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UNITED STATES OF GRIMM series by Keith McGowan #1
The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children: A Modern-Day Retelling of Hansel and Gretel (Texas Bluebonnet Books
When Sol and Connie Blink move to Grand Creek, one of the first people to welcome them is an odd older woman, Fay Holaderry, and her friendly dog, Swift, who carries a very strange bone in his mouth. Sol knows a lot more than the average eleven-year-old, so when he identifies the bone as a human femur, he and Connie begin to wonder if their new neighbor is up to no good. In a spine-tingling adventure that makes them think twice about who they can trust, Sol and Connie discover that dangerous secrets lurk in even the most pleasant neighborhoods.
192 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2009
14 people are currently reading
652 people want to read
About the author
Keith McGowan
5 books7 followersFor info on me and my books, please visit me at http://www.KeithBooks.com. I'm the author of The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children and The Witch's Curse: A Witch Hunt Gone Wrong.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 251 reviews
September 30, 2024
So yes, I had originally signed out Keith McGowan’s The Witch’s Guide to Cooking with Children from Open Library because from the book title, I (and it turns out rather majorly wrongfully) believed that McGowan’s text would be a humorous type of child-friendly cookbook (perhaps a tome where a witch is teaching children how to prepare creepy, crawly and strangely colourful, warped looking and tasting foods and decoctions). And yes, when I realised my mistake (namely that The Witch’s Guide to Cooking with Children is in fact not a cookbook but rather a Brothers Grimm Hänsel und Gretel retelling), while I was definitely more than a trifle disappointed, I was still at first planning to read The Witch’s Guide to Cooking with Children (because I was a bit intrigued by the premise and do sometimes rather enjoy fairy and folk tale regellings).
However, after reading the beginning of The Witch’s Guide to Cooking with Children and finding the first person, aggressively in my face narration of the Hänsel und Gretel witch not at all engaging, but at best uncomfortable and creepy (and with an attitude profoundly against children and constantly making excuses for why she, for why the witch has over the centuries been killing and consuming them, that her “prey” often has been donated to her clutches by supposedly stressed out parents and that the cooked and eaten children have therefore also generally deserved their collective fates), sorry, but I truly was soon seeing proverbially red and so much so that I decided to quit reading and to consider The Witch’s Guide to Cooking with Children as yet another DNF novel (and while I do feel a bit guilty at not continuing, I really and truly cannot stomach how Keith McCowan has the witch present her point of view and since the ending of The Witch’s Guide for Cooking with Children is also supposedly majorly abrupt and cliff hanging, I really do not think that I am missing anything much by deciding not to finish).
However, after reading the beginning of The Witch’s Guide to Cooking with Children and finding the first person, aggressively in my face narration of the Hänsel und Gretel witch not at all engaging, but at best uncomfortable and creepy (and with an attitude profoundly against children and constantly making excuses for why she, for why the witch has over the centuries been killing and consuming them, that her “prey” often has been donated to her clutches by supposedly stressed out parents and that the cooked and eaten children have therefore also generally deserved their collective fates), sorry, but I truly was soon seeing proverbially red and so much so that I decided to quit reading and to consider The Witch’s Guide to Cooking with Children as yet another DNF novel (and while I do feel a bit guilty at not continuing, I really and truly cannot stomach how Keith McCowan has the witch present her point of view and since the ending of The Witch’s Guide for Cooking with Children is also supposedly majorly abrupt and cliff hanging, I really do not think that I am missing anything much by deciding not to finish).
October 18, 2016
This is a revision of Hansel and Gretel, in a modern setting. A brother and sister fight off the witch who eats children. The witch no longer lives in a gingerbread house in the woods. Her woods have all be cut down and the city has grown up around it, so she now lives in an apartment building and accepts donations of from parents who are annoyed by their children. It’s a cute idea, but the story is a little muddled by seemingly pointless additional characters and the writing is not terribly engaging, compared to other middle grade books I’ve read recently. The illustrations could be interesting, but the book copy I’m using is so poorly printed that the pictures are a dark mass of graytones.
I can hardly complain, though. I picked this up in a thriftshop, mostly because the title caught my eye and I thought it might be amusing. I read this for the Witches square in the 2016 Halloween Bingo.
I can hardly complain, though. I picked this up in a thriftshop, mostly because the title caught my eye and I thought it might be amusing. I read this for the Witches square in the 2016 Halloween Bingo.
November 6, 2009
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 points for the librarian who rants about "...having to put up with you kids. You run around the library like it's a playground. And you lose your library cards every other week!" This would have been 4 stars but for the abrupt and unsatisfactory ending---probably setting up for a sequel---but I felt cheated by all the loose ends left lying around.
June 25, 2013
I picked this up because it was recommended to readers who enjoyed A Tale Dark & Grimm on Amazon. I loved the humor and the quirky twist on the fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel in A Tale Dark and Grimm, and I just plain love fairy tales, so I am looking for innovative, interesting retellings of these classic stories. I'm glad my library had this on audio. It was a fun and quick read, about 3 hours (It took me longer because I listened in spurts).
Initially, I was very drawn in. The characters of Sol and Connie are captivating, their story was somewhat poignant. I definitely felt for these kids. If you're familiar with Hansel and Gretel, you can get a head start on the storyline, although McGowan throws in some novel touches that were fun. I won't say which, because that's the fun of reading it. Sol is a young genius and inventor who gets a huge blow to his confidence that he has to work through. His mischievous, free-sprited, and intuitive sister Connie carries a burden of guilt related to Sol's greatest failure. This is a pivotal element of this story, and the author does carry it through successfully to the end. The story shows what the child-eating witch is up to in the modern age, and she's definitely streamlined her operation.
The child-eating witch is truly heinous. What makes it even more harrowing is that people actually volunteer their kids to be eaten because of the manifold failings of those kids! Definitely folks who shouldn't have reproduced! It's humorous, but on one level it's really kind of disturbing that parents would set their children up to be eaten by a witch just because they misbehave or fail to live up to certain standards. I think that they are even worse than the witch, honestly.
This is one of those books that won't appeal if you don't like a dark and kind of twisted sense of humor. Let me just say that here and now. But I think readers who like the Hansel and Gretel story won't find anything here that countermands the original story. Instead, this is just a modern update with more humor.
