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The Fearsome Inn
Two witches, who practice their evil trade on lost travellers, are banished through the wisdom of a student of the holy cabala, and the power of his magic chalk.
46 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1967
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About the author
Isaac Bashevis Singer
554 books1,109 followersIsaac Bashevis Singer was a Polish American author of Jewish descent, noted for his short stories. He was one of the leading figures in the Yiddish literary movement, and received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1978.
His memoir, "A Day Of Pleasure: Stories of a Boy Growing Up in Warsaw", won the U.S. National Book Award in Children's Literature in 1970, while his collection "A Crown of Feathers and Other Stories" won the U.S. National Book Award in Fiction in 1974.
His memoir, "A Day Of Pleasure: Stories of a Boy Growing Up in Warsaw", won the U.S. National Book Award in Children's Literature in 1970, while his collection "A Crown of Feathers and Other Stories" won the U.S. National Book Award in Fiction in 1974.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
January 10, 2021
Very short... and if you skip the part after what would traditionally be the 'happily ever after' it's significantly shorter. The terrific illustrations by Nonny Hogrogian (which remind me just a bit of those of Evaline Ness and of Patricia Polacco) make it even shorter, and it's on OpenLibrary.org... so there's no excuse for any of you to skip it!
Well, except maybe for the fact that it's not all that interesting. Imo. What am I missing? And why is there so much epilogue?
Read for Newbery Club in Children's Books group.
Well, except maybe for the fact that it's not all that interesting. Imo. What am I missing? And why is there so much epilogue?
Read for Newbery Club in Children's Books group.
August 30, 2023
This was an absolutely interesting and fascinating folktale. I'm discovering them more and more and I really enjoyed this one. I also quite liked the artwork that came with this. Read it in Open library.org. 4 ⭐
March 2, 2021
An interesting story in a picture book. Great drawings and good unusual subject. Sometimes the parts were somewhat to long, but it was okay. Dark with religious themes and a happy ending.
January 17, 2021
Very cool Grimm's-style fairy tale about three brothers who get trapped in an inn operated by a witch and a devil. There are some touches to let you know that the protagonists are Jewish. It was weird to see the character named Hershel be just brother #2 instead of trickster #1.
This book was more fun than most Newbery Honor picks.
This book was more fun than most Newbery Honor picks.
March 23, 2020
A cool fairy tale about a witch and a devil, their three lovely slave girls, and the three handsome men who defeat them and save the young ladies. Excellent illustrations from Nonny Hogrogian, too.
December 16, 2018
Here's an interesting old picture book (as I work my way through my Newbery collection acquisitions). It's rather like an Eastern-European Jewish Grimm-style fairytale.
Singer starts you off gently, bringing you into a lovely, soothing, pristine snow scene on the first page. The last phrase, however, cackles madly at you as you turn the sheet of paper into a perfectly Gothic situation. You get some pretty heavy stuff for a children's storybook. (Which adult me wonders about being something of a metaphor for the terrors that Jewish people went through during the prior years of his lifetime, particular with the fairer characters blindfolding themselves and stopping their ears to keep out the raging forces.)
Read in a single sitting, however, children would be soothed by the happy resolution, in the same manner that Hansel and Gretel turns out OK. All are happy and well loved in the end.
This book has some controversy in it for conservative Christian American readers of its time. Some of that comes from cultural exposure - we have Cabal/Jewish basis, not Biblical. Some of it comes from plot elements - those who strictly shape the inuendos that reach their young children might not appreciate three couples independently marrying themselves without any religious or official observations. And those who squirm at the straightforward mentioning of Satan and the presence of demons might find Singer's words too chilling for them.
Looking at the entry-point biographical sketch of Singer in Wikipedia, though, anyone can learn that Singer wasn't one to toe the line of polite conservative strictures.
I'm rather intrigued, now, in his other works. He is, after all, a multi-Newbery author and a Nobel Laureate for Literature. And recognizing that there is often much more to the story than first-glance articles like his Wikipedia sketch, I want to find out what makes a man leave his wife and son behind when he emigrates from Poland to get away from the Nazi threat. Did they refuse to leave, and he went anyway? Were they not Jewish, and therefore faced no threat? Did he have a way to leave and the intention had been to bring the others out later, but never happened? Were they unhappy to begin with, and she wanted nothing more to do with him? How did his abandoned family and family of origin survive WWII? Would I think this man was a creep, or would I have been fascinated by his individuality? Sorry - getting off track here. . .
I probably would have given this storybook 3 stars, but for the line of curiosity it opened up for me about Isaac Singer, his writings, and his life, as well as for being a fairytale I had never been exposed to. I do really enjoy fresh cultural excursions, and whether Singer crafted this one himself or brought to life a folktale from his culture of origin, his telling is vivid and every bit as hypnotizing as the work of the Grimm brothers.
