The Witches by Roald Dahl
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Book Reviews of The Witches
Book Review: The Witches book review by Nikki Evans and Chad Caldwell
Summary: 4 Stars
"A real witch is wasily the most dangerous of all living creatures. "But, if real witches disguise themselves rather than flying around on broomsticks in pointed hats, how can you tell when you meet one?
Roald Dahl's book The Witches was a wild tale about a boy and his grandma and witches that send them on an adventure. The story starts with the boy living with his parents in England. During Christmas, he travels to Norway to live with his grandma. One day the boy and his parents get into a car crash and his parents do not survive. Based on their wishes, the boy goes to live with his grandma. It's here where the boy encounters his first witch. These witches were not "normal" as we know them; they wore wigs, have no toes, and their eyes are different than a normal woman. These witches also hate children. When the boy and his grandma decide to take a trip, they encounter these witches at a convention in the same hotel they are staying. The boy hides out in one of their meetings and soon learns that they are all here turn the children of England into mice. The boy hears the plan and the recipe of the poison. Before he could sneak out, the witches catch him and they try out their poison on him. The boy sure enough turns into a mouse. The boy and his grandma have an adventure ahead of them to try and stop these witches from turning all the children into mice.
Dahl sets the stage very well in this book because he puts the reader right in the middle of the action. This book is set in 20th century England so Dahl uses dialogue between the boy and his grandma that pertains to this era. He is very descriptive with his language and paints a vived picture in the minds of his readers.
This books falls into the fantasy genre because it contains magic from the poison and the witches that create it. This story could never happen but it is a good book for children to use their imagination and expand their creativity. This book might be a bit scary for some younger children, but for the most part it is a fun book that can further children's thinking.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book because Dahl gives us a fun story about very interesting characters. Dahl provides an opportunity for children to learn a little about the past through a young boy's adventure because Dahl brings his readers into the action. Even though this story is fictional, it provides a different aspect for children to read. Personally, i love to read about witches and other fictional characters because it provides insight and learning in another aspect than our own. This makes children able to predict and think critically about what might happen and what actually does happen; It provides a chance for creativity.
*Mentioned on his official website, Dahl bases the grandmother character in his own mother.
Dahl also wrote most all of his books in a small hut that was behind his house.
Book Review: This witch isn't offended.
Summary: 4 Stars
I was first introduced to this book via the movie, which I adored as a kid (and still do). I enjoyed the book, though I did feel that the movie was better developed - that may be personal bias, as I have never seen any of Dahl's books as vividly as directors do. Still, Halloween has always been my favorite holiday -and I always dressed as the stereotypical witch with a wart on her nose and green skin- and this book, as well as the movie, has a special spot in my heart.
This book is slammed a lot by quite a few Wiccans who are upset over this book's portrayal of witches and witchcraft, claiming that it is derogatory to "real witches." Dahl never, at any time, eludes to any neopagan religion. He clearly stays within the confines of centuries old stereotypes regarding Halloween witches - which, in my opinion, falls into the same realm as vampires and lycanthropes. These witches turn two boys into mice - clearly not a real life scenario. This book is, beyond a doubt, fiction. People need to stop being so uptight - and this is coming from an eclectic pagan!
Book Review: I, for one, will never look at "ordinary women" entirely the same again...
Summary: 4 Stars
How fun is Roald Dahl?! He is, to my mind, without a doubt one of the most imaginative human beings to ever live. He manages to write children's books that adults also love; books that are best categorized as "odd" yet also somehow timeless and classic. The Witches is one that I had actually never read as a child - I picked it up at a used book sale recently and decided it was long past time I read it. And I was not disappointed. Dahl has a rare gift - the ability to turn an adult into a child again simply through the use of words. He paints his world so evocatively - his descriptions of the trials and tribulations of being a more-than-usually-clever child trapped in a more-than-usually-challenging adult world make it possible for even the most grown-up grown up to remember what it is to be small and uncertain and reliant on others. I, for one, will never look at "ordinary women" entirely the same again...Book Review: Great Bedtime Story for Young Kids
Summary: 4 Stars
I have always been a Roald Dahl fan so I bought this book for my kids. They are ages 3 and 4, so this book may be a bit long for them, but in the spirit of Halloween, I thought it was a great way to start a new routine: reading a chapter a night.
I haven't read this book since I was in elementary school, so I am having fun re-learning about REAL WITCHES. So far, each chapter has ended perfectly for a bedtime story, with the child saying good night to his grandmother and going to bed.
I gave this book 4 stars only because the illustrations could be less crude. Otherwise, this is a great book and my kids are having a ton of fun searching for REAL WITCHES - they even pulled my hair and made me take my shoes off to show them my toes.
Book Review: Disasterously wicked, with a smile
Summary: 4 Stars
This will continue to be one of the most dazzling examples of children's literature. How can you not love something of so much horror that comes off with such humor and charm?
In classic Dahl fashion, a boy is horrible orphaned to be left with his grandmother, a woman who belives in the dangers of witches.
What follows is a hotel adventure that manages to make witches villainous and yet as properly British as possible.
It's tongue-in-cheek and continuinly clever. I also think it is some of the best imagination Dahl has ever shone.