Curse of the Dream Witch by Allan Stratton
| Curse of the Dream Witch by Allan Stratton | |
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| Category: Confident Readers | |
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Reviewer: Linda Lawlor
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| Summary: The moral of this story is that no matter how desperate you are, you should never promise to give an evil witch anything she wants, because one day she's going to come and collect. And what this particular witch wants is the heart of Princess Olivia! | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 270 | Date: May 2013 |
| Publisher: Faber and Faber | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 9780571288267 | |
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Young readers do like books which make them squeal with disgust from time to time — as long as the gory details are well balanced by lots of comedy and a real swash-buckling quest. And that's exactly what this tale of a princess, a peasant boy and a talking mouse provides.
The King and Queen, who really should have known better (after all, there are clear warnings about this sort of thing in half the fairy tales ever told), went in secret to ask the Dream Witch for a child, which she was very willing to provide. She only wanted something small in return, she told them: something that would fit in the palm of her hand. And on the day of the gurgling baby's christening, as tradition dictates, the nasty old hag arrived and demanded the heart of the infant princess. Fortunately for us (because otherwise it would be a very short story indeed) Olivia was protected at the time by twelve magical talismans, but the witch laid a curse on her which promised that by the morning of her thirteenth birthday the talismans would all be broken. And so began the Age of the Great Dread, when dozens of children were stolen away by the wicked hag to be used in her potions and pastes.
This is a thoroughly traditional adventure, with all the scary, exciting and amusing elements typical of the genre, and which lead children to return to them time and time again. A mismatched hero and heroine (the latter being, in our post-feminist days, as feisty as any boy) have to endure a series of perils and heart-stopping near-misses on their way to right a wrong, rescue someone or find a magical artefact. There are moments when a happy ending seems impossible, and some skin of the teeth escapes. There will probably be some utterly revolting creatures (who seem to think the word 'hero' equals 'tasty snack') and, if our adventurers are lucky, there will also be one or two kindly magical beings to guide them on their way. The adults are often silly, or careless to the point of criminality with their children's lives, and the villains satisfyingly horrid. So why bother reading (or indeed writing) new versions? The answer can be demonstrated by this story. The villains (oh, yes, there's more than one) are presented in a fresh and original way, full of their own revolting personal habits and failings. The relationships between the major characters give plenty of scope for variety, and in this particular story terrible disasters befall parents, adding a further burden to the problems faced by the heroes. And then, most telling of all, the way the heroes elude their dreadful destiny is full of thrilling and novel touches (including a most spectacular form of transport). Good versus evil may be a well-worn theme, but this story makes it feel new, and thoroughly different. Definitely recommended!
Another excellent book by Allan Stratton which skilfully combines the thrilling and the gruesome is The Grave Robber's Apprentice.
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