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Jul 25, 2008

Tara rated it:

I grew up watching a Beta tape (OMG) version of this movie, starring Angela Lansbury, when I was younger. When I became a little older, and many of the original Disney classics that we ONLY had on beta were lost, I was inconsolable. I didn't get to watch many of those Diney favorites again until I was a teenager; Escape to Witch Mountain, The Parent Trap, Return From Witch Mountain, The Apple Dumpling Gang. I relish these books now, as treasured memories of rainy days, curled up in my grandmothe More...

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Sep 03, 2011

Isabella rated it:

I think that all ages should read this book because it includes every detail in this book. For example, "You are a Witch! I saw you on a broom in the air last night, I saw it! Mrs. Price was whimpering sad as never before." This is a fantabulous book.

Mrs. Price:
This character has a lesson about living. Sometimes you want to hide things from people, but you have to tell the truth. For example, Mrs Price wanted to be a witch, but she did not want anybody to know. More...

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Jun 24, 2010

Josh rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Jan 23, 2011

Tammy rated it:

The book, Bedknob and Broomstick, is actually a combination of two short stories into one volume by Mary Norton, who is more known for writing The Borrowers. It follows three young Londoners named Carey, Charles and Paul. While living with their aunt in the English countryside they learn that their spinsterly neighbor down the lane is a witch. Well, a witch in training. Miss Price, first name, Eglantine, (yeah Eglantine) is taking correspondence classes to become a witch. (Where do I find those More...

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Feb 05, 2009

Sharon rated it:

Somehow, I never read this book in my youth -- despite a tremendous fondness for the Disney film based upon it. The book and the film are quite different from one another, which is probably not two surprising.

"Bed-Knob and Broomstick" is actually two separate but related books that have been combined. In the first one, amateur witch Miss Price takes three children (Paul, Carey and Charles) to a tropical island via a magical bed-knob -- which is, unfortunately, inhabited b More...

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Sep 29, 2011

Liz rated it:

This really is an adorable little book. The writing is clever and catchy, yet simple enough for a newly independent reader to enjoy. The story is delightful; who doesn't wish they had a bed that could fly anywhere they want, even the past! That combination of magic and time exchange really is perfect for little imaginations. I remember being so fascinated with traveling to the past when I was a kid (is that all kids, or just my Michael J Fox generation?). This is definitely a book I'll enco More...

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Jan 15, 2011

Myles rated it:

Having loved the Disney film growing up I was pleasantly surprised to come across the original books! Since I've read The Borrowers I felt I could expect a good story. Unfortunately it was a bit of a mixed bag.

The first book, The Magic Bed Knob; or, How to Become a Witch in Ten Easy Lessons was a cute little story about Carey, Charles and Paul visiting their aunt in the country and discovering a neighbor lady crashed in the garden. I liked how the origin of Miss Price's witch lessons w More...

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Apr 15, 2011

Abigailann rated it:

The first thing that strick me when I read this book was how little I remembered of the film (I'll have to watch it again some time) and that the scene I remembered most (set under sea) wasn't there at all in the original text. Despite this I really loved this gentle read, addressed directly to the child reading (or the child at heart reading) and full of magical happenings. I also loved the references to history and the way the children in the story innocently didn't seem to expect much to More...

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Jun 27, 2011

Jo rated it:

Wow - a lovely read but what do you do with a book that has such a prominent section on 'cannibals'! Maybe not racist by definition, it certainly is destined to fuel racist stereotypes (as much of our popular culture does, although surely not as blatently any more than this sort of writing?)I can only think of cutting out a whole chunk if I get round to reading this to my children ...
(Similarly, I noticed recently that refs in Pippi Longstocking to cannibals have been replaced in new editi More...

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Jul 09, 2009

Lynn rated it:

Aidan didn't want to read this one, so I did. I loved the Disney movie, so I thought I'd check out the book. After reading a few of the Fablehaven and Percy Jackson books (I like to know what my son is reading), I was really disappointed with this one. Lots of things have changed in the 60+ years since this book was written, and some for the better. Authors do a much better job with character development, and have become better story-tellers. I felt that the characters were just flat in com More...

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Jun 09, 2011

Tracy rated it:

Cute book and perfect for those just beginning chapter books. I watched the movie as a child, and when I recently came across the book, I decided to read it. Unfortunately, the two are not very similar. In that respect I was disappointed. Only a few of the scenes overlap, and when they do, they're still not the same. If I would have known that ahead of time, I would have enjoyed the book even more. But it was still great!

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Jan 29, 2012

Mindy rated it:

This was always one of my favorites growing up. Unlike a lot of kids in my generation, since this book was written in the 50's, I actually read the book before the movie came out. Though the movie was good, the book was certainly better. This was one of the first books I read where I distinctly remember being amazed at the things in the book; could these things really happen? How did she think of such amazing things? I realized that books really do have their own special world, separate and som More...

