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The Witch's Children #3
The Witch's Children Go to School
Winner of the 2008 Roald Dahl Funny Prize! In this third electrifying title, the witch's children's friend, Gemma, is scared about her first day at school. So, the Little One turns her into an ogre to give her courage ...but ogres don't fit in at school. Never mind. The Little One has a solution - to turn the whle school into a storybook, which is a good place for an ogre. The trouble is, the witch's children are very good at doing spells but not so good at undoing them...who can help?
- GenresPicture BooksChildrens
32 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2008
About the author
Ursula Jones
38 books31 followersThere is more than one author with this name
When I was little, I wanted to be an actress. I still wanted to be one when I grew up, so I became one!
Having trained at RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) I worked in what was called ‘weekly rep’. The actors put on a play every week, performing one at night and rehearsing the next one during the day. It’s hard work. I shed kilos. Then I took a banana boat to Jamaica where I helped research a frog that hatches baby frogs and not tadpoles. I moved on to New York where I did some exciting, experimental theatre. Back in England, I was lucky enough to join the Unicorn Theatre for Children in London.
It was there that I discovered I wanted to be a writer, too. And so that’s what I did. I wrote lots of plays for the company, and I haven’t stopped writing for children since.
I work in London and from a small house on the edge of a forest where Moon, the cat, Turpin, the dog and his daughter, Beatrix, make room for me. Beatrix has more the look of a hairy marrow than a dog but she can’t see herself so she doesn't care.
(Full bio available at official website).
When I was little, I wanted to be an actress. I still wanted to be one when I grew up, so I became one!
Having trained at RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) I worked in what was called ‘weekly rep’. The actors put on a play every week, performing one at night and rehearsing the next one during the day. It’s hard work. I shed kilos. Then I took a banana boat to Jamaica where I helped research a frog that hatches baby frogs and not tadpoles. I moved on to New York where I did some exciting, experimental theatre. Back in England, I was lucky enough to join the Unicorn Theatre for Children in London.
It was there that I discovered I wanted to be a writer, too. And so that’s what I did. I wrote lots of plays for the company, and I haven’t stopped writing for children since.
I work in London and from a small house on the edge of a forest where Moon, the cat, Turpin, the dog and his daughter, Beatrix, make room for me. Beatrix has more the look of a hairy marrow than a dog but she can’t see herself so she doesn't care.
(Full bio available at official website).
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 20, 2019
The witch's children return in this third picture-book adventure, and that, as the school cat says, spells TROUBLE! Coming upon their friend Gemma waiting outside the gates of the local school one day, and discovering that she is petrified because it is her first day, the magical siblings use their magic to solve the problem. Unfortunately (although not surprisingly), their solution - turning Gemma into an ogre, who isn't afraid of anything - only leads to chaos, which then requires more magical intervention. Soon the schoolchildren have been transformed into characters from various fairytales, the school itself into a storybook, and the school inspector into a smelly cheese. When the witch's children find (as always) that they can't undo their spells, they call for that reliable fixer-of-all-troubles: their mother...
Like its two predecessors, The Witch's Children and The Witch's Children and the Queen , this tale follows the basic storyline of three children who, acting upon their good intentions, get themselves into a great deal of enchanted trouble, and must rely on maternal authority to get them out again. I don't know that I found it as amusing as The Witch's Children and the Queen , which is my favorite of the three stories about these magical siblings, but it certainly was amusing at times. My favorite part was probably when the Middle One, thinking of the tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, turned Class Three into fleas by mistake. As always, the quirky artwork by Russell Ayto, although not precisely my cup of tea, adds to the sense of madcap fun. Recommended to young children who enjoy witchy adventures, and to anyone who enjoyed the first two books devoted to the mishaps of these characters.
Like its two predecessors, The Witch's Children and The Witch's Children and the Queen , this tale follows the basic storyline of three children who, acting upon their good intentions, get themselves into a great deal of enchanted trouble, and must rely on maternal authority to get them out again. I don't know that I found it as amusing as The Witch's Children and the Queen , which is my favorite of the three stories about these magical siblings, but it certainly was amusing at times. My favorite part was probably when the Middle One, thinking of the tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, turned Class Three into fleas by mistake. As always, the quirky artwork by Russell Ayto, although not precisely my cup of tea, adds to the sense of madcap fun. Recommended to young children who enjoy witchy adventures, and to anyone who enjoyed the first two books devoted to the mishaps of these characters.
April 3, 2023
Eerlijk gezegd wat teleurgesteld. Ik blijf grote fan van de eerste in deze serie, maar hier voelt het alsof geforceerd geprobeerd is om datzelfde succes exact te herhalen. Identiek zelfde plot in gewoon een andere context. Gewoon iets slechter uitgevoerd, nog wat verwarrender-chaotischer getekend, minder erin geslaagd om juiste snaar te raken, ... Bij momenten nog altijd amusant. Maar het wrong wat te veel.
January 18, 2022
"مراقب باشید! بچه جادوگرها دارند به مدرسه میروند و این یعنی دردسر! امروز روز اولی است که جما به مدرسه میرود. او ترسیده است. برای همین هم بچه جادوگرها او را به یک غول تبدیل میکنند تا به او جرئت بیشتری بدهند. اما مدرسه جای یک غول نیست. فکر میکنید بچه غول بعد از آن چهکار خواهد کرد؟"
July 25, 2012
Definitely not as successful a story as the first book. I felt it was trying so hard to adhere to the formula of the original that it lost something. It was cute enough, but I wouldn't read it at storytime because it seems more choppy and forced, and that's the type of thing that makes kids in a large audience tune out. It would still be a good enough story to bring home to read, but it wouldn't be one I would own.
Want to Read
November 20, 2008Winner of funniest book for children aged 6 and under(Nov 2008)
http://www.booktrust.org.uk/Prizes-an...
http://www.booktrust.org.uk/Prizes-an...
July 16, 2014
My children request it constantly since we took it out of the library last week - they love it & think it is hilarious.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews