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manwithanagenda 's review for:
Bedknob and Broomstick
by Mary Norton
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Having loved the Disney film growing up I was pleasantly surprised to come across the original books! Since I've read 'The Borrowers' I felt I could expect a good story. Unfortunately it was a bit of a mixed bag.
The first book, 'The Magic Bed Knob; or, How to Become a Witch in Ten Easy Lessons' was a cute little story about Carey, Charles and Paul visiting their aunt in the country, and discovering a neighbor lady crashed in the garden. I liked how the origin of Miss Price's witch lessons was kept secret, and the sinister moments where Miss Price contemplated a nasty spell to keep the three children quiet about her secret.
There was only one excursion on the bed here, a planned outing to a distant South Seas island (not Nabumbu), supposedly uninhabited. I couldn't help laughing when Carey and Charles were captured by the 'cannibal' islanders and Carey sobbed "people should be careful what they write in encyclopedias!" The depictions of the islanders in text and image, the original illustrations were in my edition, are racist in the late imperialist kind of way, but it's a brief encounter.
The book ends with the children packed off back to London with the brass bed knob still in hand.
The second book, 'Bonfires and Broomsticks' had a little more action. Miss Price has mostly given up on magic already and only humors the children by giving them their one trip back in time in order to finish their pact involving the bed knob. Their trip back to the late 17th century led to them encountering the fraudulent necromancer Emilius Jones who they of course brought back with them to the present for an extended visit.
When they return Emilius to his time they discover they've left him in a bit of trouble and have to somehow save him from the witchhunters who would burn him at the stake. Insta-substitutiary locomotion might be involved.
All in all a decent little story, it was fun to spot the various details that Disney would incorporate into their film (Carey once remarks aloud why Miss Price wouldn't use magic for the National Defense, and is hushed.) The film is better though.
The first book, 'The Magic Bed Knob; or, How to Become a Witch in Ten Easy Lessons' was a cute little story about Carey, Charles and Paul visiting their aunt in the country, and discovering a neighbor lady crashed in the garden. I liked how the origin of Miss Price's witch lessons was kept secret, and the sinister moments where Miss Price contemplated a nasty spell to keep the three children quiet about her secret.
There was only one excursion on the bed here, a planned outing to a distant South Seas island (not Nabumbu), supposedly uninhabited. I couldn't help laughing when Carey and Charles were captured by the 'cannibal' islanders and Carey sobbed "people should be careful what they write in encyclopedias!" The depictions of the islanders in text and image, the original illustrations were in my edition, are racist in the late imperialist kind of way, but it's a brief encounter.
The book ends with the children packed off back to London with the brass bed knob still in hand.
The second book, 'Bonfires and Broomsticks' had a little more action. Miss Price has mostly given up on magic already and only humors the children by giving them their one trip back in time in order to finish their pact involving the bed knob. Their trip back to the late 17th century led to them encountering the fraudulent necromancer Emilius Jones who they of course brought back with them to the present for an extended visit.
When they return Emilius to his time they discover they've left him in a bit of trouble and have to somehow save him from the witchhunters who would burn him at the stake. Insta-substitutiary locomotion might be involved.
All in all a decent little story, it was fun to spot the various details that Disney would incorporate into their film (Carey once remarks aloud why Miss Price wouldn't use magic for the National Defense, and is hushed.) The film is better though.