"In fairy tales witches always wear silly black hats and black cloaks and they ride on broomsticks. But this is not a fairy tale. This is about REAL WITCHES. REAL WITCHES dress in ordinary clothes and look very much like ordinary women. They live in ordinary houses and they work in ordinary jobs. That is why they are so hard to catch."

As with many of Dahl's best books, the main character must stop evil beings from doing something awfel to children! (For example: Matilda must use her powers to stop The Trenchbull from doing horrid things to her pupils in MATILDA, his last work. In THE BFG, Sophie must help The Big Friendly Giant rid the world of evil kid-eating giants.) And here, an English/Norweigen boy and his all-knowlegeable grandmother must stop all the witches in England from turning all the children into mice, even at their own personal expense.

There were only four minor things wrong with this book, and here I will describe them for you:

1. SMOKING--Grandmama smokes cigars regularly, especially when she is telling her grandson about the witches. While it does describe the cigars as discusting, this is not enough. There should not be smoking in a children's book, especially a Roald Dahl.

2. THE END--The end of this book sets up the plot for a sequel. (If you've read it, you know what I mean.) But, strangly enough, there is NO SEQUEL. This may enrage kids (and adults!) who, upon reading the ending, were anticapating finding the other book and reading about Grandmama and her grandson's further dealings with witches (or "vitches", as The Grand High Witch says in this book.)

3. NAMELESSNESS--The main character has no name! He is either refured to as "you", "I", or "grandson". Now that is disturbing!

4. BONDING--Grandmama and Grandson are bonded here like no grandmother and son could ever really bond (I think so, anyway). In this way it's a bit unrealistic. But then again, if you want realisim, you're thinking about the wrong book. Dahl's masterworks are always so zany and weird--that's what you come to expct from him if you're a loyal Dahl fan.

Well, there you have it. Except for those three things--great! This book is "a fast-moving, well-paced adventure that children will undoubtably love." (School Library Journal). While foes of magic (and any real witches who must keep their secrets secret) will surely despise this books exsistance, ALL US ROALD DAHL FANS SHOUT HOORAY! (adapted from the last line on page 87).


Loads of Fun!   November 16, 2000
 7 out of 8 found this review helpful

The Witches by Roald Dahl was a true treat for me. One day while bored I came across this book and voila, I read it. It has a truly funny story that any child or adult alike would love. The book is about "a boy,"(the boy is not named) and his grandmother who encounter The Witches. The boy accidentaly gets into a top secret meeting of the witches and learns their new plan. He must stop them immediatly. With the help from his grandmother and food loving bruno(who was turned into a mouse by the witches with the secret formula) fight all the witches and bring the highest witch down. They finally succeed and the witches get a taste of their own medicine. This book is a really funny book that all people will enjoy!


A 10-year-old from Canada says:   April 9, 2001
 7 out of 7 found this review helpful

This is the third Roald Dahl book I have read. The first was called Matilda, and I think it is his most famous. I have also read George's Marvelous Medicine. The Witches is a funny book and has wonderful drawings.

The witches in this book wore wigs and pointed shoes to hide their bald heads and square feet with no toes! The witches in this book had eyes that changed colours, and were mean and mischivious. The witches in this book where cruel to children and turned them into mice. They live in a castle in Norway. The other characters in this story are a grandmother, her 7-year-old grandson, and the grandson's friend, Bruno. The witches were having a meeting in the hotel where the others where staying. The witches turned the children into mice, but in the end the children get even.

I really enjoyed this book. Roald Dahl is a wonderful children's writer. I would recommend all his books!


Fantastic !!!! Highly Recommned Must Read   September 4, 1999
 6 out of 7 found this review helpful

This book is awesome and a brillant sourse of witchcraft. It is a ingeniuos idea to make witches have blue spit and no toes and no hair ect. The storyline has such imagantion and creativtity you must read this book it gives you a diffrent point of view on the horrible and dangerous creaters know as witches some think witches themselfs to bewitch and others say that they are themselfves to distroy one or more people as they have vowed to. Other belive that they only pratice the black art of Vodoo witchcraft. But really Acorrding to Roald Dahl a witches job is to distroy children. A fanasnating idea . This story is very funny and full of child like soures a must must read. A+++++++++++++++++++++++++++