If there was anything I was underwhelmed with, it was the use of the secondary character who happened to be a witch as well, but she's a good witch. I understand why she couldn't help the kids very much, but I still feel she was underutilized in the story. I also wished there was some sort of confrontation between her and the evil witch. Also, I feel the ending was too abrupt. I know this is supposed to be a short book, but I wasn't fully satisfied with the ending. I definitely wanted more story and more closure.
Overall, this was pretty good. It's hard to rate it higher or to perform a very intensive analysis, because it's very short. I am glad this was recommended to me because I liked A Tale Dark and Grimm. However, it doesn't live up to the excellence of that book, and that's one caveat I would give any reader who is investigating humorous, middle grade/juvenile fairy tale retellings.
As far as suitability for young readers, I think it's fine for kids who are 8-12 (or older readers who like J/MG fiction). However, this would be too scary for a younger reader. Not that much is described, but the idea of a witch eating bad kids or even worse, their parents giving them away to the witch, is pretty disturbing, even for a much older reader like myself.
If you are able to get this on audiobook, I recommend it. I liked the narrator.
Overall rating: 3.25/5.0 stars.
Initially, I was very drawn in. The characters of Sol and Connie are captivating, their story was somewhat poignant. I definitely felt for these kids. If you're familiar with Hansel and Gretel, you can get a head start on the storyline, although McGowan throws in some novel touches that were fun. I won't say which, because that's the fun of reading it. Sol is a young genius and inventor who gets a huge blow to his confidence that he has to work through. His mischievous, free-sprited, and intuitive sister Connie carries a burden of guilt related to Sol's greatest failure. This is a pivotal element of this story, and the author does carry it through successfully to the end. The story shows what the child-eating witch is up to in the modern age, and she's definitely streamlined her operation.
The child-eating witch is truly heinous. What makes it even more harrowing is that people actually volunteer their kids to be eaten because of the manifold failings of those kids! Definitely folks who shouldn't have reproduced! It's humorous, but on one level it's really kind of disturbing that parents would set their children up to be eaten by a witch just because they misbehave or fail to live up to certain standards. I think that they are even worse than the witch, honestly.
This is one of those books that won't appeal if you don't like a dark and kind of twisted sense of humor. Let me just say that here and now. But I think readers who like the Hansel and Gretel story won't find anything here that countermands the original story. Instead, this is just a modern update with more humor.
If there was anything I was underwhelmed with, it was the use of the secondary character who happened to be a witch as well, but she's a good witch. I understand why she couldn't help the kids very much, but I still feel she was underutilized in the story. I also wished there was some sort of confrontation between her and the evil witch. Also, I feel the ending was too abrupt. I know this is supposed to be a short book, but I wasn't fully satisfied with the ending. I definitely wanted more story and more closure.
Overall, this was pretty good. It's hard to rate it higher or to perform a very intensive analysis, because it's very short. I am glad this was recommended to me because I liked A Tale Dark and Grimm. However, it doesn't live up to the excellence of that book, and that's one caveat I would give any reader who is investigating humorous, middle grade/juvenile fairy tale retellings.
As far as suitability for young readers, I think it's fine for kids who are 8-12 (or older readers who like J/MG fiction). However, this would be too scary for a younger reader. Not that much is described, but the idea of a witch eating bad kids or even worse, their parents giving them away to the witch, is pretty disturbing, even for a much older reader like myself.
If you are able to get this on audiobook, I recommend it. I liked the narrator.
Overall rating: 3.25/5.0 stars.
July 20, 2010
This book had such great potential, but I really didn't like it. First off, I am going to guess that the author did some research about air pressure, so why would he put the air pressure as station pressure rather than adjusted sea level pressure? This would be much more useful to the budding scientist. And, since Sol and Connie lived by the mountains, why was the station pressure so low? I guess this part would only bother a meteorologist. Second, I felt like the forgiveness idea was treated so strangely in this book. How could the author just leave the ending like that? And, speaking of the ending, what the heck was that? Is he planning on doing a sequel? I felt the ending was very abrupt and resolved very little. What is going to happen to the "parents"? How about the woman who sort of helped them? (And, how exactly did she help/not help them? I don't really understand her point or the dogs who understand German.) Finally, I was not impressed with the creativity or the style of writing. Honestly, the writing style reminded me a lot of a short story I wrote for my sixth grade young author's competition. I also question the intended audience of this book. The writing style seemed to be aimed at very young elementary, but the book was 176 pages long? I know there are a lot of voracious readers out there, but the length-style combo don't seem to mesh.
I felt disappointed after reading this book since it does have such a great title. Sigh.
I felt disappointed after reading this book since it does have such a great title. Sigh.
March 31, 2011
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 up to now? Before it's too late?
Before I started reading The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children, I thought it was about cooking. Boring.... But to my ultimate surprise, the book was filled with adventure. Holaderry's diary was the funniest and the best part of the book. There was only one problem, in one part it was a bit confusing, but after I reread it, everything made more sense.
Author Keith McGowan tells a splendid story inspired from an old fairy tale - Hansel and Gretel. I recommend this book to fans of fairy tales and anyone looking for a fun and adventurous read!
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 up to now? Before it's too late?
Before I started reading The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children, I thought it was about cooking. Boring.... But to my ultimate surprise, the book was filled with adventure. Holaderry's diary was the funniest and the best part of the book. There was only one problem, in one part it was a bit confusing, but after I reread it, everything made more sense.
Author Keith McGowan tells a splendid story inspired from an old fairy tale - Hansel and Gretel. I recommend this book to fans of fairy tales and anyone looking for a fun and adventurous read!
April 21, 2009
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.
September 7, 2011
This book is a Texas Bluebonnet and I wanted to see what everyone was talking about. It was great! A worthwhile book for my witchy fiction and nookbook collection!
December 23, 2014
Bukunya tipis, selesai baca seharian deh diselingi kerjaan ini-itu.
Udah lama ngga baca buku anak-anak. Ternyata seru, obat kangen akan masa kanak-kanak.
Sol itu kakak yang baik dan pintar. Sekesal-kesalnya ia pada Connie, adiknya, dia masih sayang dan mau menolongnya.
Penasaran sama lanjutannya, The Witch's Curse.
Berhubung udah janji beresin 5 buku dulu baru beli buku baru, saya kudu nahan2 diri deh.
