The Witch Trade

Night Witches #1

by Michael Molloy

Abby and Spike are drawn into a world of witches, hidden caverns, fabulous boats, captive children, lost parents, and a quest to find Ice Dust - the source of magical power. With their strange new companions - Captain Starlight, Benbow the giant albatross, and Sir Chadwick Street, flamboyant Master of the Light Witches - they hurtle through perilous seas, face fearsome monsters, and do battle with an enemy darker and dirtier than they could ever have imagined.

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Magic, Childrens, Adventure, Young Adult, Witches

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

As a counterpart to his career as a writer of children's books, Michael Molloy is a regular contributor to the Guardian newspaper. He lives in London, England, with his wife, Sandy, their three daughters, Jane, Kate, and Alexandra, and their two dogs, Fred and Daisy.

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given the opportunity to choose a new children's book for our local library when I was younger. I picked "The Witch Trade" and got to read it first, and boy, am I glad I chose it!

It has everything a kid loves in a story: magic, young and adventurous characters that they can connect with, a battle between good or evil. I loved the idea of trading ice dust and preventing the Night Witches from building their weapon, and so on. Abby and Spike were great main characters to follow, too; energetic and ready for action.

"The Witch Trade" is an awesome read for both kids and older readers who'd just enjoy a bit of fun and adventure.

[MeriiXún~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5
Los libros infantiles me suelen gustar bastante pero en este caso, no ha sido lo que esperaba y me ha parecido demasiado infantil. Sé que es fantasía con toques de ciencia ficción pero me ha parecido todo demasiado inverosímil, por no hablar de las reacciones de Abby, que se lo toma todo como si fuese lo más normal del mundo. Pasan demasiadas cosas, muy seguidas, sin tiempo de ir asimilándolo todo y el final es demasiado rápido (aunque debo reconocer que los últimos capítulos son sin dudas los mejores). Por otro lado, gracias a ese ritmo trepidante de acontecimientos y a una narración sencilla y simple, se lee en un suspiro, además de que engancha bastante y a los personajes, sin ser nada del otro mundo, les acabas por coger un poco de cariño. No ha sido una mala lectura, simplemente esperaba otra cosa y me ha costado meterme en la historia. Para niños de unos 8-12 años, es una lectura ideal, pues creo que se lo pasarán pipa leyéndolo.

[Rainbowpower · Rating 4 out of 5]

“A Book Review of: The Witch Trade”
Book: The Witch Trade Author: Michael Molloy
Did you know that there is more than one type of witch? Well, read this to find out more. First, Abby was waiting for her aunt to bring to a boat tour. All the kids of Speller were going. Next, a mysterious bird caught her eye and she followed it. She missed the tour and went back home. Earlier, her uncle found a strange boy on the shore who was unconscious. He became part of their family. They named him Spike and Abby really liked him. Then, one day on the shore Abby hurt her ankle and it was going to rain. A stranger that lived in a lighthouse helped them and brought them to his house. Adam, Abby, and Spike became friends immediately. Abby and Spike found out about Sea witches and Night witches.The next day Abby and Spike went back. He showed them a secret passage to a marina that no one can see. In the marina there are lots of big boats and one weird boat, the atlantis boat.They all got in it and turned it on. The cavern opened and they rode out. The stranger’s name was Adam Starlight, he is also called the Ancient Mariner. The next day, they went to see Adam. He asked them to go on a dangerous mission to find more ice dust. They go to find their aunt and uncle. They say yes and they leave for England.
They are going to find Sir Chadwick St., the leader of all light witches. They find him and meet Hilda. Hr tells them that they are going to put on a play Peter Pan. Then, he announces that there is a traitor, a night witch sitting with them. While, Adam was roaming the streets he got kidnapped to the Lost Land. Finally, Hilda, Sir Chadwick St., and The Great Mandini get on the Atlantis boat and they all head to Antarctica to get a lot of ice dust. They find a river with ice dust at the bottom. Read the book to find out what is next.
Michael Molloy, the author of this book, was in art school where he studied painting. He was the editor in chief of the Mirror group. He lives in London with his wife, three daughters, and two dogs. The settings in this book are, Speller a small island with sea witches. London where Sir Chadwick St. lives and a lot of light witches. Antarctica where night witches live.
Abby Clover is a brave and kind girl who lives in Speller with her aunt Lucy and uncle Ben, and no one knows where her parents are. Spike was found by uncle Ben on the shore with a marlin spike, and cannot remember how he got to Speller.
Two strengths in this book are: He gives good detail with describing characters. In example, “All he wore was a swimsuit made of a strange slithery material”. He also uses descriptive words like when he writes “The creatures wore tight black uniforms over their lumpy bodies, but the most disturbing aspects about them were their faces.Two weaknesses in this book are: It is a little confusing at some parts like when Abby, Spike, Sir Chadwick St., And The Great Mandini switch minds. He also could have added more to the end because, it just stops.
I would rate this book four and a half stars. People that would enjoy this book are people who really enjoy fantasy. Will they find Abby’s parent’s? Will they free the slaves? Read this book to find the answers to ALL your questions!!!

