Witch Baby and Me by Debi Gliori
| Witch Baby and Me by Debi Gliori | |
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| Category: Confident Readers | |
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Reviewer: Loralei Haylock
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| Summary: It is always quirky, often strange, and sometimes completely bonkers - if that's your kind of thing then you'll love Witch Baby and Me, but if not it will drive you mad. | |
| Buy? Maybe | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 208 | Date: July 2008 |
| Publisher: Corgi Childrens | |
| ISBN: 0552556769 | |
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In the coldest, wettest and most remote part of Scotland, high on top of an impossibly steep mountain called Ben Schreeeiiighe live the Sisters of Hiss. The Chin, the Nose, and the Toad are witches, and have lived on top of the mountain for four hundred years, using any unwitting humans that come knocking as fire wood.
The Sisters are so ugly all the mirrors in their house have cracked. They are too ugly to marry, too old to be mummies, too scary to be grannies, but what they want most of all in the world is a little witch baby to call their own. So, when the moon is full on a stormy night, with inky clouds and the sun is in the sign of the Bull, they perform a complex magical spell to turn an ordinary baby into a special witch baby. The baby they choose is Daisy MacRae.
Lily, Daisy's older sister, is a unique child born under a blue moon. She's brave, plays a musical instrument and likes Brussels sprouts, which means she can see magic. Lily is the only one in her family who knows what manner of baby Daisy is. She’s the only one that notices when Daisy makes the fridge float, who can see Daisy's pet dog Waywoof or when Daisy turns herself into a dragon.
When Daisy is a year old, the MacRae family move away from Edinburgh into the Highlands of Scotland. Lily is worried there won’t be any kids her age to make friends with, and if there are will Witch Baby Daisy scare them all away? And what do the sisters of Hiss have in store for her?
I’ve never read Debi Gliori before, but from what I can gather from reviews and synopses of her Pure Dead series, Witch Baby and Me is very much in the same ilk. Packed with toilet humour, wonderfully wacky characters and crazy goings on, this book has plenty of ingredients to keep the kids entertained.
It’s a very visual book, with the words written in different fonts and plenty of gorgeous illustrations that match the tone of the book perfectly. The drawings of Waywoof and his associated smells always had me giggling in a way that's not terribly befitting of my age!
However, I can see how this sort of thing could really annoy someone. For me it was just on the right side of quirky, with enough of a plot to keep the story moving more than just for the sake of a few jokes, but I've read similar books that haven't kept that delicate balance and ended up putting them down in frustration.
I get the feeling this is one of those books that you'll either love or hate. It is always quirky, often strange, and sometimes completely bonkers, and if that's your kind of thing then you’ll love it, but if not it will drive you mad.
Children who like their books wacky will enjoy You're a Bad Man, Mr Gum! by Andy Stanton.
My thanks to the publishers for sending a copy.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Witch Baby and Me by Debi Gliori at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
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Daisy MacRae said:
Hi,
I love this book ‘cos my name is Daisy MacRae.
It’s funny and clever so I like it!!!!!
From
Daisy MacRae
