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237th out of 361 books
—
232 voters
The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children (Keith McGowan's "Sol and Connie Adventures" #1)
The New Yorker recommends: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs... for info. USA Today also really liked it, calling it "scary, funny, and subversive." An ALA 2010 Notable Children's Recording and a 2011 Texas Bluebonnet Book. Publishers Weekly said: “McGowan makes a strong debut with this contemporary recasting of Hansel and Gretel.” BCCB recommended it.
Hardcover, 192 pages
Published
September 1st 2009
by Henry Holt Books for Young Readers
(first published August 1st 2009)
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If you like Roald Dahl's books, you'll like this one. This is a darkly hilarious story. The two kids at the center of the story were adorable, and a bit eccentric, just like every other person in the town it seemed. I was hooked from the very first page.
What if the witch from Hansel and Gretel did not die in the oven? What if she's now an ordinary old woman, living in a suburb (which was once a deep wood) with her little dog Swift, who is carrying a bone in his mouth that eleven-year old Sol identifies as a human femur? Sol and his younger sister have an oddly indifferent father and a not-really-very-nice step-mother, but surely that's just coincidence. A creepy retelling of the fairy tale, with parts told from the witch's point of view. Bonus...more
Okay. So it was more like 2,5 or so. A little bit better than 2 tars, but not good enough for a 3-star from me.
Starts quite well, actually. Diawali dengan sedikit petikan daris ebuah buku catatan seorang tukang sihir yang hobi memakan anak-anak. And so the story goes. Sol dan Connie baru saja pindah rumah. Dan ternyata mereka tinggal di sebelah seorang tukang sihir *a very old witch, actually* yang suka memakan anak-anak. Long story cut short, ceritanya tentang Sol dan Connie yang berusaha melo...more
Starts quite well, actually. Diawali dengan sedikit petikan daris ebuah buku catatan seorang tukang sihir yang hobi memakan anak-anak. And so the story goes. Sol dan Connie baru saja pindah rumah. Dan ternyata mereka tinggal di sebelah seorang tukang sihir *a very old witch, actually* yang suka memakan anak-anak. Long story cut short, ceritanya tentang Sol dan Connie yang berusaha melo...more
Lumayan...
Sol dan Connie kakak-beradik yang baru pindah. Sol, si kakak, seorang anak genius, sementara Connie bandel tapi pandai olahraga dan penyayang binatang. Orangtua mereka, Mr. dan Mrs. Blink, ternyata memiliki niat terselubung dengan kepindahan mereka itu. Mereka akan mendapat warisan saham perusahaan kalau kedua anaknya bisa disingkirkan. Mr. Blink ini ternyata bukan ayah Sol dan Connie, tapi kedua anak itu tidak tahu. Sedangkan Mrs. Blink ibu tiri. Mereka dengar kalau di kota itu ada pe...more
Sol dan Connie kakak-beradik yang baru pindah. Sol, si kakak, seorang anak genius, sementara Connie bandel tapi pandai olahraga dan penyayang binatang. Orangtua mereka, Mr. dan Mrs. Blink, ternyata memiliki niat terselubung dengan kepindahan mereka itu. Mereka akan mendapat warisan saham perusahaan kalau kedua anaknya bisa disingkirkan. Mr. Blink ini ternyata bukan ayah Sol dan Connie, tapi kedua anak itu tidak tahu. Sedangkan Mrs. Blink ibu tiri. Mereka dengar kalau di kota itu ada pe...more
Jul 11, 2012
Indah Threez Lestari
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
children,
indonesian
666 - 2012
Bagaimana kalau penyihir yang telah hidup berabad-abad, yang hobi memakan anak kecil, masih hidup di zaman modern ini? Masih perlukah ia membuat rumah kue untuk menjebak anak-anak seperti venus flytrap menjebak lalat? Masih adakah anak-anak yang bernasib malang seperti Hansel dan Gretel yang harus berakhir di perut sang penyihir? Ya, ending asli dongeng Grimm bersaudara memang grim abis kok.
