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"On the night that Aunty dies, the raggedy witches come for Mup's family. Pale, cold, and relentless, the witches will do anything for the tyrannical queen who has outlawed most magic and enforces her laws with terror and cruelty -- and who happens to be Mup's grandmother. When witches carry off her dad, Mup and her mam leave the mundane world to rescue him. But everything is odd in the strange, glittering Witches Borough, even Mam. Even Mup herself. In a world of rhyming crows, talking cats, and golden forests, it's all Mup can do to keep her wits about her. And even if she can save her dad, Mup's not sure if anything will ever be the same again. First in a new trilogy by Irish author Celine Kiernan, this tale of family and forbidden magic charts a fresh path through the landscape of beloved fantasy tradition -- and promises to bewitch any reader in search of stories to love."-- "When witches kidnap her dad, Mup is swept up in a wild tide of magic that carries her to another world. Can she reunite her family and find her way back?"--… (more)
User reviews
This utterly charming middle grade novel is bright and dark all at once, embodying a classic fairy tale vibe with a modern approach. Mup is a smart, compassionate young girl. As her aunt is dying in the hospital, she spies raggedy witches gliding from
There are so many things I love about this book. Foremost, Mup. She's a fierce, brilliant spark of a girl. Her chosen attire--a clashing rainbow of clothing, complete with tutu--feels realistic for a child her age. Her compassion is central. Her family sparkles with diversity, too. While her baby brother is pale and blonde like their mom, Mup takes after her father. As she describes it at one point, her father is Irish, too, but his parents came from Nigeria.
Mup's mom is awesome, too, a mother who is not defined by her motherhood alone. She's in an awful spot as she always felt ill-fit in the real world, but realizes much of what she was told about her mother's world wasn't quite right, either. She does take her two young children into a dangerous place and puts a lot of responsibility on Mup, but I like how she does trust Mup in that way. Mup thrives under that sense of respect and independence.
Kiernan has created something special in this book and I am excited that this is the first in a new series.
In today's world the idea of an ethnic child believing that everyone has a voice and a right to be is a much needed gift.
Although this was an Advanced Reader Copy, I do not believe
I cannot wait for the next one.
Mup is a little girl who has the largest moral compass in the world. She is bright enough to ask all the hard questions; “What if no one
While this is marked middle grade, I think young children would enjoy having this tale read to them. I loved this book and look forward the next book in the series.
Thank you NetGalley and Candlewick Press for a copy
Kiernan is a very talented world builder, and her main protagonist Mup (child of Stella) is a character that I think children reading this will love and relate to. The language was perfect for middle school children, and the serious nature of the witches war is presented in a way that will scare those readers but not terrify them. This is a Harry Potteresque novel, that is nowhere near that scope but still a fun and quick read.
This was a fun read
I liked how the world was built and how the readers are able to fall right into it. An added bonus was also that the ending was not a complete cliffhanger so you can read it as a standalone if you so choose to.
Overall I think this will be a fun read for younger readers and since this is the first in a trilogy, there are more stories to come if you enjoy this one.
After her father is taken hostage by witches, Mup and her family must avoid the raggedy witches to save him from the queen who also happens to be Mup’s grandmother. Along the way, she meets magical
Librarians will find this intermediate grade fantasy popular with children who enjoy folk fantasy, forbidden magic, and Irish mythology. This quick read can be enjoyed as both a standalone and book one of a trilogy.
Published on September 11, 2018 by Candlewick. ARC courtesy of the publisher.
This is a story of a young girl who has to fight for her family when everything changes after her
Things will never be the same again but maybe they can be okay.
I really liked it and really want to read more set in this world.
I had never read Celine Kiernan, and now I'm quite excited to get my hands on more of their work. This book has that wonderful very sparse yet very vivid and rich language and description that Irish writers seem to manage so beautifully. The clearest brightest images come to mind
Overall a quick, gorgeous, and very enjoyable autumn read.
Similar to Potter, this is a
At the core, Begone the Raggedy Witches has morals about family, equality, and other things kids should know, but it doesn't beat them over the head with it. I can also appreciate a story that has a heroine and (mild spoiler) a dad in peril instead of a 'damsel in distress'. Similar again to the Harry Potter series, there are points in this book that root it in reality, to build that sense of "it can happen to me" in children.
All in all, if you know kids that love magical fantasy stories or are a tad too young to fully grasp Harry Potter (even if they already have read and love Potter), this is a wonderful book. The pacing is quick and will hold even short attention spans with bursts of adventure. Definitely look at it if you get the chance!
I found this an enjoyable fantasy in the vein of The Girl Who Drank the Moon. Readers who enjoy juvenile fantasy with strong currents of folklore and Faerie will want to pick it up.