Witches (New Windmill) [Hardcover]

Roald Dahl (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 7, 1985 | Series: New Windmill

Whitbread Award Winner.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This Roald Dahl classic tells the scary, funny and imaginative tale of a seven-year-old boy who has a run-in with some real-life witches! "In fairy tales witches always wear silly black hats and black cloaks and they ride on broomsticks. But this is not a fairy tale. This is about REAL WITCHES. REAL WITCHES dress in ordinary clothes and look very much like ordinary women. They live in ordinary houses and they work in ordinary jobs. That is why they are so hard to catch." Witches, as our hero learns, hate children. With the help of a friend and his somewhat-magical grandmother, our hero tries to expose the witches before they dispose of him. Ages 7-12. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"An orphan boy...discovers the true nature of witches and then has the misfortune to be transformed into a mouse by The Grand High Witch of All the World...A curious but honest tale which deals with matters of crucial importance to children: smallness, the existence of evil in the world, mourning, separation, death." --The New York Times Book Review

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: New Windmills (October 7, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0435122932
• ISBN-13: 978-0435122935
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 4.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (285 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,470,779 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a Riot!, March 10, 2002

By 

C. A. Matha (Erie, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Witches (Hardcover)

I purchased this book for the purpose of reading it allowed to my daughter who is 5. Boy did we BOTH enjoy it. I found myself laughing out loud to many parts in this book, what a fun sense of humor! It read very quickly. It is interesting he (the author) uses his heritage of Norwegian parents and living in Wales. The book takes place between Norway and England. Even though I am not completely for making witches the vile things as he presented, his sense of humor made it a very worth while read. We really really enjoyed this book and will be looking for his other works.

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A 10-year-old from Canada says:, April 9, 2001

By 

Katie T. (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Witches (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the third Roald Dahl book I have read. The first was called Matilda, and I think it is his most famous. I have also read George's Marvelous Medicine. The Witches is a funny book and has wonderful drawings.

The witches in this book wore wigs and pointed shoes to hide their bald heads and square feet with no toes! The witches in this book had eyes that changed colours, and were mean and mischivious. The witches in this book where cruel to children and turned them into mice. They live in a castle in Norway. The other characters in this story are a grandmother, her 7-year-old grandson, and the grandson's friend, Bruno. The witches were having a meeting in the hotel where the others where staying. The witches turned the children into mice, but in the end the children get even.

I really enjoyed this book. Roald Dahl is a wonderful children's writer. I would recommend all his books!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Witches, February 17, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Witches (Hardcover)

The Witches is a fantasy story by Roald Dahl where this average boy gets turned into a mouse at the annual witch meeting being held at a hotel in England. After the boy's parents died, he travels from Norway to England with his grandmother. The boy meets up with a gang of witches that aren't scary, but they do have a big secret and a very special formula to turn children into mice. The repugnant witches' plan is to buy a candy store to entice children. Children are not the witches' favorite type of people.

The boy and his grandmother want revenge on these witches. This involves some drastic measures that include the hotel kitchen, a humongous pot of soup and some formula. The metamorphosis of the witches will make you want to cheer for the boy and his magnificently brave plan.

I would recommend this book to many other people because it is a great adventure and you won't want to stop reading it. This is a wonderful book to read.