Hexenfest für Merrilu

Meredith / Merrilu the Witch #1

by Dorothea Lachner, Christa Unzner (Illustrator)

Was das Hexen angeht, ist Merrilu keine Leuchte. Auf dem Hexenfest schneidet sie ganz schlecht ab und kehrt enttäuscht nach Hause zurück. Da kommt ihr eine zündende Idee!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Halloween, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1997

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally published in German as Hexenfest für Merrilu (literally, "A Witches' Festival for Merrilu"), this engaging picture-book follows the story of a witch who doesn't really like magic, preferring to do things - planting a garden, baking bread, taking a walk - "for herself," rather than relying on spells. But when her summons to the Annual Assessment of Witchly Powers in Magical Spells arrives, she begins to worry that her lack of practice will result in a poor showing, preventing her from being re-certified as a witch.

I enjoyed Meredith, the Witch Who Wasn't, and its gentle message about being yourself, and going your own road. The colorful illustrations by Christa Unzner were very winsome - I loved Meredith's spiky green hair, and her cat's blue fur! - and many of the little details were very well done. The cat, in particular, was depicted with some very droll expressions, making me sad that his (her?) character wasn't more fleshed out, in the narrative. That criticism aside, I appreciated everything about this witchy picture-book, and heartily recommend it to anyone looking for gentler Halloween fare.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! It is delightful and refreshingly "different" from the standard Halloween offerings. Part of this is probably because it was originally published in Switzerland (though I admit that Meredith reminded me a bit more of a cute Norwegian troll than anything Swiss!) The illustrations are warm and fun and interesting (I really applaud kids books with INTERESTING illustrations!) -- be sure to watch for the cute blue polkadot cat in most of the pictures (yup, a blue cat with white polkadots, swwweeeeet!) The story is thoughtful and has a great message without being over-the-top. For Meredith is a witch, but she doesn't like to do magic--it's so much more fun and rewarding to grow her own food, clean her house, and walk on her own two feet than use spells and flying broomsticks all the time. But when she must go to test for her witch certification, what will she do? She is so rusty with her magic! The ending is wonderful.

Highly recommended!

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found Meredith to be very endearing, and I enjoyed this story very much.

I wasn’t wild about the illustrations; they were a tad ghoulish for me, although there was one of the blue cat I loved and others I found interesting.

This is a wonderful book for kids who don’t enjoy things they “should” or enjoy things they “shouldn’t” and Meredith is a wonderful role model, and reading about her is great deal of fun. A witch who would rather not use magic is a unique take on Halloween books that feature witches. The October 31st witch tests were fun, and I appreciated the gentle rejection. This is a story that probably won’t scare any kids, although some of the illustrations might be frightening for very sensitive children.

[Belinda Vlasbaard · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,25 stars - English hardcover

Naar dependance school for gifted children

[Black Flamed Candle Books 🕯️📚 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the moral of this story. The illustrations weren’t my favourite; rather sharp and pointy but I suppose that is the stereotype of a witches nose. Being boiled down to a stereotypical witch when there’s in fact multiple types and no one way of fitting in.

[Mitchell Seth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, but can we stop making all Witches ugly? Regardless, this book is very cute. Work hard.

[Jiffy · Rating 1 out of 5]

It’s an enjoyable enough book, nothing special, but decent. And then it just ends. Like literally, you’re in the middle of the story and you turn the page and it basically says, ‘Then everything resolved itself and they lived happily ever after’. Even my 5 year old daughter who has only a fledgling notion of continuity or resolution said, “Woah, that ended fast”. Was it a page count issue at the publisher or could the author truly not come up with a better ending than that? It was confusing and off-putting.

I’m leaving an actual star rating on this one because my daughter and I agree. So, yay for that at least.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't sure about this one at first. It's about a witch that always messes up her spells. She's dragged off to witch school where, in the end, she makes friends and finds success. The first in a series of three.

[Deborah Harris]

Meredith is a witch that hates practicing spells. She is summoned to an annual assessment to determine if she can be a certified witch. Meredith is learning to be herself. There is great power in doing what you are good at.

[Morgen Shambaugh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not really get the point of this book or appreciate the humor, but some kids might. Meredith is a witch who is actually not because her spells are more so a celebration of her indivduality, than evil withcraft. Her character often says the wrong thing, and then crazy things happen.