Name: Whispering to Witches
ISBN: 9780747569091

Anna Dale

When Joseph Binks is sent to stay with his mother, stepfather and half-sister Esme for Christmas, he is not at all happy. He would have preferred to have spent the time with his father, but his father has been called away to Scotland to attend to a family emergency. And so Christmas does not turn out quite as Joe anticipated... Ages 8-12.

Whispering to Witches

Elisabetta

! POSSIBLE SPOILERS !

I had read this book when I was kid and it had become one of my favourites. Now that winter is around the corner I wanted to re-read it as it is set during Christmas and I dind't remember much of the story and I wondered if I could still liked.

Short anser: I did like it.

Long anser: it is a nice and simple story, certainly good for children. However, as I always say, if a good children's story is good, then it can also be appreciated by adults, and it is the case for this novel.
The plot is quite simple but complete, with no narrative holes (at least, if there are any, I didn't notice them). The characters are well developped, with defined and also interesting personality traits. There is suspence, mystery and a final plot twist (no spoilers here).
The witches are a little stereotypical (dressed in black, live in covens, own black cats, fly on brooms and do magic through wands), but at least the story is set around Christmas and not Halloween. I found funny the fact that the progressive witches allow men witches in their covens. 

Overall an enjoyable story; it was the easy and quick reading that I needed right now.
It's a pity that Anna Dale hasn't written a lot and nothing has been published since 2010.

Natascha

Vilde

A short holiday with his mother turns out very differently for Joe than he could have imagined when he left home. Soon he is embroiled in a world of witchcraft, a world where the kind and innocent witches of Britain are facing a wicked foe. Can Joe and his young friend Twiggy put an end to the cunning plot, or will they, like their witchy friends, find the baffling mystery too hard to solve?

Whispering to Witches

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