I love you. Despite how outdated and fifties you can be sometimes. And your ending is not so anti-witch (and pro-lazy beautiful fairies) as I remembered. You're just an adorable, sweet, funny, whimsical, humble, and endearing little children's novella that can be read in two hours. You've relaxed and cleared my mind, and cheered me up, put me under an ethereal, euphoric enchantment, in an afternoon on a day of very bad health, and for that I thank you.
I will keep you. Treasure you as the unique, rare, one-of-a-kind, classic little fantastical witch book that you are.
Read my original review below for more (really the only thing that's changed since I wrote it is my opinion of 'Akata Witch', 'The School for Good and Evil', and 'Harry Potter' at the end - scratch them).
Final Score: 3.5/5
Original Review:
This review might contain spoilers:
Purely a children's fairy tale. 'Little Witch' was written in the early fifties and in some places it shows. It teaches politeness (and a bit of sass, refreshingly), but other lessons seem to include: that ugly, disgusting and/or fat people are bad, or at best uppity, and good people are gobsmackingly, physically beautiful and cute; it's okay to only love pretty people who have pretty things and do pretty work; and that if you're related to anyone bad, don't worry, for it'll turn out that you're not blood related, so you're fine - no sins of the parent issues for you. Of course.
But I think what makes 'Little Witch' work is its simplistic writing style and overall quiet charm. It's a pocket book that can be read in one afternoon, and it contains unforgettable moments of fun and sweetness. It can be creatively funny, too. It's the right balance of magic, whimsy, little fantastical and mythological creatures, and slice-of-life. It's all understated, endearing and humble in how it goes about its young witch's coming-of-age tale.
Mostly it's about friendship and the importance of children being nice and tolerant to each other. A friendship between Minx, an abused and feared witch's child and poor outcast, and the other pupils at the school she secretly attends, wanting a normal, happy life full of sunshine, people and loving, nonnuclear families. And it's about positive female friends and role models.
There isn't as much witch-bashing as I'd feared there would be, and there are fairies, nixies, nymphs, centaurs, elves, and the Pied Piper, if you can believe it, and despite their brief appearances they don't feel random or forced into the book. Along with the brewing, the cauldron, the multi-coloured potions, and the broomsticks, it's part of the fun.
I can see why 'Little Witch' is considered a timeless classic for little ones. It does highlight vital, relevant subject matters such as child abuse, education for children, cleanliness for children, believing and helping children, questioning adults and authority figures, and teaching kids about how a criminal justice system works. I didn't expect that in a book about witches.
A great-grandmother character plays a major part as well, and she's wonderful. See kids, not all middle-aged-to-elderly women are evil, after all.
So here it is: I have found 'Little Witch' by Anna Elizabeth Bennett, to join the ranks of 'The Worst Witch', 'Witch Wars', 'Castle Hangnail', 'Akata Witch', 'The School for Good and Evil', 'Harry Potter', 'Flying Witch', 'Witch Hat Atelier', 'Little Witch Academia', 'Kiki's Delivery Service', and 'Spell on Wheels' in stories specifically about young witches that I love. I'm surprised that there aren't any sequels. In fact, this is apparently the only book Ms. Bennett ever wrote.
Recommended to all witch fans.
Final Score: 3.5/5
Purely a children's fairy tale. 'Little Witch' was written in the early fifties and in some places it shows. It teaches politeness (and a bit of sass, refreshingly), but other lessons seem to include: that ugly, disgusting and/or fat people are bad, or at best uppity, and good people are gobsmackingly, physically beautiful and cute; it's okay to only love pretty people who have pretty things and do pretty work; and that if you're related to anyone bad, don't worry, for it'll turn out that you're not blood related, so you're fine - no sins of the parent issues for you. Of course.
But I think what makes 'Little Witch' work is its simplistic writing style and overall quiet charm. It's a pocket book that can be read in one afternoon, and it contains unforgettable moments of fun and sweetness. It can be creatively funny, too. It's the right balance of magic, whimsy, little fantastical and mythological creatures, and slice-of-life. It's all understated, endearing and humble in how it goes about its young witch's coming-of-age tale.
Mostly it's about friendship and the importance of children being nice and tolerant to each other. A friendship between Minx, an abused and feared witch's child and poor outcast, and the other pupils at the school she secretly attends, wanting a normal, happy life full of sunshine, people and loving, nonnuclear families. And it's about positive female friends and role models.
There isn't as much witch-bashing as I'd feared there would be, and there are fairies, nixies, nymphs, centaurs, elves, and the Pied Piper, if you can believe it, and despite their brief appearances they don't feel random or forced into the book. Along with the brewing, the cauldron, the multi-coloured potions, and the broomsticks, it's part of the fun.
I can see why 'Little Witch' is considered a timeless classic for little ones. It does highlight vital, relevant subject matters such as child abuse, education for children, cleanliness for children, believing and helping children, questioning adults and authority figures, and teaching kids about how a criminal justice system works. I didn't expect that in a book about witches.
A great-grandmother character plays a major part as well, and she's wonderful. See kids, not all middle-aged-to-elderly women are evil, after all.
So here it is: I have found 'Little Witch' by Anna Elizabeth Bennett, to join the ranks of 'The Worst Witch', 'Witch Wars', 'Castle Hangnail', 'Akata Witch', 'The School for Good and Evil', 'Harry Potter', 'Flying Witch', 'Witch Hat Atelier', 'Little Witch Academia', 'Kiki's Delivery Service', and 'Spell on Wheels' in stories specifically about young witches that I love. I'm surprised that there aren't any sequels. In fact, this is apparently the only book Ms. Bennett ever wrote.
Recommended to all witch fans.
Final Score: 3.5/5
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