Witch's Wishes [Hardcover]

Vivian Vande Velde (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up

It's Halloween and Sarah helps out a witch who is in trouble. The witch repays Sarah's kindness by offering to make all her wishes in one night come true. Hilarious chaos ensues in this story about what happens when you're not careful what you wish for.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5-This funny, exciting Halloween romp will entertain readers long after the holiday has passed. On her way to the All Hallows' Eve Ghastly Gala A-go-go, a scatterbrained old witch avoids a collision with the Channel 12 air traffic report helicopter. Trick-or-treater Sarah, six, sees her fall from the sky and gives her a Band-Aid. The witch repays the kindness by turning the child's fairy-princess-costume wand into a magical one that grants wishes. At first, these wishes are harmless enough, but then her desires begin to wreak havoc, as when she wishes that everyone had a dog. To remedy the problem, the witch tries a reversal spell that brings even more disasters. Silhouette illustrations decorate the opening pages of chapters. This beginning chapter book is for a much younger set than Vande Velde's usual audience, but the author maintains the wry wit and entertaining fantasy for which she is known. Readers will be kept on the edge of their broomsticks wondering how Sarah's life will ever be put back to normal.
Heather Dieffenbach, Lexington Public Library, KY
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 2-5. Vande Velde, known for her many humorous mystery and fantasy titles (most recently, Wizard at Work, 2003), offers a not-too-scary tale suitable for younger middle-grade readers. While trick-or-treating, six-year-old Sarah and her obnoxious older brother encounter a befuddled old witch struggling to get out of a grocery store dumpster. The kind girl lends a hand, prompting the witch to grant Sarah's costume wand magical powers for the night. Of course, things turn out badly, and before the evening is over everyone in the world has a puppy. The witch tries to undo all the damage, but it takes her several hilarious reruns of the night (think Bill Murray in the movie Groundhog Day) before she gets things right. Short chapters, large print, and scattered sketches make for a pleasing, nonthreatening format. Vande Velde's strength is her keen ear for snappy, middle-grade dialogue, and the witty repartee between the witch and her household appliances will please children even slightly older than the target audience. Kay Weisman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House (October 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823417891
• ISBN-13: 978-0823417896
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,525,664 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Watch what you wish for, you might get it., February 11, 2006

By 

Darrel the librarian (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Witch's Wishes (Hardcover)

A witch on Halloween night gives a girl her wishes just for the night, then regrets it. She reverses her wishes, but that doesn't work either. Finally, she has to take each wish as it comes to get it to come out right.

This was a funny book. Nothing like Vande Velde's normal spooky stories, it made me laugh in every chapter.