Dengan pembabatan hutan yang dikonversi menjadi kota atau perumahan, si penyihir terpaksa menyes...more
Bagaimana kalau penyihir yang telah hidup berabad-abad, yang hobi memakan anak kecil, masih hidup di zaman modern ini? Masih perlukah ia membuat rumah kue untuk menjebak anak-anak seperti venus flytrap menjebak lalat? Masih adakah anak-anak yang bernasib malang seperti Hansel dan Gretel yang harus berakhir di perut sang penyihir? Ya, ending asli dongeng Grimm bersaudara memang grim abis kok.
Dengan pembabatan hutan yang dikonversi menjadi kota atau perumahan, si penyihir terpaksa menyes...more
This review was written by my 10 year old sister!
Eleven year-old Solomon and eight year-old Constance Blinks, Sol and Connie for short, have just moved into their new house. That's where they meet old and odd Fay Holaderry and her friendly dog Swift. Swift carries a very strange, eerie-looking bone in his mouth. At first Fay seems like a normal old woman, even if she's slightly odd, so who cares? That's before they stumble upon her diary. Can Sol and Connie figure out what old Fay Holaderry is...more
Eleven year-old Solomon and eight year-old Constance Blinks, Sol and Connie for short, have just moved into their new house. That's where they meet old and odd Fay Holaderry and her friendly dog Swift. Swift carries a very strange, eerie-looking bone in his mouth. At first Fay seems like a normal old woman, even if she's slightly odd, so who cares? That's before they stumble upon her diary. Can Sol and Connie figure out what old Fay Holaderry is...more
First off, let me deal with all the "shelves" I issued this book. Family story, yes, just not a happy family. Fractured fairy tale, yes, but "twisted" (as in "warped") fairy tale might be better for this modern version of Hansel and Gretel. Humor, yes, but I'm not sure children will find it in this dark tale. As an adult, I especially found humor in those listed as the witch's helpers and the kinds of "frustrations" they produced for children. (And I tried not to take umbrage that a librarian wa...more
เล่มนี้กล่าวถึงตัวเองไว้ว่า "A modern-day retelling of Hansel&Gretel"
เป็นการเล่าใหม่ที่ถือว่าไม่น่าเบื่อโดยที่โครงเรื่องยังเหมือนเดิม คาแรคเตอร์ของเด็กสองพี่น้องน่าสนใจ บรรยากาศในเรื่องรวมถึงภาพประกอบจะออกแนวหม่นๆ
เสียอย่างเดียว...ดันมีแต่ปกแข็ง มันแพง! (แม้จะลด 20% แล้วก็เถอะ)
ปล. ไปแอบอ่าน review ของพวกฝรั่ง มีคนให้ตั้งแต่ 1 ถึง 5 ดาว โดยคนที่ชอบมากก็ถึงกับเอาไปเทียบกับดาห์ล (คนที่ไม่ชอบก็เอาไปเทียบกับดาห์ลเหมือนกัน...เพราะหวังไว้ว่ามันจะเหมือนเรื่อง "แม่มด" ก็เลยผิดหวัง)
เป็นการเล่าใหม่ที่ถือว่าไม่น่าเบื่อโดยที่โครงเรื่องยังเหมือนเดิม คาแรคเตอร์ของเด็กสองพี่น้องน่าสนใจ บรรยากาศในเรื่องรวมถึงภาพประกอบจะออกแนวหม่นๆ
เสียอย่างเดียว...ดันมีแต่ปกแข็ง มันแพง! (แม้จะลด 20% แล้วก็เถอะ)
ปล. ไปแอบอ่าน review ของพวกฝรั่ง มีคนให้ตั้งแต่ 1 ถึง 5 ดาว โดยคนที่ชอบมากก็ถึงกับเอาไปเทียบกับดาห์ล (คนที่ไม่ชอบก็เอาไปเทียบกับดาห์ลเหมือนกัน...เพราะหวังไว้ว่ามันจะเหมือนเรื่อง "แม่มด" ก็เลยผิดหวัง)
How can you resist - The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children? It brings to mind the old WC Fields adage - when asked if he liked children, Fields purportedly answered, Yes - with a little mustard and relish!
All joking aside - this book is being touted as a lot of things...a modern version of the Hansel & Gretel tale, garnering comparisons to Roald Dahl's The Witches, and the tone of a Lemony Snicket narration.
The really great part is that kids will read and love it - it is a quick witty...more
All joking aside - this book is being touted as a lot of things...a modern version of the Hansel & Gretel tale, garnering comparisons to Roald Dahl's The Witches, and the tone of a Lemony Snicket narration.