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

The introductory chapter was like a study in ADD. The story itself then begins to build up, telling itself in dialog but sacrificing all else. There are no emotions, no connection with the characters. They go along with the plot without question, because that's what serves the plot. Ludicrous back stories and dangerous situations are simply accepted at face value. About halfway through the book I realized that the simplistic language may actually lend itself very well to being read aloud to younger children.
Despite the limitations, the story had a few good ideas, and kept my attention if not interest.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book, I think children would definitely enjoy this more (max age of about 12 I'd say), however if you want something light hearted, fast and full of adventure then this is definitely the book for you. If you were a fan of The Golden Compass/Northern Lights or Artemis Fowl then you will enjoy this book but if you are older and reading it then remember it is aimed for younger children so you can't judge it on how predictable it is.  

Read more on my blog at: https://bookgeek2015.wordpress.com/

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this, plenty of magic and interesting characters, and some satisfyingly unpleasant bad characters.

It started off with a good story that made it stand out from the average magic adventure, but it ran out of steam about halfway through.

The ending felt too rushed and predictable, no surprises there and nothing to hold my interest enough to want to read the next one.

[Chiara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Essendo un libro per bambini e avendolo letto alla veneranda età di 21 anni, non posso dire che mi sia piaciuto.
Se avessi avuto otto anni, non sarebbe stato male.
L'ho comprato solo perché avevo i due volumi successivi e non mi piacciono le saghe lasciate a metà .

[Monique · Rating 3 out of 5]

Went a totally new direction with this next book and into the land of witches and fantasy with Abby and Spike—the only surviving children in a small town called Speller ..

Abby’s parents have disappeared and Spike was found in the sea and raised by Abby’s aunt and uncle with all the other children aboard a ship and taken from the island. As Abby and Spike go off exploring they meet Captain Starlight or the Ancient Mariner and he tells them of how Abby’s parents went off in search of Ice Dust at the bottom of Antarctica to keep it away from the Night Witches who are taking it and using it to make dangerous Black Dust..the only witches who can use pure Ice Dust are Sea Witches and Light Witches who are inherently good and only their pure, true hearts can wield its power---with this fantastic tale of locating Ice Dust and the existence of Witches Abby, Spike and Captain Starlight take off in a boat not knowing what to expect and what will come…

“Bad news for you, I’m afraid. The Night Witches are about to exterminate all Light Witches and then begin a conquest of the whole world.” (Pg.87)

It is really an entertaining read with twists and turns and characters that are richly drawn, overall the scenes and adjectives were something I really appreciated for middle school especially—again as I find with some YA/Middle School book there is a lot of allusion to older texts and no context for kids like tongue-in-cheek asides to the adult readers and in this one they mention The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Richard VII of Shakespeare which I can almost bet no preteen has heard of in 2019 but I loved it..and there is reference to the lost city of Atlantis as the group sets off and sneaks in both the Night and the Light Witch conventions in the deep underground and the theater respectively; then to ah the library with the old wise Polartius who knows all and has a hurried and surly temperament (loved him)—oh and before I forget to mention there are wonderful illustrated pictures throughout that help you envision these characters and scenes 😊…there are magical moments, a surprise kidnapping and a visit to the Lost Land where all lost things go and the only way to get home is to think of someone who loves you so much they want to see you more than anything else in the world; there are serpents, secret caverns, hidden royalty and much more as the twists come and it ends with a definite cliffhanger promising a sequel..eh it is something I can see some middle schoolers reading..Nice.

