The Only Thing Worse Than Witches by Lauren Magaziner

She works in children’s publishing and she clearly belongs there.Roald Dahl meets Eva Ibbotson in this hilarious middle grade debut I hope Magaziner writes more children’s novels soon. In a way, stories with a layer of darkness have a way of conveying that “real life,” in its mundanity, is more manageable than we sometimes think. Magaziner does some brilliant storytelling & kids should be allowed to tolerate more than sterile, sugarcoated stories - just be aware of the potential for discomfort beforehand!

I found myself as unsettled by some of the characters’ tricks and punishments as I felt reading about Dolores Umbridge and Voldemort’s punishments in Harry Potter - and I read both as an adult. It’s also pretty morbid in parts (but you’d never know from the cover art!). This is what children’s literature should be: quirky, inventive, and smart. Magaziner’s first book is written for kids, but I think it can also be enjoyable for adults because of its humor and imagination. What an absolutely fun and original story. I can't wait to read this out loud to my daughter's third grade class this year! The main character, Rupert, has a mom who works as an ice cream flavor taster and ALSO as a writer of fortune cookies fortunes. People don't live on Main Street, they live on Druscle Close. And her character names are THE BEST: Mrs. Her characters don't walk, they clip-clomp or slump around. Lauren has such a great grasp on middle grade language. I could drown in the adorableness that is this book. Frabbleknacker too, but the witchling's magic will be as useful as a clump of seaweed unless Rupert can figure out a way to help her improve her spellcasting-and fast! She’s determined to help Rupert stand up to dreadful Mrs. With a hankering for lollipops and the magical aptitude of a toad, she needs all the help she can get to pass her exams and become a full-fledged witch. So when he sees an ad to become a witch’s apprentice, Rupert simply can’t resist applying.īut Witchling Two isn’t exactly what Rupert expected.

Frabbleknacker, who smells like bellybutton lint and forbids Rupert’s classmates from talking to each other before, during, and after class. The closest he can get to a witchy experience is sitting in class with his awful teacher Mrs. He dreams of broomstick tours and souvenir potions, but Rupert’s mother forbids him from even looking at that part of town. Rupert Campbell is fascinated by the witches who live nearby.

The Only Thing Worse Than Witches by Lauren Magaziner