The really great part is that kids will read and love it - it is a quick witty...more
Sep 15, 2012
Linda Zunialvi
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
children,
terjemahan
Sol dan Connie baru saja pindah ke apartemen baru mereka di kota Schoneberg yang panas. Sol anak yang cerdas dan tergila-gila pada ilmiah. Dia juga sering membuat peralatan-peralatan aneh yang, tentu saja, cukup berfungsi dengan baik. Karena itu dia pernah dijuluki ilmuwan edan di sekolahnya dulu. Sol berumur sebelas tahun, sedangkan adiknya, Connie, berumur delapan tahun. Kalau Sol anak lelaki yang memiliki rambut panjang sebahu, maka Connie adalah anak perempuan dengan rambut pendek--mirip sep...more
This is a new adaptation of Hansel and Gretel that I really enjoyed at first, but the ending was fairy disappointing. First, the good stuff! The book begins with an excerpt from the witch's diary in which she discusses how she find children to eat. She writes that many parents show up at her door or write her letters asking her to take their children, "pretty please!" Most of the book is about Sol and Connie Blink who have just moved to a new town right next door to a suspicious old lady. Sol is...more
I read a review of this at Booklist Online, and the title grabbed my attention.
The witch who eats children, made famous by the fairy tale Hansel & Gretel, is alive and well and living in a city. She's writing a book about her various modern methods of capturing children, since there are no woods anymore for parents to "lose" their children in. Some examples include dumpsters outside of movie theaters marked "Donations" and having child-hating helpers such as baby-sitters and librarians to b...more
The witch who eats children, made famous by the fairy tale Hansel & Gretel, is alive and well and living in a city. She's writing a book about her various modern methods of capturing children, since there are no woods anymore for parents to "lose" their children in. Some examples include dumpsters outside of movie theaters marked "Donations" and having child-hating helpers such as baby-sitters and librarians to b...more
May 21, 2010
Sarah
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
grades 4-7
Shelves:
children-fantasy,
audio
When Sol and his younger sister Connie move into a new neighborhood, they soon face a couple of unnerving facts: they have a real-life witch as their neighbor, and their parents are trying to get rid of them (by “donating” them to the witch so she can eat them!).
Sol and Connie have every intension of avoiding the witch, but they are too late realizing that the children’s librarian is her ally! While Connie waits for Sol to be finished on the computer, the librarian catches Connie so she can give...more
Sol and Connie have every intension of avoiding the witch, but they are too late realizing that the children’s librarian is her ally! While Connie waits for Sol to be finished on the computer, the librarian catches Connie so she can give...more
Another 3.5 for kids, but deserving of being rounded up because of the 1. originality, 2. entertaining subversion in the work reminiscent of the Brothers Grimm, 3. fun voice throughout the story, and 4. fact that it is a single book. A single book! Stand alone.
Although quite modern, this book was a throwback to years past in presentation and charm. The book begins with a passage from the witches journal, and then proceeds to tell a very entertaining story. The depiction of adults in the book is...more
Although quite modern, this book was a throwback to years past in presentation and charm. The book begins with a passage from the witches journal, and then proceeds to tell a very entertaining story. The depiction of adults in the book is...more
I was disappointed by this short audiobook. It started out all very well, our narrator was a witch, and she lovingly described her favorite dish...children. She went on to expound on the procedures around getting hold of children for her cookery. It turns out she'd been around quite some time, from Hansel and Gretals time in fact, and had established quite a business for herself. Parents whose children were peevish and rude could drop them off in any number of 'donation' bins located at such une...more
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Something about this chapter book, a retelling of the Hansel and Gretel tale, didn't "gel" with me. Sol and Connie, the sibling pair, reminded me of the siblings in the Series of Unfortunate Events, with their self-reliance, intelligence, and keen insight. But the explanation for where the children's parents were, and the twin brother who was an evil stand-in for their real father, seemed very hokey. The siblings made use of the library in their search for the truth about their strange neighbor,...more
A great idea for a story-spin-off of the ever popular Hansel and Gretl! Started out marvelous with the witch narrating a few pages of introduction. On the audiobook she was spooky yet fun and whimsical. I loved the part of the witch. Very early on after the witch speaks, the story loses it's momentum. It becomes dull, dry and silly. I think if the witch were allowed to tell the story 'her way', the book could have turned out much better. Still, overall it was not a complete flop. Some of it was...more
"The cover is fantastic isn’t it?! The creativity and humor continue into the story, I promise. Using one of the lesser re-imagined Grimm Fairytales, Keith McGowan proves a deft hand with a present day placement of Hansel und Gretel. McGowan even maintains the dark and sinister feel of Grimm. He would also add the absurdities that take an edge off and make the read ridiculously funny at times.
