Newtown residents Susan Kassirer and Mark Richardson will be the guests at C.H. Booth Library on November 9, when they continue to celebrate and share the release of The Knitting Witch: A Spellbinding Tale of Magic and Mischief.

When Newtown resident Susan Kassirer was a child, her mother Norma used to read to her and make up stories all the time. Among the stories Norma read to Susan was The Knitting Witch, which she penned in the 1950s.

Norma Kassirer was a writer and artist best known for her middle-grade children’s classic Magic Elizabeth, first published in 1966. Another middle-grade novel, The Doll Snatchers, was published in 1969. She was also the author of numerous books and short stories for adults.

She died in February 2013 at the age of 89.

Following her mother’s passing, Susan Kassirer went through the stacks of manuscripts left behind in her mother’s Buffalo, N.Y., apartment and found the long-lost manuscript. Kassirer hadn’t heard many of the stories since childhood, and found herself captivated all over again by her mother’s work.

The Knitting Witch follows a character named Ivy Lou, a spoiled girl who throws tantrums of epic proportions. Ivy Lou encounters a witch with a penchant for knitting, and plans to turn the girl into a witch’s child.

After rereading the rediscovered manuscript, Kassirer shared it with trusted friend and illustrator Mark Richardson. The fellow Newtown resident began collaborating with Kassirer, bringing Norma’s stories to life again.

Kassirer, who has a background as a children’s book editor, “thoughtfully edited” her mother’s work, she told The Newtown Bee in September, and the resulting project was a hand-bound chapter book published last month by The Collective Book Studio. The 88-page children’s book, distributed by Simon & Schuster, is suitable for grades 2-5/ages 7-10 but enjoyable for all ages. It is available as an e-book or paperback.

Of The Knitting Witch, Kirkus Reviews said “Extreme brattiness meets extreme witchiness in this merrily plotted tale,” while Booklist said it is a “thoroughly enjoyable throwback that gives readers a playful push towards gratitude.”

Kassirer and Richardson celebrated the release of The Knitting Witch with their first author’s program on October 27. A book launch party was conducted at Byrd’s Books in Bethel. The pair has already done similar events at Elm Street Books in New Canaan, Hickory Stick Bookshop in Washington Depot, and Barns & Noble in Danbury.

Now they are heading toward their hometown library.

Kassirer and Richardson will be at C.H. Booth Library, 25 Main Street, on Saturday, November 9. Their 90-minute program will begin at 2 pm in the lower meeting room. Registration is requested and available by calling 203-426-4533 or online at chboothlibrary.org.