The Witches is a 1983 children’s book written by Roald Dahl.

When it comes to horror books for young kids, this book is among the best. It follows a young orphan boy who lives with his grandmother as they encounter several witches. These are horrible, ugly, child-hating creatures that use their magical abilities to turn them into objects or animals. The worst part is that they hide in plain sight, looking like any other regular person, so you never know when they could get you.

The tension in this book is centered around the boy and his grandmother’s trip to Norway, where he accidentally overhears a meeting of witches, led by the Grand High Witch. The boy is caught by them and turned into a rat, but he retains his intelligence, and together with his grandmother he manages to foil their plan to turn every kid in England into mice.

As a horror novel for kids, it achieves its first goal—to scare them. The Witches are grotesque creatures: they have bald heads and sharp claws, and they turn children to stone with their enchantments! The book is developed well, and any kid can relate to the young boy who stops the witches with his intelligence and creativity.

However, the real genius of this book is that once you reread it as an adult, the deeper horror becomes clear.

This happens because this masterpiece is a symbolic book. The evil witches who hide in plain sight, prey on children, and could be anyone you think you know, are very similar to real-life criminals who assault children. In this story Roald Dahl subtly comments on the worst evils in real life by using scary cartoon monsters. Definetly, the terror on the surface is revealing a deeper one underneath.

I strongly recommend the Witches, for older primary school kids or even to read as a teenager. The message is profound, and the journey is fun. Have a good read!

This review was written by Milo L. Quintana Senior 2, Godspell intern at KEL • Thank you so much for this beautiful collaboration 💙 Keep going.