Between the title, the cover, and the premise, The Witch’s Guide to Cooking with Children is an easy sel...more
Between the title, the cover, and the premise, The Witch’s Guide to Cooking with Children is an easy sel...more
This modern day retelling of Hansel and Gretel finds siblings Sol and Connie moving to a new town with their father and stepmother. There, they meet Fay Holaderry and her dog swift, who has an odd-looking bone in his mouth. Sol just happens to be somewhat of a child genius, so he heads to library to find out what kind of bone it is, and discovers it was likely a human femur bone. As they further investigate Holaderry, they discover she is a witch who cooks and eats children and she collects them...more
The book The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children by Keith McGowan was a very fun fantasy book. I liked how it was a twist on Hansel and Gretel in modern day time. The ending leaves a few parts not wrapped up though. What was the story between Mrs. Holaderry and the lady in the Creatures shop, I'd love to know. Also, did Sol and Connie ever find out about their family history? My favorite character was Connie. I know, I know I'm supposed to like Sol better and he did grow and learn a lot about...more
This modern-day retelling of Hansel & Gretel is a quirky, inventive story with characters just odd enough to thoroughly enjoy. My class fell in love with this book from page one, and I was smitten in the beginning as well.
The witch's journal is clever, and I loved the contrast between Connie and Sol. Even the backstory for Mr. and Mrs. Blink offers several opportunities for an interesting conclusion. I felt there were many things in this story left unexplored - but the set-up was fantastic!
T...more
The witch's journal is clever, and I loved the contrast between Connie and Sol. Even the backstory for Mr. and Mrs. Blink offers several opportunities for an interesting conclusion. I felt there were many things in this story left unexplored - but the set-up was fantastic!
T...more
I was looking forward to reading this book because I do so much with fairy tales and fractured fairy tales with my students and as a school, we LOVE this genre. So, when I realized that a fractured fairy tale version of Hansel and Gretel was on this year's Bluebonnet list, I was excited.
Unfortunately, my excitement was short-lived, as this book was a terrible disappointment to me. It was just not what I expected or wanted and I will not be really pushing it this year (although I know that a lot...more
Unfortunately, my excitement was short-lived, as this book was a terrible disappointment to me. It was just not what I expected or wanted and I will not be really pushing it this year (although I know that a lot...more
I really wanted to like this book so I could share it with my grandchildren. The concept is great. The execution falls short.
While there are some pleasant aspects to the book, I was disappointed in many ways. The ending was a great letdown. The story was very contrived, unconvincing and and felt incomplete. But there are sections that have too much detail, too much explanation, too much verbage!
One final comment about the crude humor in the book. While there is not a lot, and certainly no profan...more
While there are some pleasant aspects to the book, I was disappointed in many ways. The ending was a great letdown. The story was very contrived, unconvincing and and felt incomplete. But there are sections that have too much detail, too much explanation, too much verbage!
One final comment about the crude humor in the book. While there is not a lot, and certainly no profan...more
Kereeeennnnn....suka banget dengan ceritanya. Dengan didasari kisah Hensel & Gretel, petualangan Sol & Connie pun dimulai.
Dua kakak beradik ini sangat kompak, bisa dibilang saling melengkapi. Sol yang super jenius dan Connie yang cerdik dan jahil. Kekompakan yang membuat ke dua bersaudara ini berani menghadapi penyihir yang suka memakan anak kecil.
Ceritanya mengalir meskipun ada beberapa bagian yang sepertinya belum ada penyelesaiannya. So far, saya sangat menikmati membaca kisah Sol &...more
Dua kakak beradik ini sangat kompak, bisa dibilang saling melengkapi. Sol yang super jenius dan Connie yang cerdik dan jahil. Kekompakan yang membuat ke dua bersaudara ini berani menghadapi penyihir yang suka memakan anak kecil.