Udah lama ngga baca buku anak-anak. Ternyata seru, obat kangen akan masa kanak-kanak.
Sol itu kakak yang baik dan pintar. Sekesal-kesalnya ia pada Connie, adiknya, dia masih sayang dan mau menolongnya.
Penasaran sama lanjutannya, The Witch's Curse.
Berhubung udah janji beresin 5 buku dulu baru beli buku baru, saya kudu nahan2 diri deh.
August 22, 2018
I tried to like this one and finished it soon but I couldn't enjoy to read it. Retelling Hansel and gratel in modern era, buth both character little annoying.
December 30, 2013
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...
Penyihir di Sebelah Rumah
... Endingnya berakhir indah atau sama suramnya dengan milik Grimm Bersaudara?
Di sini sudah ada kakak-beradik Blink, Sol dan Connie. Well, bagaimana kabar kalian?
Sol: Kontras dengan cuaca diluar yang mendung. Kami berdua... aku rasa baik.
Connie: Tidak baik. Kami dikejar-kejar penyihir jahat!
Sol: (geleng-geleng kepala)
Kenapa kamu menggelengkan kepala, Sol?
Sol: Aku merasa ucapan Connie sia-sia. Anda pasti tidak percaya dengan ucapan anak kecil seperti kami.
Banyak kok orang dewasa yang menganggap ucapan anak kecil serius.
Connie: Salah satunya Anda?
Ya. Eh, lebih tepatnya, tergantung. Kadang aku juga tidak percaya dengan omongan anak kecil. Tapi sekarang bukan aku yang kita bicarakan, tapi kalian. Kisah kalian bersama penyihir yang mengejar-ngejar kalian.
Sol: Namanya Fay Holaderry. Dia tetangga kami. Dia juga orang pertama yang menyambut kedatangan kami di kota kecil, tempat tinggal baru kami.
Connie: Dia punya anjing yang lucu dan ramah bernama Swift.
Sol: Setelah pertemuan pertama kami, aku dan Connie merasa ada yang aneh dengannya. Aku juga penasaran dengan tulang yang dibawa Swift. Tampaknya seperti tulang... Manusia. Tapi aku tidak yakin.
Connie: Aku tidak bisa membaca apa-apa dari mata Holaderry.
Sol: Connie pandai membaca orang melalui matanya.
Connie: Dan Sol yang selalu penasaran, sepulang dari kami bermain, mencaritahu tentang Holaderry di perpustakaan.
Dan apa yang kalian temukan?
Connie: Aku tidak ikut mencaritahu.
Sol: Aku tahu tulang yang dibawa Swift itu tulang manusia.
Lalu bagaimana kalian tahu Fay Holaderry penyihir?
Sol: Kami menyelinap ke dalam rumahnya.
Connie: Rumah yang aneh. Ruang tamunya saja kayak taman.
Sol: Untung anjingnya, Swift, ramah pada kami. Jadi kami bisa memeriksa tiap sudut rumahnya dengan leluasa.
Connie: Sayangnya Holaderry keburu pulang ketika kami memeriksa lantai dua rumahnya.
Sol: Kami cepat-cepat melarikan diri. Tapi dia tahu. Dia melihatku di halamannya.
Dia menyihirmu?
Sol: Tidak.
Tapi lalu bagaimana kalian tahu dia penyihir?
Sol: Kami mencuri buku hariannya.
Apa saja isi buku hariannya?
Sol: (saling berpandangan dengan Connie) aku kutipkan dua kalimat dari buku itu, "Aku suka sekali anak kecil. Suka memakannya, maksudku."
Wow, itu sungguh...
Connie: Mengerikan, ya.
Bagaimana perasaan kalian saat tahu hal itu?
Connie: Sol tahu apa yang mesti dilakukan. Dia anak yang sangat cerdas.
Sol: Tapi saat itu pikiranku sedang berkabut dan Connie memberiku kata-kata penyemangat sederhana.
Apa kata-kata penyemangat itu, kalau aku boleh tahu?
Sol: Jangan menyerah.
Connie: Kami mendapatkannya dari seorang wanita yang menyayangi makhluk besar dan kecil.
Wanita yang menyayangi makhluk... Siapa dia? Oke, nanti saja aku tanyakan hal itu. Lalu apa yang kalian lakukan selanjutnya, Holaderry pasti tahu kalian mengambil buku hariannya.
Sol: Secara logika, hanya satu yang bisa kami lakukan. Menangkapnya duluan, sebelum dia yang menangkap kami.
Wow, kalian... Bukan anak-anak biasa. Maksudku, Sol cerdas dan Connie...
Sol: licik.
Connie: aku lebih suka disebut cerdik.
Oke, Sol cerdas dan Connie cerdik. Apakah kalian berhasil menangkap penyihir itu?
Connie: Tidak.
Sol: Dia punya banyak kaki-tangan. Lebih banyak dari yang Anda bayangkan.
Lalu bagaimana kisah kalian berakhir?
Sol: (lagi-lagi saling berpandangan dengan Connie) Kami berdua merasa kisah kami belum berakhir.
Satu pertanyaan lagi sebelum kalian pulang, apakah kalian tidak curiga kedua orang tua kalian--
Connie: Ibu tiri.
--ya, ibu tiri. Apakah kalian tidak curiga ayah dan ibu tiri kalian mengajak pindah ke kota kecil itu sebenarnya bermaksud menyerahkan kalian ke si penyihir?
Sol: Kami tidak tahu dan belum bisa memastikan hal itu. Tapi aku tahu cukup banyak hal.
Terima kasih Solomon dan Constance Blink atas kehadiran kalian di Story Eater Tales. Kita mungkin akan bertemu lagi saat kisah kalian yang selanjutnya telah muncul di toko buku.
Sekali lagi, Sol dan Connie, bintang utama dari...
Penyihir di Sebelah Rumah atau The Witch's Giuide To Cooking With Children.
Target pembaca: Children. 6 tahun ke atas. Bahasa mudah dipahami. Konfliknya nggak rumit. Tidak ada adegan yang masuk kategori sangat mengerikan. Sifat para tokohnya yang bisa ditiru oleh anak-anak juga bagus untuk mengajari anak-anak jadi mau belajar sehingga bisa sepintar Sol atau secerdik Connie, supaya bisa selamat dari niatan jahat orang di sekitar mereka.
