the witches by roald dahl book review

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THE WITCHES

by Roald Dahl illustrated by Quentin Blake ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1983

By a talky, roundabout route, Dahl slyly (if deterringly) takes the narrator—ostensibly himself at seven—into the delicious, ambiguous situation of being a mouse-boy. . . who turns the tables on his tormentors. We first hear about witches: they spend their time plotting to get rid of children, "they all look like nice ladies," they are difficult but not impossible to spot. Then, we hear about Dahl's cigar-smoking Norwegian grandmother, who told him about witches and how to spot them: they all wear wigs to cover their bald heads, for one thing, and have itchy scalps. So, when Dahl and his grandmother are at a Bournemouth hotel, and the lady-delegates to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children conference start scratching away (p. 57), Dahl is wary. Then the pretty head lady takes off her mask: the Grand High Witch incarnate! To demonstrate her Formula 86 Delayed Action Mouse-Maker, she's already fed some to greedy, obnoxious little Bruno Jenkins—who turns into a mouse on schedule. Will Dahl be detected, hiding behind a screen? He hasn't washed in days, but some of that tell-tale child-scent, anathema to witches, escapes. Forcefed the potion, he joins Bruno scampering about the floor—but they still have their own voices, and his wonderful witchophile grandmother will know what to do. Actually, Dahl's wits have if anything sharpened. With his grandmother as a confederate, he steals a bottle of the potion; pours it into the witch-delegates' soup tureen; and has the exquisite pleasure of seeing them turned into mice, to be wiped out on the spot. (Bruno meanwhile is contentedly munching away—to the horror of his mouse-hating parents.) When last seen, DaM and his grandmother are quietly resettled in Norway—where he wonders if she'll live out Ms short mouse-life span, and she's plotting to get rid of the world's remaining witches. A (quicker-acting) sequel is to be eagerly expected.

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1983

ISBN: 0374384576

Page Count: 208

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Review Posted Online: Oct. 16, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1983

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY

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IMPOSSIBLE CREATURES

From the impossible creatures series , vol. 1.

by Katherine Rundell ; illustrated by Ashley Mackenzie ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 10, 2024

An epic fantasy with timeless themes and unforgettable characters.

Two young people save the world and all the magic in it in this series opener.

When tall, dark-haired, white-skinned Christopher Forrester goes to stay with his grandfather in Scotland, he ventures to the top of a forbidden hill and discovers astonishing magical creatures. His grandfather explains that Christopher’s family are guardians of the “way through” to the Archipelago, where the Glimourie Tree grows—the source of glimourie, or the world’s magic. Black-haired, olive-skinned Mal Arvorian, a girl from the Archipelago, is being pursued by a murderer, and she asks Christopher for help, launching them both on a wild, dangerous journey to discover why the glimourie is disappearing and how to stop it. Together with a part-nereid woman, a ratatoska, a dragon, and a Berserker, they face an odyssey of dangerous tasks to find the Immortal, the only one who can reverse the draining of magic. Like Lyra and Will from Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials, Mal and Christopher sacrifice their innocence for experience, meeting every challenge with depthless courage until they finally reach the maze at the heart of it all. Rundell throws myriad obstacles in her characters’ way, but she gives them tools both tangible (a casapasaran, which always points the way home, and the glamry blade, which cuts through anything) and intangible (the desire “to protect something worth protecting” and an “insistence that the world is worth loving”). Final art not seen.

Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2024

ISBN: 9780593809860

Page Count: 368

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: May 30, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2024

CHILDREN'S DRAGONS & MYTHICAL CREATURES | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY

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SEEN & HEARD

THE LION OF LARK-HAYES MANOR

by Aubrey Hartman ; illustrated by Christopher Cyr ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 2, 2023

A pleasing premise for book lovers.

A fantasy-loving bookworm makes a wonderful, terrible bargain.

