The 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!
Roald Dahl’s The Witches Book Cover
GOT U COVERED 📒
Author: Roald Dahl
Published: 1983
Illustrator: Quentin Blake
Description: A witch stands centre in a grey outfit, arms outstretched while six bald witches look in awe.
“Very carefully a victim is chosen. Then the witch stalks the wretched child like a hunter stalking a little bird in the forest. She treads softly. She moves quietly. She gets closer and closer. Then at last, when everything is ready…phwisst…and she swoops.” - pg. 2
SYNOPSIS 📖
Roald Dahl's "The Witches" is a captivating tale filled with magic, mischief, and mayhem. Follow the story of a young boy who stumbles upon a terrifying secret society of witches led by the formidable Grand High Witch. With the help of his wise grandmother, the boy must outwit the witches before they carry out their wicked plan to rid the world of children. Dahl's signature blend of dark humor and whimsical storytelling shines through in this timeless classic that will enchant readers of all ages.
As she took off the mask, she turned sideways and placed it carefully upon a small table nearby, and when she turned round again and faced us, I very nearly screamed out loud. That face of hers was the most frightful and frightening thing I have ever seen. Just looking at it gave me the shakes all over. - pg. 60
THOUGHTS 💭
I love how, from the beginning, the book influences the reader to question everything they thought they knew about witches. As Dahl writes, witches aren’t anything close to what has been depicted in media. A witch could be and often is the most unsuspecting lady you encounter in your day-to-day life. You may never know who they are, because they are very good at disguising within society, but make no mistake…if you’re a child or have children, you’re not at all safe. They plot and scheme to get children and will stop at nothing until they eliminate each child in sight.
Death is a difficult concept for a child to grasp, let alone when it happens to a young child’s parents. I like how it was mentioned that it affected the child and that he and his grandma had their moment to grieve. It for sure brought them closer together. While the grandma is telling all she knows about how the witches abducted children, trapped them in paintings, and turned a boy into stone, she offers her grandson a puff of the cigar that she had been smoking. Saying that those who smoke never catch a cold, almost encouraging him to puff. This book doesn't treat children like children, it talks to them in a way that feels like they can handle the harshness and dangers of life to protect them.
The child in the story is never given a name. I wonder why? We’ll call him “Grandson” for this post.
The missing thumb talk was quite graphic. Twisted off? Steamed away by a boiling kettle? Is this really a children’s book? Well, that’s not all, the English witches seem to relish turning children into animals that are killed without any thought. The more disturbing one was turning children into pheasants the day before pheasant hunting season. When they got shot and killed, they’d be plucked, cooked, and eaten by their own families. How horrible and twisted😮 lol.
The book became more familiar to me once the grandma and grandson got to the hotel for summer vacation. Grandma was put on bed rest for pneumonia (in the film it was diabetes), we met the hotel manager, Mr. Stringer, and Grandson found the meeting hall where he would train his two pet mice: Mary and William. In came the witches, all two hundred of them, and Grandson had nowhere to go. In the book, the boy fainted for a few seconds when all two hundred took off their disguises and revealed themselves. If it was me, I’d probably shit myself, then I would smell like actual dogs droppings (I’m sure the witches would love that 💩). The Grand High Witch’s face was described and illustrated as quite creepy. It’s said that she had a face so crumpled and wizened, so shrunken and shrivelled, it looked as though it had been pickled in vinegar…it seemed quite literally to be rotting away at the edges, and in the middle of the face, around the mouth and cheeks, the skin was all cankered and worm-eaten, as though maggots were working away in there. Not only is the Grand High Witch hideous but also very ruthless, killing a witch who spoke against her plans. She means business and has no time for naysayers. She often insults the witches in the room, which to me was rather funny.
The meeting room chapters are quite plentiful and lengthy. More detail about the Grand High Witch’s plan and the mouse formula recipe is shared — no wonder the film adaptation put effort into that iconic meeting hall scene.
After Bruno and The Grandson are transformed into mice 🐁 it’s off to the races. Back at the hotel room, they meet up with Grandma 👵 and first of all have to break the news that they are mice 🐭, but secondly, devise a plan to stop the witches 🧙🏼♀️ from turning every child in England (or Inkland) into mice too. Grandson sneaks into the Grand High Witch’s hotel room and gets a bottle of Formula 86: Delayed Action Mouse Maker. There is no cat present as in the film, but there are 3 frogs 🐸 🐸 🐸 who are said to previously have been children 🧒🏿 👦🏽 👧🏼. They don’t talk. Only hop and hide under the witch’s bed. The witch plans on throwing them out to the nearby beach for the seagulls to catch and eat…again, another example of how scary and ruthless this witch is.
The book goes on to reach its familiar conclusion, with the plan to stop the witches executed successfully by Grandma and Grandson. Grandson spikes the soup all the witches eat at the banquet, turning them into mice. However, they have their work cut out for them. The England witches were only the tip of the iceberg. There are many witches all over the world and they need to be stopped. However, Grandma was able to get the address of where the Grand High Witch lives, in Norway no less, and she and Grandson are going to stop ✋ the others living there too. Grandson remembers the magic formula ingredients after all.
By the end of the book, Grandson hasn’t transformed back into a boy and is still a mouse, but it seems he is in good spirits about it and doesn’t mind the change at all. He says something profound for all kids to read “It doesn’t matter who you are or what you look like so long as someone loves you”. I appreciate that such messaging is present in children’s books, after all, acceptance and love are all a child seeks at the end of the day. Especially those who feel different and bothered.
I loved reading this book. Although I was introduced to the film first, I think this is a lovely Halloween read for all children. It’s spooky, fun, and filled with adventure which is tied in a nice sentimental bow of love and acceptance. I love that the book tackles real issues that a child will face in their life such as loss and doesn’t talk down to the reader, rather giving them honest truths they may be ok knowing.
I grade this book A+ ✨
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Listen to an audio reading of the book found on YouTube.
