test at the big witches’ festival, while strange whispers from the forest suggest something is stirring in the woods.
8. Zaubertricks und Maulwurfshügel — A group of moles starts tunneling under the garden, and a visiting magician’s tricks keep misfiring in increasingly chaotic ways.
9. Eismagie und wilde Wichte — November has come but winter is still asleep. Petronella’s weather-witch sisters need her help to wake the winter — an unexpected journey that brings her face to face with a raft of wild and grumpy Wichte on the mill pond.
10. 24 weihnachtliche Geschichten aus dem Apfelhaus — A special Advent calendar book: 24 short Christmas stories, one for each day from December 1st to Christmas Eve, set in and around the apple garden.
11. Burggespenst und Hexensümpfe — Lea and Luis go on a school trip to a castle, while Petronella attends a witches’ gathering in the marshes — and both adventures turn out to be considerably spookier than anticipated.
12. Zauberei und Eulenschrei — A friendly wizard asks Petronella to take in his apprentice, who calls himself “der große Mumpitz,” for a few days. As feared, the young trainee promptly causes magnificent chaos — at the worst possible time.
13. Hexenschuss und Zaubernuss — Cryptozoologists arrive and set up camp behind the garden, hunting for magical creatures in the Haspelwald. With Petronella away, the garden’s residents must fend for themselves — and things get tense fast.
14. Flüsterhaus und Schlangenhaar — Upcoming in November 2026. The twins accompany their parents to an international baking completion in the UK, but Petronella senses danger…