Skip to main content

The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children

By

by Keith McGowan, read by Laural Merlington
Brilliance Audio, 2010. Audiobook. Fiction
Book: Henry Holt, 2009. 192 pages.


McGowan's modern retelling of Hansel and Gretel is the more disturbing for being contemporary. The story begins with the witch reading from her diary about how she lured children to her home and the tasty meals that followed. When Sol and Connie Blink move to the town where the witch lives now, they don't know their father and icky stepmother have moved there on purpose to get rid of their children (the witch has convenient drop-off locations near movie theaters). Sol is a brilliant but unlucky nerd, whose science fair project goes badly awry because his little sister Connie has been secretly fiddling with it. Connie is precocious in an often annoying way, and the two soon figure out that the overly friendly Mrs. Holaderry is up to no good, when they find her little dog with a human bone in his jaws. When the two think they are outwitting the witch, they are actually running right into her clutches. In the frightening closing scenes, Sol and Connie manage to escape and push the witch into her own firepit, but unlike in Hansel and Gretel she gets back out, leaving the (oven) door open for a sequel. . . . In the award-winning audio version, Laural Merlington is a frightening witch, her tone unctuous but dripping with menace, and it is definitely not for children prone to nightmares. But kids who like to get just a little bit scared will love the dark comedy of McGowan's story.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Display: Dino-mite Reads

By
Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs By Mo Willems New York: Balzar + Bray, 2012. Picture Book. "Once upon a time, there were three hungry Dinosaurs: Papa Dinosaur, Mama Dinosaur . . . and a Dinosaur who happened to be visiting from Norway. One day--for no particular reason--they decided to tidy up their house, make the beds, and prepare pudding of varying temperatures. And then--for no particular reason--they decided to go . . . someplace else. They were definitely not setting a trap for some succulent, unsupervised little girl. Definitely not!" --Editor Smart Vs. Strong! Written by Jill Esbaum Illustrated by Miles Thompson New York: Simon Spotlight, 2021. Easy Reader. 64 pages. "When Thunder gets stuck in quicksand, Cluck uses his smarts to free his friend." --Editor How Dinosaurs Went Extinct Written by Ame Dyckman Illustrated by Jennifer Harney New York: Brown and Company, 2023. Picture Book. "When a child in a museum asks how dinosaurs became extinct, Dad co
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: The Enigma Girls

By
  The Enigma Girls By Candace Fleming New York: Scholastic Focus, 2024. Informational. 371 pages. If you have an interest in little known aspects of history or in World War II in particular, this book is for you. The Enigma Girls tells the story of 10 young women who worked at Station X at Bletchley Park in England helping to break ciphers during World War II. Each of the girls grew up in different circumstances, and thus, each worked at in a different part of Station X cracking codes. The reader learns about how Station X worked through the stories of each of the girls. Whether it was transcribing the Morse code messages that the Germans were sending to their armies or decoding, translating, or paraphrasing messages, each girl had a part to play. The stories of the girls are intermixed with plenty of photographs as well as special chapters about how to decode various types of ciphers. Learning about Station X through the eyes of the girls that worked there helps the reader gain a huma
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: The Hidden Dragon

By
The Hidden Dragon By Melissa Marr New York: Nancy Paulsen Books, 2023. Fiction. 161 pages. Three children, Otter, London, and Sophia, live in a fantasy world with dragons. Otter (short for Ottilie) is the daughter of a ship captain, and she loves the sea and its dragons. London is a stowaway boy, searching for a new life full of adventure. Sophia lives in a thief house with other children, all dedicated to helping each other and trying to make the kingdom better. As trouble begins to brew both on land and at sea, these three heroes realize that maybe it's up to the kids to make things right. Readers experience the book from multiple perspectives, and with a bit of mystery and adventure, this is an amazing fantasy read. With the inspiring message that children truly can make a difference, readers will enjoy how each character fights for what's right, even when it's inconvenient. The ending is resolved a little quickly, but this is a great read for all "hatchlings."
Post a Comment
Read more