[SophiaGhastly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely jaunt! Perfect for 6-12 year olds.

Beautifully handled adventure that allows for the children to have loving relationships with their parents AND their adventures!

Beautifully crafted Light Witches and Night Witches and a fantastic take on the Ancient Mariner. Such a nice read!

[Daiana Taborda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este libro me hizo volver a mi infancia. Es una novela recomendada para jóvenes de 12/13 años. Me ha encantado la trama y la forma de narrar el autor (aunque hubiese preferido algunos detalles que especifiquen más ciertos hechos, sobre todo teniendo en cuenta al público al que esta dirigido el libro). La idea y la sucesión de hechos es original. Tenemos dos bandos de brujos, los del dia y los de la noche. Y en el medio, los brujos del mar. En la batalla entre los buenos y malos, al iniciar el libro, los malos van ganando.
Otro hecho curioso, que quizá no me gusto tanto, es la rapidez con que la protagonista acepta la magia y aprende a usar sus poderes (que superan los de cualquier adulto, lo cual también lo torna poco creíble).
Por otra parte, los personajes me encantaron. Abby es dulce e inteligente y Spike es leal y tranquilo. Ambos son pequeños que rondan los diez años, sumamente curiosos y valientes.
Por último, no puedo dejar de destacar los pequeños dibujos que van apareciendo esporádicamente a lo largo del libro. Ilustran personajes, hechos u objetos, haciendo que el lector comprenda mejor lo que esta leyendo.
Esta novela es un lindo comienzo para aquellos pequeños lectores que recien estan incursionando en la lectura.

[Pablo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Este es un libro que desde pequeño he tenido en la estantería y por una cosa o por otra nunca lo he leído en su totalidad. Y ahora por fin lo he leído entero.

Lo primero y, más importante, es que se nota que está hecho para niños y/o primeros años de la adolescencia. Los acontecimientos pasan muy rápido y casi sin ningún tipo de conflicto. Todos los personajes están de acuerdo en hacer x cosa desde el principio y todo sale a la primera. Esto no me ha gustado mucho, pero lo entiendo. Y eso mismo también hace que el libro se lea en seguida.

Aún así, teniendo en cuenta que es para niños, considero que en algunas ocasiones el vocabulario es un tanto difícil. Vamos, que había palabras que no entendía ni yo. Pero, en general, el libro se entiende a la perfección y no está demás que los peques aprendan nuevas palabras.

En general me ha gustado y me ha enganchado. El final no está mal, aceptable. Pero lo hubiera tratado de forma diferente. So, le doy 2 estrellas porque está bien, pero debería de haberlo leído más joven. Para los niños, como libro de aventuras y fantasía, está genial y no se hace pesado.

Pd: la portada es una fantasía!!

[Danielle]

Sometimes I add books to read and then years later I come back and wonder why exactly I did. This is one of those.
"...a quest to find Ice Dust - the source of magical power. With their strange new companions - Captain Starlight, Benbow the giant albatross... Master of the Light Witches - they hurtle through perilous seas, face fearsome monsters, and do battle with an enemy darker and dirtier than they could ever have imagined."
This part of the description reminds me some of "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Coleridge, but I only just read that last year. There is also talk of "Dust" and witches, which reminds me of The Golden Compass and is a more plausible reason for me to add the book. That said I have a feeling this book is likely not going to be very good and will potentially be another case like Cirrus Flux, a book that is trying to be The Golden Compass but definitely is not at all The Golden Compass and nowhere as good.
Also, there is no way to look inside the book, so I can at least figure out if it is well written. Because if it isn't then I can just remove it from my tbr.

[Santiago Bueno · Rating 2 out of 5]

Suelo disfrutar de los libros infantiles pero este fue la excepción. Me pareció sobre todo al principio, que el orden en que iba narrando ciertas cosas era raro, no demasiado coherente. Además se sintió "vacio" con tan poca descripción, y fue confuso, sobretodo el tamaño de ciertos elementos. Por otro lado, en terminos de historia me pareció que muchos de los problemas se resolvían de manera muy fácil y en cuestión de 2/3 páginas, que te hacía cuestionar si realmente eran necesarios para avanzar con la historia. Lo mas interesante y mas divertido de leer fueron los capitulos finales, y no es que hayan sido nada del otro mundo, pero en comparación con el resto, estaban bastante bien. Realmente creo que esta novela me hubiera gustado mas si la hubiera leido con 8-9 años y creo que niños/as/es de alrededor de esas edades podrían disfrutarlo mas que yo. Pero dicho todo esto, no creo que sea un libro que tenga mucho que ofrecer. Bastante flojo estuvo.