When sixth grader Poppy Woodlock’s historic preservationist parents move the family to the Oregon coast to work on the titular stately home, Poppy’s sure she’ll find magic. Indeed, the exiled water nymph in the manor’s ruined swimming pool grants a wish, but: “Magic isn’t free. It cosssts .” The price? Poppy’s favorite book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe . In return she receives Sampson, a winged lion cub who is everything Poppy could have hoped for. But she soon learns that the nymph didn’t take just her own physical book—she erased Narnia from Poppy’s world. And it’s just the first loss: Soon, Poppy’s grandmother’s journal’s gone, then The Odyssey , and more. The loss is heartbreaking, but Sampson’s a wonderful companion, particularly as Poppy’s finding middle school a tough adjustment. Hartman’s premise is beguiling—plenty of readers will identify with Poppy, both as a fellow bibliophile and as a kid struggling to adapt. Poppy’s repeatedly expressed faith that unveiling Sampson will bring some sort of vindication wears thin, but that does not detract from the central drama. It’s a pity that the named real-world books Poppy reads are notably lacking in diversity; a story about the power of literature so limited in imagination lets both itself and readers down. Main characters are cued White; there is racial diversity in the supporting cast. Chapters open with atmospheric spot art. (This review has been updated to reflect the final illustrations.)

Pub Date: May 2, 2023

ISBN: 9780316448222

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023

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the starving artist

I'm determined. are you, book review: the witches.

I know most of you can empathize, but it has been a busy season. I hosted Thanksgiving for thirteen and I go all out (and then multiply what you were thinking by ten), my daughter’s birthday fell the day before this year, we are still in a pandemic, I have Christmas to make happen on a budget and for two kids plus a large extended family, I love to bake for others, I had to wrap up homeschool and co-op for the calendar year and rehearse and record for our church’s TV Christmas Eve service, and, quite frankly, we have our own personal stuff going on amidst all of this. So that’s where I’ve been. (I started NaNoWriMo, again, and strong, again, but I am always amazed that anyone ever chose November to write a novel. The first week or two—fine. But then the second half of November? Fuggetaboutit. Why not September or October? Or any of the months from January to May? The holiday season and the summer is always the busiest.)

So I can’t believe it, but I still have reviews waiting to be written from Halloween. (I also have Thanksgiving and Christmas waiting in the wings, so I’ll rush through the holidays before the new year.) One of the books I read for Halloween this year was (a re-read of) The Witches by Roald Dahl. I have done most of my Roald Dahl reading as an adult, but I just love his stuff. Matilda is my favorite, and I have long thought The Witches was my least favorite. I dunno. I think I would now switch that to The Twits . The Witches —though still not my favorite—isn’t quite as disappointing as I remember. I think there are a few issues here that get in the way of Dahl’s usually magical, kid-geared edgy, fantastic writing and story-telling.

The Witches is a dark, children’s fantasy story about an English boy (no name given) whose parents die (no surprise there) and he moves in with his grandmother in Norway. According to the parent’s will, however, they have to return to England for his education but Grandmother brings her Norwegian knowledge of witches with her and makes sure he is also educated on that front. When the pair vacation at a swanky hotel, the boy must use the knowledge she has given him to figure out that they are in the presence of the Grand High Witch and the annual conference of English witches, the scheme the witches are brewing, and how to escape with his life and—hopefully—the lives of the children of England.

Here are the issues: one is how scary it is. For some people, writing about the occult or any sort of witch is going to be a bridge too far for them. More generally, many kids are going to be scared by this book because it’s about witches killing little kids. Of course, Dahl presents things in his own completely forward and yet funny and child-oriented way (and kids are squished or vanished or turned into chickens instead of whatever gruesome things might be more realistic). Two, I’m sure there are people who object to this book on the basis of how the witches are portrayed. Sure, there are modern people who call themselves witches and they are not bald, cruel, or child-hunting, but “witches” is one of those words that is stretched too far, anyhow. Witches are, technically, female humans who do magic and so it can refer to fantastical, bad magical ladies or fantastical magical ladies in a more neutral sense or it can refer to any number of historical groups of women through time. Obviously, this book is a fantasy about witches of a certain stereotypical vein and Dahl gives them random flourishes to make the whole thing more interesting. (And now that I think about it, some people might get riled up about how this book deals with more serious themes, like kidnapping or missing children. But that is Dahl’s usual: taking something real and serious and giving it a spin that both drives it home and makes it light enough to talk about. Not that he would put it that way. I more get the sense from him that he just wants to tell a great story and he doesn’t care what feathers he’s ruffling. When the book was published in the 80s there was also objections made regarding misogyny, which I could see but not necessarily agree with.) And three, the ending is a bit nontraditional and can read as unfulfilling/disappointing. He does things along the way to get the reader ready for this, but I am still hoping for something else every time.

