Begone the Raggedy Witches
Celine Kiernan
Thank you Walker Books for this book in exchange for an honest review
Synopsis:
On the night that Aunty dies the Raggedy Witches come for Mup’s mam. Pale, cold, relentless, they will do anything to coax Mam back to Witches Borough. When they kidnap Mup’s dad, Mup and her mam must leave the mundane world to rescue him. But Mam is strange on this side of the border – striding, powerful, and distant. Even if they can save Dad, Mup is not sure anything will ever be the same again…
Review:
Have I mentioned that I think Walker Books publish the best middle grade reads? Oh I haven’t? Well guess what, they do.
Begone the Raggedy Witches was a delightful book from start to finish and I was delighted by every page. I would highly recommend this dark little tale to anyone looking for something a little of track to read.
Begone the Raggedy Witches is based around Mup, who realises on the way home from hospital that she is being followed by witches. Mup’s great-aunt has just died and the raggedy witches want to seize Mup’s mother Stella who is heir to another magical realm.
Meanwhile, Mup’s Dad has been dadnapped and taken to a place which is ruled by her Grandmother, who on a side note isn’t the sweetest little old who bakes you cookies like a regular grandmother should. This grandmother is actually a piece of work, and a nasty one at that,
For the first book of a planned trilogy I thought it was brilliant, however I think there might be a great deal going on and an overload of characters for the younger generation to wrap their heads around. Might be just me, but I did try and explain it to my 7 year old niece who gawked at me slowly filling her mouth with Chinese food. There is also the possibility that I caught my niece while she was hangry…
Regardless the book is filled with mystery and magic from the soul, which would bring any intriguing mind to the table to read.
On a side note, I wasn’t a big fan of Mup crying and sulking all the time. Was these meant to teach kids that it’s okay to cry? I am not too sure, I felt as though in some situations it would have been better if she pulled herself together and continued on with life with her chin up, instead of crying in the corner. But hey that’s me, I do love a tough nut character over a sulk any day.
Haven’t read any of Kiernan’s previous work, I wasn’t too sure what to expect but it was enjoyable and the book was easy to keep pace to. Overall, this was a brilliant read and it would be interesting to see where the rest of the series goes.
Rating: 3/5
ISBN: 9781406366020
Publisher: Walker Books