The Witches

The Witches is the story of a boy and his grandmother who, after an unfortunate run-in with witches, decide to stop them from wiping out all the children in the world.

I first read The Witches when I was nine and it freaked me out; I seriously considered not taking regular baths. Even though it does get quite scary at parts, we can learn some good values from the story: bravery, the importance of family, overcoming setbacks and a positive can-do spirit.

Roald Dahl has a wicked sense of humour and can be quite rude, which was what got me hooked onto his books as a child. And Quentin Blake is the perfect illustrator for his stories: he captures the essence of the characters perfectly. The Witches is quite dark, so I would recommend it for young readers who enjoy such stories and are not uncomfortable with reading about the supernatural.

This is one of my all-time favourites, so I shall have to give it 5 out of 5 stars.

Author: Roald Dahl
Illustrator: Quentin Blake
First published in 1983 by Heinemann Educational Books Ltd

Age range: 9 to 12 years old

NA's rating: 5/5

The Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Book is a coming-of-age tale full of danger and hope. It is the story of Nobody Owens, known as Bod to his friends, a boy who is raised by ghosts in a graveyard.

The story is wonderfully written and has all the elements needed for a brilliant tale: the theme of good versus evil, a protagonist with a tragic past, interesting and enigmatic characters, supernatural elements and exciting adventures. I could not put the book down and had to read it through to the end in one sitting! Neil Gaiman is a masterful storyteller and he always does a superb job of writing stories with themes as old as memory yet are still really modern and relatable. His stories are usually rather dark, so I would recommend this to young readers who enjoy fantasy and the macabre.

I love this book. 5 out of 5 stars!


Author: Neil Gaiman
Illustrator: Chris Riddell
First published in 2008 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Age range: 11 to 14 years old

NA's rating: 5/5