P. S.
[1] Buku Penyihir di Sebelah Rumah ini dilengkapi dengan ilustrasi keren buatan Yoko Tanaka.
[2] Jangan mempertanyakan gambar kucing di cover depan.
[3] Aku suka sekali font yang digunakan pada bagian isi buku harian penyihir. Aku sempat mengira font itu digunakan pada seluruh buku.
[4] Kalimat yang dikutip oleh Sol dari buku harian itu adalah kalimat pembuku buku Penyihir di Sebelah Rumah (The Witch's Guide To Cooking with Children) ini.
[5] Thank to sobatku Sholkan yang udah meminjamiku buku keren 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...
Penyihir di Sebelah Rumah
... Endingnya berakhir indah atau sama suramnya dengan milik Grimm Bersaudara?
Di sini sudah ada kakak-beradik Blink, Sol dan Connie. Well, bagaimana kabar kalian?
Sol: Kontras dengan cuaca diluar yang mendung. Kami berdua... aku rasa baik.
Connie: Tidak baik. Kami dikejar-kejar penyihir jahat!
Sol: (geleng-geleng kepala)
Kenapa kamu menggelengkan kepala, Sol?
Sol: Aku merasa ucapan Connie sia-sia. Anda pasti tidak percaya dengan ucapan anak kecil seperti kami.
Banyak kok orang dewasa yang menganggap ucapan anak kecil serius.
Connie: Salah satunya Anda?
Ya. Eh, lebih tepatnya, tergantung. Kadang aku juga tidak percaya dengan omongan anak kecil. Tapi sekarang bukan aku yang kita bicarakan, tapi kalian. Kisah kalian bersama penyihir yang mengejar-ngejar kalian.
Sol: Namanya Fay Holaderry. Dia tetangga kami. Dia juga orang pertama yang menyambut kedatangan kami di kota kecil, tempat tinggal baru kami.
Connie: Dia punya anjing yang lucu dan ramah bernama Swift.
Sol: Setelah pertemuan pertama kami, aku dan Connie merasa ada yang aneh dengannya. Aku juga penasaran dengan tulang yang dibawa Swift. Tampaknya seperti tulang... Manusia. Tapi aku tidak yakin.
Connie: Aku tidak bisa membaca apa-apa dari mata Holaderry.
Sol: Connie pandai membaca orang melalui matanya.
Connie: Dan Sol yang selalu penasaran, sepulang dari kami bermain, mencaritahu tentang Holaderry di perpustakaan.
Dan apa yang kalian temukan?
Connie: Aku tidak ikut mencaritahu.
Sol: Aku tahu tulang yang dibawa Swift itu tulang manusia.
Lalu bagaimana kalian tahu Fay Holaderry penyihir?
Sol: Kami menyelinap ke dalam rumahnya.
Connie: Rumah yang aneh. Ruang tamunya saja kayak taman.
Sol: Untung anjingnya, Swift, ramah pada kami. Jadi kami bisa memeriksa tiap sudut rumahnya dengan leluasa.
Connie: Sayangnya Holaderry keburu pulang ketika kami memeriksa lantai dua rumahnya.
Sol: Kami cepat-cepat melarikan diri. Tapi dia tahu. Dia melihatku di halamannya.
Dia menyihirmu?
Sol: Tidak.
Tapi lalu bagaimana kalian tahu dia penyihir?
Sol: Kami mencuri buku hariannya.
Apa saja isi buku hariannya?
Sol: (saling berpandangan dengan Connie) aku kutipkan dua kalimat dari buku itu, "Aku suka sekali anak kecil. Suka memakannya, maksudku."
Wow, itu sungguh...
Connie: Mengerikan, ya.
Bagaimana perasaan kalian saat tahu hal itu?
Connie: Sol tahu apa yang mesti dilakukan. Dia anak yang sangat cerdas.
Sol: Tapi saat itu pikiranku sedang berkabut dan Connie memberiku kata-kata penyemangat sederhana.
Apa kata-kata penyemangat itu, kalau aku boleh tahu?
Sol: Jangan menyerah.
Connie: Kami mendapatkannya dari seorang wanita yang menyayangi makhluk besar dan kecil.
Wanita yang menyayangi makhluk... Siapa dia? Oke, nanti saja aku tanyakan hal itu. Lalu apa yang kalian lakukan selanjutnya, Holaderry pasti tahu kalian mengambil buku hariannya.
Sol: Secara logika, hanya satu yang bisa kami lakukan. Menangkapnya duluan, sebelum dia yang menangkap kami.
Wow, kalian... Bukan anak-anak biasa. Maksudku, Sol cerdas dan Connie...
Sol: licik.
Connie: aku lebih suka disebut cerdik.
Oke, Sol cerdas dan Connie cerdik. Apakah kalian berhasil menangkap penyihir itu?
Connie: Tidak.
Sol: Dia punya banyak kaki-tangan. Lebih banyak dari yang Anda bayangkan.
Lalu bagaimana kisah kalian berakhir?
Sol: (lagi-lagi saling berpandangan dengan Connie) Kami berdua merasa kisah kami belum berakhir.
Satu pertanyaan lagi sebelum kalian pulang, apakah kalian tidak curiga kedua orang tua kalian--
Connie: Ibu tiri.
--ya, ibu tiri. Apakah kalian tidak curiga ayah dan ibu tiri kalian mengajak pindah ke kota kecil itu sebenarnya bermaksud menyerahkan kalian ke si penyihir?
Sol: Kami tidak tahu dan belum bisa memastikan hal itu. Tapi aku tahu cukup banyak hal.
Terima kasih Solomon dan Constance Blink atas kehadiran kalian di Story Eater Tales. Kita mungkin akan bertemu lagi saat kisah kalian yang selanjutnya telah muncul di toko buku.
Sekali lagi, Sol dan Connie, bintang utama dari...
Penyihir di Sebelah Rumah atau The Witch's Giuide To Cooking With Children.
Target pembaca: Children. 6 tahun ke atas. Bahasa mudah dipahami. Konfliknya nggak rumit. Tidak ada adegan yang masuk kategori sangat mengerikan. Sifat para tokohnya yang bisa ditiru oleh anak-anak juga bagus untuk mengajari anak-anak jadi mau belajar sehingga bisa sepintar Sol atau secerdik Connie, supaya bisa selamat dari niatan jahat orang di sekitar mereka.
