Whispering to Witches [Hardcover]

Anna Dale (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 6, 2004

When Joseph Binks is sent to stay with his mother, stepfather and half-sister Esme for Christmas, he is not at all happy. He would have preferred to have spent the time with his father, but his father has been called away to Scotland to attend to a family emergency. And so Christmas does not turn out quite as Joe anticipated...finding himself at the centre of a plot to rid Great Britain of witches, Joe encounters an unlikely witch's coven, their (not always efficient) spells, and a lovely new friend called Twiggy. With the help of his new friends and the brave Esme, Joe is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. With many brilliant interwoven clues and plot lines, this sparkling novel reaches an exciting and very surprising conclusion. Writing with great confidence, Anna Dale is a remarkable new talent in the world of children's books.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Young listeners will be thrilled to know that not everything is as it seems in this nimble recording of Dale's debut novel about a boy who stumbles upon a magical, witch-filled world. When he boards the train from London to Canterbury to spend the Christmas holidays with his mother and stepfather, 12-year-old Joe Binks expects an uneventful trip. But what he finds is far from ordinary. Joe gets off the train at the wrong stop and soon finds himself befriended by a young witch named Twiggy and the members of her slightly misfit coven. Though he eventually makes it to his mother's house, circumstances pull him (and younger half-sister Esme) back to Twiggy and an intriguing competition among covens to find the missing page of an ancient spell book. Curless offers an upbeat reading sustained with notes of suspense and mystery befitting Dale's effervescent fantasy. Kids will be eager to follow the inviting Curless along for all the twists and turns here. Ages 8-12. (Nov. 2004)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-7–When his father is called away at Christmas, Joe resigns himself to spending the holiday in Canterbury with his mother, stepdad, and seven-year-old half sister, Esme. After a train ride leaves him stranded at the wrong station, he borrows a large tricycle that seems to have a will of its own. It transports him to the ramshackle headquarters of the somewhat disreputable Dead-nettle Coven. The witch world is in an uproar over the theft of the world's most dangerous spell, and, apparently, somebody thinks that Joe has it. When Esme is kidnapped, he and young witch Twiggy are drawn into the hunt for the missing hex and uncover a plot to destroy the Earth's entire witch population. The incongruous chief villain is a bun-sporting librarian–whose first line actually is "Shh." All the expected fantasy elements are here–a secret, arcane culture coexisting with the mortal sphere, rhymed spells, and magic users with more-or-less good-natured disdain for mortals. The narration relies heavily on flashbacks and expositional dialogue. The settings, both real and fanciful, are convincingly portrayed. There are some mildly humorous touches, but some plot elements don't seem to mesh completely. Joe's discomfort with his second family is emphasized at the beginning, but it plays little role in the action and remains unresolved at the end. Diane Duane's "Young Wizards" series (Harcourt) and Jill Murphy's "Worst Witch" books (Candlewick) have more fully realized magical worlds.–Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens Books (September 6, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0747569096
• ISBN-13: 978-0747569091
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,369,083 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What A Delightful Read for The Young at Heart!, November 15, 2004

By 

T. J. Jones "TJ" (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Whispering To Witches (Hardcover)

I can still not get over how much I enjoyed this magical mystery that was packed full of delightful characters, witches, magic, and a very well-plotted story. The cover caught my attention and I wasn't expecting much from it, but from the very first page, I was hooked on Joe Bink's adventure. I won't give away much on the plot (that's what the book synopsis is for!) but I'll tell you what I enjoyed the most;
The setting was perfect for the story; christmastime in a small english village, just right for a story about magical witches. The author plants her clues and the story was very well constructed. Also, the author doesn't insult older readers by using childish language. I got through it quite easily without being disappointed by lack of a mature writing style. I look forward to reading Anna Dale's next book and I hope that it is the sequel to Whispering to Witches. Overall, I give this book a 10/10! If you're a fan of Harry Potter (or a fan of good stories in general), I highly reccomend this book for it is just as magical and yet so very different and origional!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Totally Awesome from a 9-year-old's point of view, December 27, 2004

By 

Jenny (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Whispering To Witches (Hardcover)

My daughter loved this book! Here is what she said about it: "It was a lot like Harry Potter, which is good because lots of kids like Harry Potter. I wish I could give it 10 stars, because it definitely deserves it! Anna Dale is a great author and one of the reasons she is so good is because when one thing happens, you can't at all tell that it is really important until you get to the part of the story where it is important."

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Funny, heart-warming story., October 3, 2005

By 

Friday Next (The Library) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Whispering To Witches (Hardcover)

The story takes a little too long to take root (which is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5) and the eccentricity of the witches is a little annoying in places. But, in the end, the book is a joy to read. Lots of funny moments. Plenty of quirky characters. A main character we care about, and several lovable secondary characters. And enough danger and action to drive the story along. What more could you want?

Buy this book if you like magic mixed with humor (a la Eva Ibbotson, Diana Wynne Jones or Edward Eager).