Singer starts you off gently, bringing you into a lovely, soothing, pristine snow scene on the first page. The last phrase, however, cackles madly at you as you turn the sheet of paper into a perfectly Gothic situation. You get some pretty heavy stuff for a children's storybook. (Which adult me wonders about being something of a metaphor for the terrors that Jewish people went through during the prior years of his lifetime, particular with the fairer characters blindfolding themselves and stopping their ears to keep out the raging forces.)
Read in a single sitting, however, children would be soothed by the happy resolution, in the same manner that Hansel and Gretel turns out OK. All are happy and well loved in the end.
This book has some controversy in it for conservative Christian American readers of its time. Some of that comes from cultural exposure - we have Cabal/Jewish basis, not Biblical. Some of it comes from plot elements - those who strictly shape the inuendos that reach their young children might not appreciate three couples independently marrying themselves without any religious or official observations. And those who squirm at the straightforward mentioning of Satan and the presence of demons might find Singer's words too chilling for them.
Looking at the entry-point biographical sketch of Singer in Wikipedia, though, anyone can learn that Singer wasn't one to toe the line of polite conservative strictures.
I'm rather intrigued, now, in his other works. He is, after all, a multi-Newbery author and a Nobel Laureate for Literature. And recognizing that there is often much more to the story than first-glance articles like his Wikipedia sketch, I want to find out what makes a man leave his wife and son behind when he emigrates from Poland to get away from the Nazi threat. Did they refuse to leave, and he went anyway? Were they not Jewish, and therefore faced no threat? Did he have a way to leave and the intention had been to bring the others out later, but never happened? Were they unhappy to begin with, and she wanted nothing more to do with him? How did his abandoned family and family of origin survive WWII? Would I think this man was a creep, or would I have been fascinated by his individuality? Sorry - getting off track here. . .
I probably would have given this storybook 3 stars, but for the line of curiosity it opened up for me about Isaac Singer, his writings, and his life, as well as for being a fairytale I had never been exposed to. I do really enjoy fresh cultural excursions, and whether Singer crafted this one himself or brought to life a folktale from his culture of origin, his telling is vivid and every bit as hypnotizing as the work of the Grimm brothers.
January 18, 2021
I liked this story of the six young people working together to evict an evil couple from the inn. It concluded with an epilogue about who wanted to pair up with whom, and who finally ended up with whom that was a tad lengthy, but I found it interesting. I was not particularly entranced with the illustrations, but they were adequate.
February 28, 2021
3.5-4 stars. Predictable in the way of fairy tales, this is an illustrated short novel(ette if it was SF/F) featuring the battle between good and evil with a Yiddish/Jewish twist. A witch (she has elflocks) and a devil (he has a small horn) work together in an inn snaring unwary wayward travelers, stealing their riches, and killing them. They have acquired three beautiful young girls (Leitze, Reitze, and Neitze) as servants/slaves and through magic keep them from leaving. Enter three travelers: Hershel (who is going to a Yeshiva), Velvel (a merchant's son), and Leibel (a student of the Kabbalah). The smell of magic bread gives nightmares and upon rousing Leibel realizes what's what and with magic chalk saves the day. I'll leave the details and the happily ever-afters to other readers. I think what I enjoyed most was the similarities and differences in the cultural trappings between this Yiddish story and other tales of magic. I loved the magic chalk (shades of "Harold's Purple Crayon") and how Leibel's training saved everyone. I read this for my 2021 Reading Challenge (Magnus Challenge:character is religious) and my Newbery Challenge (Honor 1968).
June 29, 2025
This is a Newbery Honor book that is a fable about three young girls who are held captive by a witch and her husband. They have tried to escape and have never been able to. One day, three young men show up. You can probably guess what happens. The story is short and has a happily ever after ending.
October 26, 2019
Newbery Challenge 176/415. A Jewish fairytale in the style of the original Grimm Brothers tales. Dark with religious themes and a happy ending. I did struggle with the “drawing names to see who marries who” ending. My modern sensibilities were irked by it.
September 8, 2022
It IS a fearsome inn! I liked this as a folklore/fairy tale, I did not like it as a picture book.
June 16, 2023
Such a creepy story. But it ends happily as expected. The illustrations are lovely.
October 24, 2024
I must be honest - I first picked up this book to look at while I was in the library simply because the two cats on the cover looked exactly like my cats. But I must say, I really enjoyed this book.
November 10, 2025
Newbery!
May 3, 2024
“Signed: Doboshova, the daughter of Naamah, the daughter of Igrath, the daughter of Machlath, and so on back to my grandmother Lillith the First.”
“He has many wives, but his favorite is still Lillith, who dances for him each night to the caterwauling of a devil’s band”
i love children books that talk about witches and the devil more than anything and i have got to read more of isaac singer
“He has many wives, but his favorite is still Lillith, who dances for him each night to the caterwauling of a devil’s band”
i love children books that talk about witches and the devil more than anything and i have got to read more of isaac singer
October 28, 2015
I thought it started out pretty good, but the 2nd half of the book was pretty stupid. Saved by magic chalk. Not only is it dumb, but it was obviously coming. The three boys and three girls made for a pretty easy guess on what would happen there too, though there was no real chemistry between ANYONE in the book.
