Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Search - The Witches

The Witches
The Witches
Author: Roald Dahl, Quentin Blake (Illustrator)
A young boy and his Norwegian grandmother, who is an expert on witches, together foil a witches' plot to destroy the world's children by turning them into mice.
Info icon
ISBN-13: 9780590032490
ISBN-10: 0590032496
Publication Date: 3/2005
Pages: 208
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Rating:
  • Currently 4.1/5 Stars.
 104

4.1 stars, based on 104 ratings
Publisher: Scholastic
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

LaurieS avatar reviewed The Witches on + 504 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
This is a dark-edged children's tale about a group of witches who despise children who they believe smell like "dogs droppings". These witches don't hold back their hatred for these "small piles of filth" and at their annual meeting they devise a plan to rid the earth of these vomit inducing creatures by turning them into mice and exterminating them. What they haven't planned on is the ingenuity of one brave little boy who overhears their dastardly plans and does his best to thwart them.

This book is a lot of fun and though it portrays witches in a pretty bad light it's not all anti-woman and is all in good fun. Grandmamma is a fantastic character, described as a "tough old bird", she smokes cigars and I can't help but think it's her influence alone that has made the hero of this tale such a brave, clever little guy.
reviewed The Witches on + 32 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
Earlier this year I wen on a Roald Dahl kick, and re-read many in his collection. The witches was one of my favrorites, partially because it was longer so it could have more thorough characters and a longer plot line. It's a cute story, and one that I think children would like - what's more exciting than witches, and being turned into mice?
reviewed The Witches on
Helpful Score: 3
impressive piece of work, I will never grow old of it
reviewed The Witches on + 118 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
i've loved the movie since it was released years ago, so i thought i'd read the book and see how they compare. what a great book! the movie did a good job of following the book -- i'd say the book is only marginally better, because there are more details than there are in the movie.

i'm so glad i finally got to read this... and it's on the banned books list, so it counted for my 10 banned books this year.
Terabithia avatar reviewed The Witches on + 71 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This is not a fairy tale.
This is about REAL witches.
Grandmamma loves to tell about witches. Real witches are the most dangerous of all living creatures on earth. There's nothing they hate so much as children, and they work all kinds of terrifying spells to get rid of them. Her grandson listens closely to Grandmamma's stories-but nothing can prepare him for the day he comes face to face with The Grand High Witch herself!
Read All 29 Book Reviews of "The Witches"

Please Log in to Rate these Book Reviews

reviewed The Witches on + 9 more book reviews
You can't go wrong with Roald Dahl! I adored this book as a child and just got it for my 7 year old who also devoured it! Kids save the day, bad grownups lose, a bit of magic, love!
reviewed The Witches on
very cute a little more detailed then the movie. nice read for a9 to 12 year old
reviewed The Witches on + 15 more book reviews
Cute book. My daughter read it every night before bed. I also enjoyed it as well.
reviewed The Witches on + 23 more book reviews
A bit scary. Not my favorite of his books but worth reading.
ToniG avatar reviewed The Witches on + 163 more book reviews
A fast-paced adventure that children will love!
gaslight avatar reviewed The Witches on + 145 more book reviews
Dahl at his subversive best. Children fight witches, witches torment children, and one boy's bravery saves the day. I can't begin to guess how many times I've read this book since I was a child. It never gets old, and Dahl's cutting humor goes down to the bare bone and made me gasp and laugh. And I have to wonder if a kid's book where a grandma proudly smokes cigars would ever make it past the publisher today!
demolitionlovers avatar reviewed The Witches on + 12 more book reviews
Grandmamma loves to tell about witches. Real witches are the most dangerous of all living creatures on earth. There's nothing they hate so much as children, and they work all kinds of terrifying spells to get rid of them. Her grandson listens closely to Grandmamma's stories - but nothing can prepare him for the day he comes face to face with the Grand Hich Witch herself!
reviewed The Witches on + 49 more book reviews
Roald Dahl cannot write a bad book. The Witches is no exception! I've loved all of his books, since I started with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. They're great!


Genres: