Real witches hate children, and a boy and his grandmother stumble right into their secret meeting
A boy, his grandmother and a plot against children
After losing his parents, a young English boy goes to live with his Norwegian grandmother, who tells him the truth about real witches: they look like ordinary women, wear wigs and gloves, and loathe children. On a holiday at a seaside hotel in Bournemouth, he hides in a meeting room and discovers that the ladies gathering there are the witches of England, led by the terrifying Grand High Witch.
Who will enjoy it
Children who like stories that are scary and funny at once, and adults who love reading Dahl aloud.
What you will get
Deliciously creepy and laugh-out-loud funny, with one of the warmest grandmothers in children's books and a hero who stays brave, clever and cheerful against the odds.
The Witches Facts: Pages, Genre and Setting
Genre
Children’s Books · Witches · Grandmothers · Adventure
Length
208 pages · ≈ 6 h
More about this book
The boy who tells this story learns early that witches are real. His cigar-smoking Norwegian grandmother, who raises him after he loses his parents, explains how to spot them: they wear gloves to hide their claws, wigs to cover their bald heads, and sensible shoes over square, toeless feet. Above all, they hate children and are always plotting to get rid of them.
When his grandmother falls ill, a planned summer in Norway turns into a stay at a grand hotel in Bournemouth instead. Looking for a quiet spot to train his pet mice, the boy hides behind a screen in a ballroom just as a conference of respectable ladies sits down. They are the witches of England, and their leader, the Grand High Witch, unveils Formula 86 Delayed Action Mouse-Maker, a potion to turn every child in the country into a mouse. A greedy boy named Bruno Jenkins becomes her demonstration, and soon the narrator is in very small trouble himself, with only his grandmother to help him fight back.
Wicked fun, with Quentin Blake's scratchy pictures on almost every page. Around 208 pages and perfect for reading aloud. Filmed in 1990 and again in 2020.
Matilda
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
The BFG
The Twits
Danny the Champion of the World
Coraline
The Phantom Tollbooth
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
James and the Giant Peach
The Enormous Crocodile
Fantastic Mr Fox
The Mouse and the Motorcycle