The moral of the story I believe is that if you study the Talmud and everything enough then you will get magic chalk and be able to save yourself and others from demons and witches and eventually be able to walk miles in one step by saying holy words you have discovered. Weird.
Anyway, takes about 20-30 minutes to read, so I didn't mind too much.
I would say though that the beginning is pretty good (and even a little creepy with the dreams), and the artwork is interesting (though it was also a little creepy), so I will give it the full 3 stars it really doesn't deserve. I'm glad I read this around Halloween. :-)
The moral of the story I believe is that if you study the Talmud and everything enough then you will get magic chalk and be able to save yourself and others from demons and witches and eventually be able to walk miles in one step by saying holy words you have discovered. Weird.
Anyway, takes about 20-30 minutes to read, so I didn't mind too much.
I would say though that the beginning is pretty good (and even a little creepy with the dreams), and the artwork is interesting (though it was also a little creepy), so I will give it the full 3 stars it really doesn't deserve. I'm glad I read this around Halloween. :-)
November 8, 2015
I'd never heard of this author until I started playing the Children's Authors card game. I've even intentionally read up a lot of the award-winning children's books from my time and later.
This book is, as some people wrote, a tad odd. I think it doesn't have the kind of story elements and characteristics that we are used to in the US. Something about the tone and style reminds me a bit of classic Grimm fairy tales, which may be the Eastern European influence. The tale is very much steeped in Jewish lore and cultural props, which may be foreign to most.
However, this tale of two witches, three young women, two young men, and a cabalist who saves the day is still quite fun, and the story itself is charming. I can imagine it being told to young boys and girls at Jewish school as a cautionary tale.
This book is, as some people wrote, a tad odd. I think it doesn't have the kind of story elements and characteristics that we are used to in the US. Something about the tone and style reminds me a bit of classic Grimm fairy tales, which may be the Eastern European influence. The tale is very much steeped in Jewish lore and cultural props, which may be foreign to most.
However, this tale of two witches, three young women, two young men, and a cabalist who saves the day is still quite fun, and the story itself is charming. I can imagine it being told to young boys and girls at Jewish school as a cautionary tale.
December 9, 2022
An evil woman name Doboshova and her husband have an inn, and they have three girls as slaves. Three men, Herschel, Velvel, and Leibel, wander to the inn during a storm. Doboshova gives the men bread that causes them to have nightmares. After their nightmares, Leibel tricks Doboshova and Lapitut to searching the water barrel for a treasure, and he draws a line around them with magic chalk so they are trapped. Leibel makes the witch and devil go away, and the men marry the women.
I didn't care for this book. I didn't like the illustrations, and I found the references to Doboshova and Lapitut being related to Satan and Lillith to be very disturbing. I did like when Leibel said God is more powerful than Satan, but that was one of the few things I liked about this story.
I didn't care for this book. I didn't like the illustrations, and I found the references to Doboshova and Lapitut being related to Satan and Lillith to be very disturbing. I did like when Leibel said God is more powerful than Satan, but that was one of the few things I liked about this story.
August 23, 2023
This picture book highlights an intriguing tale of witches, the devil, forced servitude, sorcery and magic chalk. When three weary travelers find their way to the Fearsome Inn one stormy night, their understanding of good and evil becomes confused as they are bewitched by foods mixed with spells that deprived each of them of their free will. Their vivid nightmares, caused by these spells, help uncover what is actually happening to them. The illustrations are remarkable and well portray the action of the story.
February 1, 2016
1968 Newbery Honor Book
In "The Fearsome Inn," three young men end up at a cursed inn run by a witch and her half-devil husband. The witch is about to ensnare the young men when one of them decides to try to outsmart them. I thought it was an interesting story with a good ending. It reminded me of Stardust (although this came first).
In "The Fearsome Inn," three young men end up at a cursed inn run by a witch and her half-devil husband. The witch is about to ensnare the young men when one of them decides to try to outsmart them. I thought it was an interesting story with a good ending. It reminded me of Stardust (although this came first).
December 22, 2012
Folk tale and either a Newberry Award finalist or winner (unsure which). However, I found the story choppy and the highly-praised illustrations creepy. Not something I would choose to buy or read to children.
May 29, 2009
A good story, but I didn't enjoy it as much as his collections of short stories for children (especially the stories about the people of Chelm!)
May 21, 2012
A Polish/Jewish fairytale. I liked the illustrations.
September 9, 2013
Enjoyed this more than the other Newbery I read by Singer--can't recall the name. I don't know that I would read this again, but it was an interesting folk story.
March 20, 2015
Kinda scarey but ends well.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews