Reviews

Appreciated the complicated, bittersweet ending. All too often adults think children need a happy all problems solved ending, and with this I had to grapple with the idea that the protaganist has to come to terms with his own mortality earlier than one would expect. I remember actively pondering that myself, and just kind of working through the idea of accepting one's fate as it were. A scary concept delivered in as safe a way as possible. Not so much a review of the story I guess lol... but still something I think about whenever I think back on this book.

srivalli's review against another edition

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lighthearted fast-paced

3.0

3 Stars

One Liner: Nice… not much, though!

Disclaimer: I picked this for a reading challenge prompt.

The little boy learns from his grandmother that witches are real and look like women. Witches are dangerous and have one goal – to get rid of children. When the little boy comes across the Grand Witch with a master plan to wipe out all the kids in England, he knows he has to find a way to stop the witches. Can he be successful in this attempt?

The story comes in the first-person POV of the nameless little boy.

My Thoughts:

So, my first book by a famous author is a mixed read! I know he wrote scary books for kids, but this one doesn’t seem to be great. Also, I’m super glad I watched BFG (Spielberg’s) instead of reading it.

Right! I did enjoy this in bits and pieces. The relationship between the nameless narrator and his grandmother is beautiful. They love each other, which is easy to see.

The little bits about training mice and mouse circus are fun. Some of the messy parts are fun, too.

I don’t mind the outdated content since that’s when the book was written. Of course, it will have stuff we don’t like. We just explain the differences and steer little ones in the right direction. But…

This one could give kiddos some serious nightmares. I appreciate the nonchalance with which they are presented. That does dilute the creepiness a lot. Still, a sensitive child could be disturbed by some of it.

This seems to be standalone, or is there another book? The loose ends make me wonder if I’m missing something or if that’s how it is written.

The illustrations are rough pencil sketches. Some are cute, and some are creepy. They gel well with the overall darkish vibe.

To summarize, The Witches is an imaginative story, even if it is a bit simple and has outdated ideas. It is a fairly easy and fast read but may not be for everyone. I’d ask parents to read it before they share it with kids (just to be safe).

Content Warnings

mrscharlottewilkins's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

_saraye_'s review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

sweetbeegarden's review against another edition

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fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

one of my top fav books of all time!!!! 🤩🤩 this is the funniest and silliest of all stories, everyone in the world should read it!!!!! i went slow and read a lot of it out loud to myself - the dialogue was so hilarious i couldn’t stop laughing!!!! i give it 6/5 stars 😊 a wonderfully delicious rollercoaster of a book! learned a lot about how to keep safe from REAL WITCHES; they’re everywhere!

p.s. this is technically a re-read bc i was obsessed with this story as a kid 🧙🏽‍♀️

pata's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes

3.0

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