P. S.
[1] Buku Penyihir di Sebelah Rumah ini dilengkapi dengan ilustrasi keren buatan Yoko Tanaka.
[2] Jangan mempertanyakan gambar kucing di cover depan.
[3] Aku suka sekali font yang digunakan pada bagian isi buku harian penyihir. Aku sempat mengira font itu digunakan pada seluruh buku.
[4] Kalimat yang dikutip oleh Sol dari buku harian itu adalah kalimat pembuku buku Penyihir di Sebelah Rumah (The Witch's Guide To Cooking with Children) ini.
[5] Thank to sobatku Sholkan yang udah meminjamiku buku keren ini.
October 12, 2021
Two kids move into town across from a mysterious but kindly old woman. Things get weird when the science-loving but unsure brother finds the woman's dog with a human bone....
The updated retelling of Hansel and Gretel gives you more perspective on the witch's side of the story, which adds some humor.
A story with S.T.E.A.M., peril, and a fast-pace, make for a fun cute Halloween (or anytime) read!
The updated retelling of Hansel and Gretel gives you more perspective on the witch's side of the story, which adds some humor.
A story with S.T.E.A.M., peril, and a fast-pace, make for a fun cute Halloween (or anytime) read!
Read
July 3, 2021
Trigger & Content Warnings
Cannibalism
Death of children
Immolation
Cannibalism
Death of children
Immolation
Read
March 30, 2025Scrumptious.
February 28, 2011
The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children / 978-0-8050-8668-3
I love redone fairy tales of all kinds, from the whimsical to the dark, and I love children's books in general, so this book seemed like a no-brainer for me. Unfortunately, however, I simply did not enjoy reading this book, though I cannot say for certain whether a much younger audience might find the novel more palatable.
"The Witch's Guide" carries with it a strong whiff of the amateur about it. Author McGowan seems to be aware of the wildly popular "A Series of Unfortunate Events" series, and it feels like he is attempting to recreate the dry, direct narrative that marks that series so uniquely and indelibly. There is a world of difference however, in a direct narrator who is distanced and sympathetic, and direct narrator who is immediate and antagonistic (i.e., the witch). The directness of the narrator in SoUE creates a gulf of time, loneliness, and isolation between the reader and the orphans. The directness of the narrator in TWGtCwC merely seems to serve as an expository device to keep the story chugging along.
Fairy tale re-tellings should not, as a general rule, have self-awareness of the tale they are supposedly re-telling. There are exceptions to this rule, but by and large it is a fourth wall that the author really should not break. Having the 'father' (who is actually not the father in an incredibly convoluted sequence of identity theft that seems only necessary to validate why a 'father' would abandon his children...thereby completely undermining all the insistence in the opening paragraphs that real parents give up their children to be eaten all the time) and the 'mother' turn out to somehow be the great-great-great-grandchildren of the "real" father and mother (er, step-mother) of Hansel and Gretel is silly and unnecessary. I understand that McGowan is trying to affix his story in the 'real' world, but the point at which one can find Hansel and Gretel on Ancestry dot com is the point at which I've lost all interest because the issue creates more questions than it can possibly answer.
I say that "The Witch's Guide" feels amateurish because it seems to feverishly blunder about with no clear indication of where it wants to go. Details are strewn randomly about, some having minor plot relevance (Sol's failed invention ends up being plot relevant...sort of) and others apparently having to do with characterization but never really going anywhere. McGowan provides a sympathetic adult foil to the witch, but hamstrings her with some half-baked explanation of a curse, all of which fails to resolve into anything plot relevant - she doesn't help the children, nor does the apparent resolution of her curse have any significance.
About the time McGowan figures out that the witch can't handle a world-wide operation like this on her own, he shoehorns in another expositionary diary entry explaining how she has a number of goblin helpers just...because... and most of them are librarians or teachers. None of which makes much sense, because the conceit of a goblin librarian handing over a child to be eaten undermines the earlier insistence that the witch only accepts children through "the proper channels", i.e. their parents. You'd think a parent evil enough to toss their child to a witch to be eaten would be capable of just dropping the kid at the house for a 'piano lesson' or other contrived reason, rather than needing a librarian intermediary.
All in all, "The Witch's Guide" just feels rushed and unpolished. I think some time with a good editor might have made the plot more readable, but it seems from the foreword that the editor was so taken away with the idea that she apparently wouldn't let anyone touch her new 'baby' with the necessary red editing pen. Children may find this book novel and distracting, but it's a very quick read and lacks the staying power to be worth the price. I'd recommend waiting for a library copy.
Final note to parents, there is some lightly risque humor where Connie gets drugged on magical herbs; this scene culminates in her "pretend[ing] to be a dog peeing" and "acting like a dog on all fours, she sniffed near Swift's behind".
NOTE: This review is based on a free Advance Review Copy of this book provided through Amazon Vine.
~ Ana Mardoll
I love redone fairy tales of all kinds, from the whimsical to the dark, and I love children's books in general, so this book seemed like a no-brainer for me. Unfortunately, however, I simply did not enjoy reading this book, though I cannot say for certain whether a much younger audience might find the novel more palatable.
"The Witch's Guide" carries with it a strong whiff of the amateur about it. Author McGowan seems to be aware of the wildly popular "A Series of Unfortunate Events" series, and it feels like he is attempting to recreate the dry, direct narrative that marks that series so uniquely and indelibly. There is a world of difference however, in a direct narrator who is distanced and sympathetic, and direct narrator who is immediate and antagonistic (i.e., the witch). The directness of the narrator in SoUE creates a gulf of time, loneliness, and isolation between the reader and the orphans. The directness of the narrator in TWGtCwC merely seems to serve as an expository device to keep the story chugging along.
Fairy tale re-tellings should not, as a general rule, have self-awareness of the tale they are supposedly re-telling. There are exceptions to this rule, but by and large it is a fourth wall that the author really should not break. Having the 'father' (who is actually not the father in an incredibly convoluted sequence of identity theft that seems only necessary to validate why a 'father' would abandon his children...thereby completely undermining all the insistence in the opening paragraphs that real parents give up their children to be eaten all the time) and the 'mother' turn out to somehow be the great-great-great-grandchildren of the "real" father and mother (er, step-mother) of Hansel and Gretel is silly and unnecessary. I understand that McGowan is trying to affix his story in the 'real' world, but the point at which one can find Hansel and Gretel on Ancestry dot com is the point at which I've lost all interest because the issue creates more questions than it can possibly answer.
