Scan barcode
m4tr1m0ny's review against another edition
5.0
The perfect Halloween book! If I could live in the mermaid lagoon for the rest of time, I would.
caroparr's review against another edition
4.0
How had I never read this before? Amy and Clarissa are real little girls who tell each other stories about Old Witch, Little Witch Girl, a bee named Malachi, and and a scary glass hill. Estes avoids even a hint of sentimentality or sweetness in a story where imagination and friendship intertwine. A small masterpiece.
ashleylm's review against another edition
4.0
A charming, odd little book, one whose main oddity will likely sail over the heads of its audience. With a six-year-old protagonist, this is clearly intended as a read-aloud, and I suppose the adults will get some pleasure out of this, even if the children miss it—in an early bit of post-modern writing, Estes is essentially crafting a well-written novel out of the kind of stories the central figure is telling herself and her friend, rather like the film version of Adaptation, say, where the film is a filmed version of the script being written by the central character of the film. It gets twisty!
But one can read this a good-natured, basically gentle story about some witches and their very low-key adventures, and I'm sure most kids will experience it that way. Nonetheless I got a kick out of how Estes handled it. Whatever Amy said, happened (it would have to, she's making up the story), and some events were clearly dreams, and Amy's friend Clarissa conveniently has a poor memory of the incidents she's supposedly drawn into.
A real charmer.
Oh, and illustrations by Edward Ardizzone, who is one of my top favourite illustrators of 20th century childrens' books. When I see him, I think "oh, it'll be that kind of book," and I'm in a great frame of mind even before I begin.
(5* = amazing, terrific book, one of my all-time favourites, 4* = very good book, 3* = good book, but nothing to particularly rave about, 2* = disappointing book, and 1* = awful, just awful. As a statistician I know most books are 3s, but I am biased in my selection and end up mostly with 4s, thank goodness.)
But one can read this a good-natured, basically gentle story about some witches and their very low-key adventures, and I'm sure most kids will experience it that way. Nonetheless I got a kick out of how Estes handled it. Whatever Amy said, happened (it would have to, she's making up the story), and some events were clearly dreams, and Amy's friend Clarissa conveniently has a poor memory of the incidents she's supposedly drawn into.
A real charmer.
Oh, and illustrations by Edward Ardizzone, who is one of my top favourite illustrators of 20th century childrens' books. When I see him, I think "oh, it'll be that kind of book," and I'm in a great frame of mind even before I begin.
(5* = amazing, terrific book, one of my all-time favourites, 4* = very good book, 3* = good book, but nothing to particularly rave about, 2* = disappointing book, and 1* = awful, just awful. As a statistician I know most books are 3s, but I am biased in my selection and end up mostly with 4s, thank goodness.)
be_like_the_squirrel_girl's review against another edition
3.0
This was a great book to read aloud in time for Halloween. It was written in 1960, so it has a certain charm: the idea that 2 little girls drawing pictures at their table could create an alternate reality with a witch family is interesting. I love the baby Weenie Witchie.
poplartears's review against another edition
2.0
The kids enjoyed this one but it was not my favorite Eleanor Estes book. It was difficult to read aloud with the spelling bee and some of the babyish language the characters used. And the story was a little silly... a departure from the Moffats or Ginger Pye for sure.
mixxie67's review against another edition
4.0
A childhood favorite. Wonderful, whimsical story punctuated by the delicate art work of Edward Ardizzone.
cityofstarlight's review against another edition
4.0
the only book i ever re-read more than once as a kid <3. one of my favorites ever & really charming story (except the subtle backdrop of imperialism* you can't help but notice when you're older T_T)
* here are a couple points in the story that are part of that imperialist backdrop in my opinion (minor spoilers):
- both main characters, Amy and Clarissa being white and blond, and Clarissa, who was born in France, mentioning multiple times that her grandmother lives in Tangiers. *sigh* i mean this book was published only 4 years after Morocco gained independence from France so I guess this is historically accurate, but man. even my favorite escapist book from childhood about mermaids, magic, and witches has to heavily imply the french colonization of North Africa
* here are a couple points in the story that are part of that imperialist backdrop in my opinion (minor spoilers):
Spoiler
- both main characters, Amy and Clarissa being white and blond, and Clarissa, who was born in France, mentioning multiple times that her grandmother lives in Tangiers. *sigh* i mean this book was published only 4 years after Morocco gained independence from France so I guess this is historically accurate, but man. even my favorite escapist book from childhood about mermaids, magic, and witches has to heavily imply the french colonization of North Africa