The Witches by Roald Dahl
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Book Reviews of The Witches
Book Review: Fun and Engaging Reading!
Summary: 4 Stars
My 6th and 7th greaders loved this book. ALL students enjoyed it, including myself. Everyday when students entered the room, they asked to read "The Wicthes." Students engaged in this wonderful fantasy and wanted to help Luke (the boy) and his Grandmamma to defeat the witches after the Grad High Witch turned Luke into a mouse. It was an entertaining reading, which got even my reluctant readers into action.Book Review: Fun but Slightly Creepy
Summary: 3 Stars
A young boy and his spunky grandmother go on vacation and discover that all the witches in England are attending a convention at their hotel. Craziness ensues when the boy comes face to face with the real-life witches.
It's hard not to love Roald Dahl. He was one of my favorite authors growing up. He is witty and tells a fun story. The Witches is no exception. Dahl has a clever imagination and children love him because he is endears children and elderly people, who are often looked over members of society. The Witches is an amusing and fun read. It also contains a sweet story of love between grandson and his grandmother.
Roald Dahl may be pro-children and elderly, but he is somewhat anti-adult. Other than the grandmother, adults in The Witches are portrayed as evil, fat and stupid, ridiculous or dead. There are also some pretty graphic ideas presented- e.g. witches killing children by turning them into creatures and smashing them. I don't remember this greatly affecting me as a child, but I found it a little disturbing now.
Book Review: Not Dahl's best
Summary: 2 Stars
Unlike some of the other reviewers who have given this book a low rating, I'm not going to complain about the appropriateness of this book for children. The fact is that most children are much tougher-minded than we necessarily would like to believe. Many, if not most, children I've known have a somewhat twisted sense of humor, and nevertheless have grown up into compassionate and rational adults. Children are far more discerning than most of us give them credit for. The highly sensitive or imaginative children who may find this book a bit too scary aren't likely to pick up a book about witches anyway. My one precaution would be that this is NOT a book for children too young or immature to know the difference between fantasy and reality - but any child whose vocabulary, reading level, and attention span are equal to tacking this novel is almost certainly advanced enough to handle it.
I can't say I didn't enjoy "The Witches" at all. I did. But it failed to captivate and delight me as some of Dahl's other children's books have done. I very much enjoyed "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," and "Matilda" is one of my all-time favorites. "The Witches," however, was just a little too silly for my tastes. I expect more wit and cleverness from Dahl. The premise is intriguing, and the beginning is fun to read, but once the actual witches made an appearance in the story, I found it increasingly difficult to suspend my disbelief. The conflict is fairly predictable, and the story itself is drawn out far longer than it needs to be; the novel could easily be trimmed by about 50 to 75 pages without losing anything important.
Of course, the target audience for this novel may well appreciate its silliness, but even as a child I believe I would have felt let down by this one. It's not a bad book by any means, but if you really want to appreciate Roald Dahl's trademark twisted wit, pick up "Charlie" or "Matilda" instead.
Book Review: Do not allow your children to read this 1 Stars
The premise of this book is the murder of children. In an increasingly violent society it is irresponsible to expose our children needlessly to fears that any and every woman they know could be a witch who seeks to hunt them down and kill them. I have asked my children's school to remove this book from the school library. We do not need reading material that desensitizes our children to the most heinous of crimes.Book Review: Did not receive
Summary: 1 Stars
Ordered it May 13 and have still not recieved it. I guess I have to contact amazon now? I guess better not buy from this seller....