I say that "The Witch's Guide" feels amateurish because it seems to feverishly blunder about with no clear indication of where it wants to go. Details are strewn randomly about, some having minor plot relevance (Sol's failed invention ends up being plot relevant...sort of) and others apparently having to do with characterization but never really going anywhere. McGowan provides a sympathetic adult foil to the witch, but hamstrings her with some half-baked explanation of a curse, all of which fails to resolve into anything plot relevant - she doesn't help the children, nor does the apparent resolution of her curse have any significance.
About the time McGowan figures out that the witch can't handle a world-wide operation like this on her own, he shoehorns in another expositionary diary entry explaining how she has a number of goblin helpers just...because... and most of them are librarians or teachers. None of which makes much sense, because the conceit of a goblin librarian handing over a child to be eaten undermines the earlier insistence that the witch only accepts children through "the proper channels", i.e. their parents. You'd think a parent evil enough to toss their child to a witch to be eaten would be capable of just dropping the kid at the house for a 'piano lesson' or other contrived reason, rather than needing a librarian intermediary.
All in all, "The Witch's Guide" just feels rushed and unpolished. I think some time with a good editor might have made the plot more readable, but it seems from the foreword that the editor was so taken away with the idea that she apparently wouldn't let anyone touch her new 'baby' with the necessary red editing pen. Children may find this book novel and distracting, but it's a very quick read and lacks the staying power to be worth the price. I'd recommend waiting for a library copy.
Final note to parents, there is some lightly risque humor where Connie gets drugged on magical herbs; this scene culminates in her "pretend[ing] to be a dog peeing" and "acting like a dog on all fours, she sniffed near Swift's behind".
NOTE: This review is based on a free Advance Review Copy of this book provided through Amazon Vine.
~ Ana Mardoll
August 20, 2009
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 - smart read!
The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children has everything it needs to make it a modern day fairy tale - smart, funny, sleuthing siblings - their father (who is not their father) - a wicked stepmother - scary librarian and bits from a witch's journal!!!
This is a debut from author Keith McGowan, and the illustrations throughout by Yoko Tanaka lend a graphic element that stops just short of graphic novel.
Product Description from Amazon:
When Sol and Connie Blink move to Grand Creek, one of the first people to welcome them is an odd older woman, Fay Holaderry, and her friendly dog, Swift, who carries a very strange bone in his mouth. Sol knows a lot more than the average eleven-year-old, so when he identifies the bone as human, he and Connie begin to wonder if their new neighbor is up to no good.
In a spine-tingling adventure that makes them think twice about who they can trust, Sol and Connie discover that solving mysteries can be a dangerous game—even for skilled junior sleuths.
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 - smart read!
The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children has everything it needs to make it a modern day fairy tale - smart, funny, sleuthing siblings - their father (who is not their father) - a wicked stepmother - scary librarian and bits from a witch's journal!!!
This is a debut from author Keith McGowan, and the illustrations throughout by Yoko Tanaka lend a graphic element that stops just short of graphic novel.
Product Description from Amazon:
When Sol and Connie Blink move to Grand Creek, one of the first people to welcome them is an odd older woman, Fay Holaderry, and her friendly dog, Swift, who carries a very strange bone in his mouth. Sol knows a lot more than the average eleven-year-old, so when he identifies the bone as human, he and Connie begin to wonder if their new neighbor is up to no good.
In a spine-tingling adventure that makes them think twice about who they can trust, Sol and Connie discover that solving mysteries can be a dangerous game—even for skilled junior sleuths.
July 25, 2011
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 of the 3rd & 4th graders will pick it up and read it on their own because it is a fractured fairy tale AND it's a Bluebonnet). I just thought there were too many strange things, situations were never really resolved, and too many loose ends. Like I said, a disappointing read for me.
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 of the 3rd & 4th graders will pick it up and read it on their own because it is a fractured fairy tale AND it's a Bluebonnet). I just thought there were too many strange things, situations were never really resolved, and too many loose ends. Like I said, a disappointing read for me.
January 4, 2013
This twist on the Hansel and Gretel story starts out good; unfortunately, it doesn't develop into much. I also was not happy with the fact that there were few adults to like or trust in the story; especially with a 'witch' who disposes of children around there should be many adults ready to be heroes, and there were none here. A bit of a disappointment.
February 4, 2014
4th grader says: It was interesting. I liked that the witch survived in the end and that her dog was very protective of her.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 23, 2023
Adaptasi modern dari dongeng Hansel dan Gretel, dalam artian penyihirnya ternyata masih hidup dan suka memasak dan memakan anak-anak--walau skrng caranya agak berbeda. Penyihir ini akan membujuk orang tua yang capek dengan kenakalan anak-anaknya, yang kemudian mendonasikan anak anak bandel itu untuk dimakan. Kejam ya, tapi aslinya dongeng Hansel dan Gretel juga kejam berdarah-darah sih. Sol dan Connie mewakili Hansel yg cerdas ilmuwan dan Gretel yang gesit aktif. Kedua anak yg hendak dibuang keluarga tirinya ini berhasil lolos dengan kecerdikan dan kelincahan. Seperti versi dongengnya, mereka berhasil.
Buku anak tapi agak gelap sih ini. Ada tema pengasuhan orang tua yang turut dimasukkan dalam cerita. Dan berbagai percakapan dan kutipan di buku ini kayaknya lumayan berat. Bahwa kita harus mencoba memilih melakukan apa yang benar dan bukan yang enak dilakukan, ini anak anak masak dinasehatin begini wkwk walau bener sih. Kalau dari vibe darknya dan agak mikir, juga masalah 'melupakan tapi tidak memaafkan,' sepertinya ini lebih cocok sebagai buku middlegrade.
