The Witches

Name: William Joseph
Price range: $

by Roald Dahl, illustrated by Quentin Blake

Interest age: 9+
Reading age: 9+

Published by Puffin, 2016

Classics
Funny
Horror

About this book

Real witches disguise themselves as lovely ladies, when secretly they want to squish and squelch all the wretched children they despise. The Grand High Witch of All the World is the worst of them all - and now she has gathered together all the witches of England for an annual conference at the Hotel Magnificent in Bournemouth to plot to eliminate all children. Luckily, one boy and his grandmother know how to recognise these vile creatures, and have a plan to get rid of them for good...

This deliciously dark offering from beloved children's author Roald Dahl is a firm favourite with young readers. Attracting some controversy in terms of its depictions of women, it nonetheless remains a brilliant blend of Dahl's trademark humour with the spine-tingling and scary.

About the author

Sitting in a hut at the bottom of his garden, surrounded by odd bits and pieces such as a suitcase (used as a footrest), his own hipbone (which he'd had replaced) and a heavy ball of metal foil (made from years' worth of chocolate wrappers), Roald Dahl wrote some of the world's best-loved stories including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Twits, The Witches, The BFG, Fantastic Mr Fox, James and the Giant Peach and lots more.

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