Ceritanya mengalir meskipun ada beberapa bagian yang sepertinya belum ada penyelesaiannya. So far, saya sangat menikmati membaca kisah Sol &...more
1 like · like · see review
Hansel dan Gretel. Salah satu dongeng anak-anak terkenal dan telah sering diadaptasi ke layar lebar dan tidak sedikit "penggemarnya" membuat versi baru dari kisah yang melibatkan dua kakak adik dan seorang penyihir jahat. Salah satunya adalah buku ini...
Penyihir di Sebelah Rumah
... atau...
The Witch's Guide to Cook With Children.
Buku ini mengadaptasi dongeng Hansel dan Gretel versi Grimm Bersaudara yang terkenal suram. Kenapa suram? Sebab tak ada happy ending di dalamnya. Nah, apakah di buku ini....more
Penyihir di Sebelah Rumah
... atau...
The Witch's Guide to Cook With Children.
Buku ini mengadaptasi dongeng Hansel dan Gretel versi Grimm Bersaudara yang terkenal suram. Kenapa suram? Sebab tak ada happy ending di dalamnya. Nah, apakah di buku ini....more
In this re-telling of Hansel and Gretel, the children are science wiz Sol Blink and his younger sister Connie. When their family moves into the apartment building next door to Fay Holaderry, Sol notices that the old woman's dog is chewing on a bone that looks rather alarming. And when the children manage to steal Holaderry's journal, all their suspicions are confirmed.
This book is listed for young readers, but I think that refers to the fact that the story is written in a style that is somewhat...more
This book is listed for young readers, but I think that refers to the fact that the story is written in a style that is somewhat...more
some people struggle with the idea of cannibalism in this book, it's a take off of Hansel and Gretel - get over it. No more is said, than a witch that eats children and dog with with a human femur in his mouth. There are no gory details or imagery.
I found the book slow to start and slightly irritating in how it repeated story line. That said, once it turned to action, the author holds your attention and you can't put it down. And then it ends. Just like that. A couple lose ends, slightly irrita...more
I found the book slow to start and slightly irritating in how it repeated story line. That said, once it turned to action, the author holds your attention and you can't put it down. And then it ends. Just like that. A couple lose ends, slightly irrita...more
Cerita adaptasi dari kisah Hansel and Gretel ini berhasil mencuri hati saya. Ceritanya benar-benar menarik, tentang Sol dan Connie, kakak beradik yatim piatu yang tidak diinginkan oleh ayah palsu dan ibu tiri mereka.
Saat kedua orangtua palsu tersebut ingin menyerahka mereka ke tangan seorang penyihir yang suka memakan anak-anak, Sol dan Connie cepat tanggap dengan kondisi yang mereka alami dan dengan pintar mereka berusaha untuk menyelamatkan diri...
Suka banget dengan ceritanya. Meskipun sederha...more
Saat kedua orangtua palsu tersebut ingin menyerahka mereka ke tangan seorang penyihir yang suka memakan anak-anak, Sol dan Connie cepat tanggap dengan kondisi yang mereka alami dan dengan pintar mereka berusaha untuk menyelamatkan diri...
Suka banget dengan ceritanya. Meskipun sederha...more
A very clever retelling of Hansel and Gretel. It would be good for upper elementary or middle school students who can understand the bit of satire and whimsy within and not be freaked out by a witch who eats children and the parents who give them to her. Told partly from the witches perspective and partly from the children's, it has a great flow.
If you speak German, you'll find little treats scattered within the reading. It opens with a portion of the original Brothers Grimm tale. The author is...more
If you speak German, you'll find little treats scattered within the reading. It opens with a portion of the original Brothers Grimm tale. The author is...more
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Visit children's book author Keith McGowan's website http://www.KeithBooks.com for information on the author. Keith McGowan is the author of The Witch's Curse and The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children, recommended by The New Yorker and USA Today, among other reviewers. The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children was also named an ALA 2010 Notable Children's Recording, a 2011 Texas Bluebonnet B...more
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“I love children. Eating them, that is.”
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2 people liked it
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Nov 07, 2009 11:44am