Buku anak tapi agak gelap sih ini. Ada tema pengasuhan orang tua yang turut dimasukkan dalam cerita. Dan berbagai percakapan dan kutipan di buku ini kayaknya lumayan berat. Bahwa kita harus mencoba memilih melakukan apa yang benar dan bukan yang enak dilakukan, ini anak anak masak dinasehatin begini wkwk walau bener sih. Kalau dari vibe darknya dan agak mikir, juga masalah 'melupakan tapi tidak memaafkan,' sepertinya ini lebih cocok sebagai buku middlegrade.
August 7, 2012
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 unexpected places as movie theatres or call for a pick up and leave the kids off on some street corner, etc.
Our two unsuspecting victims, Sol and Connie, recently moved next door to our witch's very house. You'd think she'd be more nervous about hunting where she lived, but no, she immediately plans an elaborate dinner around the two. However, in an amazing and unexpected twist, Connie and Sol are rather sharp children who have no particular interest in being eaten.
They evade capture after their scheming father leaves them for pick-up on a street corner, believing they'd be lost. He didn't reckon on young Sol's mapquest printouts and knowledge of area busing schedules. Things continue in that vein until Connie angers a librarian. Big mistake kiddo. She is immediately bundled in a handy burlap sack (what librarian doesn't have a few of those lying around for just such emergencies) and set out for pick-up.
I admit that I was rubbed the wrong way by the 'evil librarian.' But that was only a small contribution to the failure of this novel in my eyes.
The plot introduced many bizarre things, such as that Sol and Connie's father was not really their father, the fact that both their step-mother and not-father were relatives to the original parents of the hansel and gretel tale, their mum went missing in some bizarre scientific expedition, and it goes on...tons of little plot snags that are never revealed or even addressed. It was rather frustrating.
Then the novel just ended. Of course, (not much of a spoiler alert here) they defeat the witch, but still have no idea dad is not-dad, their mum is still mysteriously missing and they are apparently just on the road now, homeless wandering children setting off into the sunset. Also, Sol never did forgive Connie for ruining his Science Fair project and framing him for setting fire to the school. What a churl.
Our two unsuspecting victims, Sol and Connie, recently moved next door to our witch's very house. You'd think she'd be more nervous about hunting where she lived, but no, she immediately plans an elaborate dinner around the two. However, in an amazing and unexpected twist, Connie and Sol are rather sharp children who have no particular interest in being eaten.
They evade capture after their scheming father leaves them for pick-up on a street corner, believing they'd be lost. He didn't reckon on young Sol's mapquest printouts and knowledge of area busing schedules. Things continue in that vein until Connie angers a librarian. Big mistake kiddo. She is immediately bundled in a handy burlap sack (what librarian doesn't have a few of those lying around for just such emergencies) and set out for pick-up.
I admit that I was rubbed the wrong way by the 'evil librarian.' But that was only a small contribution to the failure of this novel in my eyes.
The plot introduced many bizarre things, such as that Sol and Connie's father was not really their father, the fact that both their step-mother and not-father were relatives to the original parents of the hansel and gretel tale, their mum went missing in some bizarre scientific expedition, and it goes on...tons of little plot snags that are never revealed or even addressed. It was rather frustrating.
Then the novel just ended. Of course, (not much of a spoiler alert here) they defeat the witch, but still have no idea dad is not-dad, their mum is still mysteriously missing and they are apparently just on the road now, homeless wandering children setting off into the sunset. Also, Sol never did forgive Connie for ruining his Science Fair project and framing him for setting fire to the school. What a churl.
June 18, 2010
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 bring the children to her.
Sol and Connie Blink just moved to the witch's town with their father and stepmother. Sol's a science nut who accidentally blew up his school, and Connie is an animal lover. The parents want to get rid of the kids, but Sol is quite resourceful and manages to find his way back home after Mr. Blink tries to lose them in the city. Sol and Connie are smart enough to notice their parents' weird behavior, as well as something strange about the old lady next door...
This was a cute story that reminded me a lot of Roald Dahl's The Witches. I thought the set up was great, and I loved the witch's modern techniques. The ties to the original fairy tale were very evident until the end, which I found disappointing. I expected something related to the witch "fattening up" the children and them tricking her. I had also hoped that the mysterious pet shop owner would come into play more, especially since it seemed like riddles would be a major part in the children escaping the witch. The illustrations were quirkily cute and fit the story.
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 bring the children to her.
Sol and Connie Blink just moved to the witch's town with their father and stepmother. Sol's a science nut who accidentally blew up his school, and Connie is an animal lover. The parents want to get rid of the kids, but Sol is quite resourceful and manages to find his way back home after Mr. Blink tries to lose them in the city. Sol and Connie are smart enough to notice their parents' weird behavior, as well as something strange about the old lady next door...
This was a cute story that reminded me a lot of Roald Dahl's The Witches. I thought the set up was great, and I loved the witch's modern techniques. The ties to the original fairy tale were very evident until the end, which I found disappointing. I expected something related to the witch "fattening up" the children and them tricking her. I had also hoped that the mysterious pet shop owner would come into play more, especially since it seemed like riddles would be a major part in the children escaping the witch. The illustrations were quirkily cute and fit the story.
February 4, 2011
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 was among those in league with the witch.) Strong female and male characters, yes, bright, thoughtful children, much like the Baudelaire siblings. Horror, yes, the same horror that scares children in the original Hansel and Gretel story--parental betrayal followed by being imprisoned by a witch.
Secondly, I really liked the book, probably more than the number of stars I gave it. I'm just not sure how children are going to respond to it. Hansel and Gretel isn't a story all children love and only adults will connect the bright red-checked cover with Betty Crocker. (And, if you were really old like me, the title might remind you of the Twilight Zone episode, "How to Serve Mankind.")
Until I find a child who's read it, the final verdict is still out.
Secondly, I really liked the book, probably more than the number of stars I gave it. I'm just not sure how children are going to respond to it. Hansel and Gretel isn't a story all children love and only adults will connect the bright red-checked cover with Betty Crocker. (And, if you were really old like me, the title might remind you of the Twilight Zone episode, "How to Serve Mankind.")
Until I find a child who's read it, the final verdict is still out.
January 29, 2010
Like a Hal Hartley movie for children, this book follows two siblings through a couple of days in an innocuous, unnamed suburban town that is new to them. There are perils - an old lady wants to eat them and the town librarian is untrustworthy. Notably, their own parents (who are not really their parents) want to get rid of them.