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Aug 04, 2010

Edward rated it:

I thought that this was a very good book because it involved things that I enjoy reading. Things such as magic, history and geography. My favorite character in this book was Paul because Paul was very little but he knew a lot of things that Charles and Carey didn't know. I think that the author of this book wrote this book because she wanted something to let readers enjoy. My favorite part of this book was when Paul, Charles and Carey entered Miss Price's magic room. I would recommend this More...

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Oct 19, 2009

Chris rated it:

This is one of my all-time favorite Disney movies. I was delighted to learn that I had the book on which the movie was based. Then I read it. For one of the few times I can recall, I thought the book was vastly inferior to the movie. (Lord of the Rings movies were the other notable times, along with Jurassic Park.) It just...didn't have the magic that I felt from watching the movie.

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Dec 24, 2011

Rayme rated it:

This was our read-aloud book in November. I had loved the movie as a kid and wanted to share the book with my daughter. After I read it, I wasn't surprised to find out it was actually two short stories put together to work as a novel, as the first and second parts are disjointed. While we finished it, I wouldn't put it in the "must read" section of the childhood cannon.

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May 17, 2009

Camie rated it:

I enjoyed this book a lot, but it was a little bit hard for the kids to understand because of the time and setting. There were just old terms that even I didn't recognize, so we had to stop over and over because the kids would get lost. In the end, the kids really liked it, but I would wait til they were older to tackle this one if I had to do it over.

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Mar 01, 2009

Danny rated it:

This book is almost completely unlike the movie in particulars, but can still be described as a book about three English children who find a rather prudish witch who grants them a magic bed-knob as a gift.

I enjoyed it. There's lots more time travel and brushes with tragedy.

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Jan 12, 2010

Josie rated it:

This book is about witches and... FLYING BEDS?!? If you were a witch and you wanted to keep it a secret, would you give three curious kid the POWER TO FLY so that they wouldn't tell anyone? Read this FANTASTIC book and it will make you wish you could fly!

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Jul 25, 2011

Fred rated it:

this is a little dicey to read to smaller kids. it's good and wonderful but there is that one chapter that graphically depicts the 17th century punishment for people accused of withcraft. but it has a solid unambiguous ending, which is not MBN's bread and butter.

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Jul 13, 2010

Kaitlyn rated it:

This book is not so good. I think that there is a movie out of this, but I am not sure. there is no action in it excpt for one part, and it is not very exciting. I only have a few pages left, and I probably will not finish it.

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Sep 06, 2011

Rachel rated it:

*SPOILER*
Loved the movie when I was little, the book is a little mature for little kids in my opinion. Not as fun and lively but it was a good book for me as an adult. Witch hunts and witch burnings and such...

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Mar 07, 2009

beth rated it:

this book is so funny- and absolutely made to be read aloud. unfortunately, like many children's books of a certain era (especially british ones) there's a certain amount of racism not too well hidden.

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Aug 18, 2010

Heide rated it:

I've been reading younger-reader novels, to make up for all the books I missed as a kid. This was a cute book, obviously an easy read, was very easy to get sucked into at bedtime.

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Mar 15, 2009

Miriam rated it:

I don't remember this book too well, but I know that between this and the picture-book "Bed Book" I really wanted a flying bed as a child. Life is full of disappointments.

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Jun 20, 2008

Maria rated it:

Magical books were a mainstay of my childhood and this nook is no exception. Three children befriend a spinster in the country who turns out to be more interesting than she might initially appear. She makes a magical bed-knob for them that allows them to use a bed to travel through space and time. The rest of the book follows them on their adventures. Reading this book set in the English countryside makes me long for a garden. Miss Price, the friendly neighborhood spinster and witch, also h More...

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Jul 23, 2011

Ada rated it:

Uncle Joe sent me this book. I read it in the second grade for the first time, but reread it several times. I really loved this one.

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Aug 12, 2010

amelia rated it:

Were it not for the unfortunate bit about cannibals and accompanying illustration, I'd have given this four stars. . .

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Nov 02, 2009

Chidinma rated it:

a proper lady named Ms. Price is actually a witch and gives three kids a magic bed for them to still fly in it.

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Jul 29, 2011

Catherine rated it:

the book upon which the movie was made--I liked this, tho' the Borrowers series is my favorite

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Jun 10, 2010

Amy rated it:

We started reading this because my 5 year old loves the movie "Bedknobs & Broomsticks". This was ok, but NOTHING like the movie, aside from the basic 3 kids and a witch... We were disappointed that the movie was completely different!

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