Title: Earwig and the Witch
Author: Diana Wynne Jones
First published June 1, 2011
140 pages, Hardcover
ISBN: 9780007416851 (ISBN10: 0007416857)
Rating: 3.58
Overview
Earwig may be an orphan, but she’s not your average girl. She’s the queen bee of St. Morwald’s Home for Children, and she likes it that way.
So when she’s unexpectedly adopted by the eccentric Bella Yaga, Earwig is less than thrilled. Bella is a witch with a demon-attended Mandrake and a talking black cat, Thomas.
Earwig wants to learn magic, but she’ll have to use all of her wit and cunning to navigate her new life. With expressive illustrations featuring stick figures and plenty of action, Earwig and her friends encounter all sorts of creatures, including ravens and spiders that decorate the margins.
Join Earwig on her magical journey as she learns to survive in the most unexpected of places.
About the Author
Diana Jones was born in London to Marjorie and Richard Aneurin Jones, both teachers. At the age of five, she was evacuated to Wales during World War II and moved several times before settling in Thaxted, Essex in 1943.
There, she and her sisters Isobel and Ursula spent much of their childhood unsupervised. Jones attended Friends School Saffron Walden before studying English at St Anne’s College in Oxford, where she had the opportunity to attend lectures by C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.
In 1956, she graduated and married John Burrow, with whom she had three sons. They lived in Oxford until 1976 when they moved to Bristol.
Jones began writing in the mid-1960s as a way to maintain her sanity while caring for her children and other family members. Her first book, Changeover, was published in 1970 and was set in a fictional African colony during the transition of the British Empire’s divestment of colonies.
Jones’ books range from farcical to socially observant and parody various literary forms. Her works have been compared to those of Robin McKinley and Neil Gaiman, both of whom she was friends with.
Jones won the 1978 Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize for Charmed Life and was a commended runner-up three times for the Carnegie Medal. She won the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award in 1996 for The Crown of Dalemark.
Despite her earlier children’s books being out of print, they have been reissued for the young audience who became interested in fantasy and reading due to the popularity of Harry Potter.
Editoral Review
Earwig and the Witch by Diana Wynne Jones is a delightful children’s book that will captivate the hearts of readers of all ages. Jones, who passed away in 2011, was a beloved fantasy author known for her works such as Howl’s Moving Castle and Castle in the Air.
Earwig and the Witch was officially published after her death in 2011 and is illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky.
The book is a short tale that is part of a larger collection of stories called “Tales from the Crest.”
The book is a fantasy story that takes place in a unique setting – a modern-day orphanage in England. Earwig, the protagonist, is an orphan who has been living in St. Morwald’s Home for Children.
She is a charming and intelligent young girl, with a quick wit and a love for playing practical jokes. She takes great pride in being the best at everything she does, but all that changes when she is suddenly adopted by a strange, witchy woman named Bella Yaga.
Bella Yaga and her familiar, a talking cat, whisk Earwig away to her home where they give her her own room and a promise to teach her magic.
What ensues is a delightful adventure that takes Earwig back to the world of magic and spells.
Bella Yaga is a stereotypical witch, but with a twist. She is neither evil nor bad, but she is not very pleasant either.
Earwig is her apprentice in training, but she quickly realizes that Bella Yaga has her own plans and that being her apprentice might not be all that she had hoped for.
The book is beautifully written, with a great deal of attention paid to the characters and their interactions.
The dialogue is witty, and the descriptions of the magic and spells are detailed enough to evoke a sense of wonder without being overwhelming. The pacing is perfect, with each chapter ending on a mini cliffhanger that makes the reader want to keep reading.
Jones tells a whimsical story that balances the humor and quirkiness of a fantasy world with the harsh realities of the real world. Earwig, despite being a humorous character, deals with real-life problems that make her relatable to readers of all ages.
Jones also explores themes like identity, independence, and the importance of family, which are important issues for children to understand.
While Earwig and the Witch is undoubtedly a fantastic children’s book, it is not without its flaws.
The book is relatively short, with the story feeling slightly rushed towards the end. The characters, while well-drawn, are not as fleshed out as they could be, leaving readers wanting to know more about them.
Overall, Earwig and the Witch is a charming and delightful children’s book that is perfect for kids who love a bit of magic and wonder. It is also an excellent read for adults who want to relive the magic of their childhood.
While it might not be Diana Wynne Jones’ best work, it is still a testament to her legacy as a writer of exquisite and imaginative children’s fantasy novels. I would highly recommend this book to readers of all ages.
Rating: 4/5