But Sol and Connie can handle it. Quirky in an understated way, resourceful and brave, the siblings face their fears, reconcile their emotions, and outwit the witch in a remarkably implacable way. I'm not kidding. Hal Hartley for kids. It's weird.
But not unfunny, and not without suspense. It's some unusual writing for kids, and mine really seemed to respond to the author's matter-of-fact presentation. No punches pulled, but no excess build-up either.
I will say that the ending, which is rather abrupt and extremely inconclusive, outraged them. This reaction is confirmed by another mom, who listened to the book while baking cookies with her daughter. I'm expecting a sequel, but I kind of wish I weren't. Don't tell, but I LIKED the ending!
But Sol and Connie can handle it. Quirky in an understated way, resourceful and brave, the siblings face their fears, reconcile their emotions, and outwit the witch in a remarkably implacable way. I'm not kidding. Hal Hartley for kids. It's weird.
But not unfunny, and not without suspense. It's some unusual writing for kids, and mine really seemed to respond to the author's matter-of-fact presentation. No punches pulled, but no excess build-up either.
I will say that the ending, which is rather abrupt and extremely inconclusive, outraged them. This reaction is confirmed by another mom, who listened to the book while baking cookies with her daughter. I'm expecting a sequel, but I kind of wish I weren't. Don't tell, but I LIKED the ending!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 29, 2013
I absolutely loved this book! For those of you who like the story of Hansel and Gretel, you will love this new spin on it.
The witch, Fay Holaderry has adapted her lifestyle to the present time, living like any elderly person in any community. But, looks can be deceiving.
Sol and Connie Blink have just moved to Grand Creek. They have a lovely set of parents who don't really seem to care about them. The reasons, and there are many, become clear as you read the book. Sol is a science nerd. His younger sister Connie loves animals and loves and admires her brother. Sol has a difficult time believing in himself after a terrible incident in the town they have just moved from.
Both Sol and Connie must learn to trust each other if they are to survive what their parents, Ms. Holaderry and many others in the town have set up for them. This story's themes of perseverance, trust and relying on family run all through this story. I can't wait for the first day of school to begin so that I can recommend this book to my new students.
The witch, Fay Holaderry has adapted her lifestyle to the present time, living like any elderly person in any community. But, looks can be deceiving.
Sol and Connie Blink have just moved to Grand Creek. They have a lovely set of parents who don't really seem to care about them. The reasons, and there are many, become clear as you read the book. Sol is a science nerd. His younger sister Connie loves animals and loves and admires her brother. Sol has a difficult time believing in himself after a terrible incident in the town they have just moved from.
Both Sol and Connie must learn to trust each other if they are to survive what their parents, Ms. Holaderry and many others in the town have set up for them. This story's themes of perseverance, trust and relying on family run all through this story. I can't wait for the first day of school to begin so that I can recommend this book to my new students.
November 23, 2009
This re-telling of Hansel and Gretel is quirky, charming and smart. Hansel and Gretel are now Connie, a bit of a trouble maker, and Sol, her science nerd older brother. Soon after their family moves to a new town, the siblings meet neighbor Fay Holaderry and her dog, Swift, who's nibbling on a bone. They immediately get creepy vibes off Holaderry and then later determine, after a trip to the library, that the bone Swift had was a human femur. While I waited to see if Connie and Sol would land in Holaderry's stew pot, I got a kick out of the back story and emotional ups and downs Sol and Connie experienced, as many siblings often do: the love and dislike. The characters are drawn with over-sized brows, almost like cave people--perhaps there is a point to be made??
May 25, 2012
The title and cover, I must admit, sold me on this book. What an excellent concept-- a fractured fairy tale version of Hansel and Gretel from (mostly, possibly) the witch's point of view-- the witch's modern point of view, having lived for centuries after the Hansel and Gretel encounter.
There is much charm to this book. Some particular children will be enamored with the dark, dry, very much Roald Dahl tone the narrative has. However, while this book is very much in Mr. Dahl's tradition, it does not exactly live up to his standard of writing. I had my problems with this (I wanted more of Ms. Holaderry, the witch, for instance)-- but Keith McGowan has written a worthwhile, charming young adult's modern fairy tale.
There is much charm to this book. Some particular children will be enamored with the dark, dry, very much Roald Dahl tone the narrative has. However, while this book is very much in Mr. Dahl's tradition, it does not exactly live up to his standard of writing. I had my problems with this (I wanted more of Ms. Holaderry, the witch, for instance)-- but Keith McGowan has written a worthwhile, charming young adult's modern fairy tale.
December 12, 2018
This was such a clever idea but the book just fell short on delivery. As intrigued as I was by the concept I'm not sure that I will continue with the series. The book's retelling of Hansel and Gretel was really charming, but it was as if McGowan was splicing Grimm with Lemony Snicket, and it just came out...wrong? The most intriguing portions of the narrative were from the witch's perspective. Her dialogue served as a moral guide for children to be well-behaved or else their parents would pay the witch to come and eat them. Also, McGowan's re-purposing of the metal DONATION boxes as "children drop-off centers for witches" was completely hilarious and original. Honestly, the book is great, until Sol and Connie (our child heroes) take over the narrative. Bah...I wanted a good witch story.
July 25, 2012
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 & Connie, hingga di akhir kisah saya tak ingin kisah ini berakhir.
Perhatikan tetangga sebelahmu, mungkin dia adalah Penyihir yang suka memakan anak kecil
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 & Connie, hingga di akhir kisah saya tak ingin kisah ini berakhir.
Perhatikan tetangga sebelahmu, mungkin dia adalah Penyihir yang suka memakan anak kecil
May 8, 2011
I liked the exciting parts!
I liked the end part and the middle and 4 stars for the beginning because it was only a little bit exciting at the beginning, and it was more exciting in the middle and last.
I would give it more stars but 5 is all it can go up to.
(Odin adds, "I liked the scary parts!" We've read this twice, it's a great book for Loki, who has always been fascinated with the Hansel and Gretel story. This modern day version is great.)
I liked the end part and the middle and 4 stars for the beginning because it was only a little bit exciting at the beginning, and it was more exciting in the middle and last.
I would give it more stars but 5 is all it can go up to.
(Odin adds, "I liked the scary parts!" We've read this twice, it's a great book for Loki, who has always been fascinated with the Hansel and Gretel story. This modern day version is great.)
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