And still, the story is riveting, the imagination soaring, the chuckles abundant. Dahl is a master of story-telling and this story is not exception. It’s not my favorite and it probably won’t be yours, but as for a fun Halloween read for heartier families, this is a good family story.

There is a 1990 version starring Angelic Huston that gets decent to good reviews but the cinematic effects are quite outdated. The newest version, which I reviewed HERE , was not well received despite all the anticipation, though the CG is great.

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The Witches by Roald Dahl Review

illustrated by Quentin Blake

When you think of children’s authors one name that always springs to mind is Roald Dahl , his children’s stories are always fun to read, whether you are young or old, child or adult. They are engaging, fun and darkly humorous with fun expressive language. While I have read many of his books, exploring chocolate factories, meeting friendly giants and even enormous crocodiles, I have just finished reading one that I have never read before – The Witches, and it’s an absolutely phizz-whizzing read (as in the Gobblefunk language created by Roald Dahl to stop his readers getting bored).

The Witches is not your typical children’s book. It’s a darkly humorous tale that combines fantasy with a dash of reality, and it’s all wrapped up in Dahl’s signature style of storytelling that’s as delightful as it is wicked.

Now we all know that there are no such things as witches, with their pointy hats and their black capes bellowing out behind them while flying around on their broomsticks, don’t we? Well, that’s what they want to believe anyway.

This story takes us on a wild ride in England and Norway with a young boy and his grandmother as they uncover the secret world of some very real witches, not the pointy hatted, cloak wearing type we read about in fairy tales. These witches appear to be everyday normal women, until you look REALLY closely and see the subtle differences. They hide their bald heads under wigs that itch, dress their hands in gloves to hide their clawed hands, have wider nostrils, fire and ice in their eyes and their toeless squared feet are hidden in high-heeled shoes. Oh, and they have a deep-seated hatred for children and want to rid the world of them, apparently all children stink of dog poo (well the clean ones anyway). Dahl’s witches are indeed a very terrifying bunch hidden beneath normality and respectability.

After a 7 year old boy loses both his parents (he is only ever referred to as Grandson rather than an actual name), he goes to live with his Grandmother in Norway. She loves to tell him stories and regales him with tales of very real witches who detest children and want to do away with them. Sceptical, he is not quite sure if to believe her or not … until he meets his first witch!

After moving back to England, he and his Grandmother go on holiday to Bournemouth and as chance would have it the witches of England are also there having their annual meeting. After hearing them discuss their plans to rid the country of all its children by turning them into mice, the boy is caught and he is turned into a little brown mouse. Escaping the witches clutches he and his Grandmother come up with a plot to thwart the witches and turn the tables on them.

Overall, I found The Witches to be a fantabulous read, a very entertaining adventurous fantasy novel. While it is a book for children aged 9+, it is quite dark and scary, some young readers might not want to read it or even be frightened while reading it (it might be best to read it for yourself before giving it to your child; it has themes of death, making children disappear, encouraging smoking, and is at times, quite violent – especially with the witches wanting to squelch children).

“Squish them and squiggle them and make them disappear”

While it is a fantasy adventure novel it would also be at home in the children’s horror genre. The story is a testament to Dahl’s storytelling genius, his ability to craft a narrative that’s both entertaining for children as well as for adults is superb.

The Witches is a fantastic fantasy story packed with adventure and fun and a little bit on the scary side. It is a lot of fun to read. And it will leave you keeping your eye out for glove wearing women who are always scratching their heads … they could just be a witch in disguise!

Roald Dahl’s The Witches is a fun and vastly entertaining story that has adventure, fun and scares as well as looking at love and compassion, right and wrong. Not a book for everyone, especially children who scare easily, but I found it an excellent well-written story and loved the fun and darkness of the tale.

Rating: 5/5

RRP: £9.99 (Hardback) / £6.99 (Paperback) / £5.99 (Kindle)

For more information, visit www.roalddahl.com . Available to buy from Amazon here .

DISCLOSURE: All thoughts and opinions are my own. This review uses an affiliate link which I may receive a small commission from if you purchase through the Amazon link.

Click here to read more reviews of books by Roald Dahl