[Diletta Nicastro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Libro scorrevole. Il pubblico più giovane lo apprezza sicuramente per le mirabili avventure, per la creazione di un mondo magico e per la descrizione di macchine sofisticate ed ecologiche. L’insegnamento più bello è quello legato alla gentilezza, l’arma con cui affrontare il pericoloso serpente che è pronto ad attaccare Abby e i suoi amici. Parole buone riescono a sanare le ferite del serpente ed un maleficio lungo secoli. Anche questo è un bell’insegnamento.
Per il resto è un’avventura ricca di colpi di scena (un po’ prevedibili) e di battaglie. Manca di suspense, però. Tutte le scene che potrebbero caricare il lettore sono risolte in tempo troppo breve, come quando il Capitano Starlight sembra disperso in mare. Due righe dopo viene subito avvistato.
Se fosse stato più lungo e teso, sarebbe stato più bello.

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I truly appreciated this book, and how the events had great detail. It reminds me of a movie, and how many elements can be shown in one frame. However, every movie has some drawbacks.

For myself, I disliked how the fundamental plot books have that hooks a reader was not evident in this book. I almost quit a few times due to there being little to no situations in some chapters, just speaking and describing. I would have ditched it if not for the limited time I had.

Perhaps this book is more suitable for minors, or maybe I was just anticipating too much. Either way, I liked it. The book just needs more events (but not ten events in one chapter!).

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall a fairly cute kids fantasy, but I had a nitpick that is just bothering me.

...Okay, I was warned that this book had "an age gap romance," and okay. But the way it's presented is that the first half of the book the girl refers to the guy/her mentor as "my master" and he to her as... "my child." Once she declares her love he's like "oh I guess I have to call you something different now." (No exaggeration.) Sure it's fantasy and he's over six hundred years old but she's in her twenties and... I dunno, man. Was "my child" really the best nickname for someone you're romantically interested in?

[Tayler Morrell · Rating 1 out of 5]

Apparently this was the author’s first YA novel although he’s written about 6 for adults - and honestly, he should stick with an adult audience because he is *not* good at YA. I would probably have upper elementary/early middle schoolers read it. But it also seems like someone that age wrote it. The plot itself has such promise - which is why I picked it up in the first place. But the pacing it too fast, the dialogue and characterizations are forced, too many ex-machinas and plot holes. Just, yikes.

[Jossie 🤎 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reliving my childhood dreams to read this series , Well at the time I bought the 2nd book “Time Witches” , which I bought at a school fair I loved it . Yes in 31 reading a child book fantasy but super nostalgic and for a kids fantasy it’s super cute and found family and honestly if I had more time I probably would’ve finished it in less than 8 days ! Def would recommend as good fantasy chapter book to my little ones . Most def going to read the last 2 books and this gets me excited for new adult fantasy books so excited

[Ria · Rating 5 out of 5]

A swashbuckling tale, with a dash of derring do, witches, sea serpents, magical captains and a whole host of unforgettable characters.
The local children from Speller have gone missing, the locals, the sea witches believe foul play and the Night witches are at fault.
Determined to get them back and save the magical ice dust Captain Starlight sets off to the rescue accompanied by his friends.
A wonderful children's story full of fun and adventure (for grown ups too.)

[Sandie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent kids book, great characters and exciting story with tension and humour. The ending felt a little rushed and predictable however I’m looking forward to the sequel.

Some of the story in set in central London and I was tickled to see the inclusion of ‘Gerry’s Club’, a small Soho members club, frequented by Actors, Artists, Musicians, Writers etc. of which I’m a member. Never seen it mentioned in a novel before.

[Emma-Louise Ekpo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really excellent children’s book that I read when I was younger. It’s taken me 10/15 years to find it again.

The world building is sensational and I think this would translate well into a children’s/young adult tv show. Similar to Percy Jackson.

My only concern is antisemitism, the Night Witches are described with hook noses and wanting a “new world order”. Clear tropes of antisemitism, disappointing as the rest of the book is really well thought out and written.

[Carlos Alejandro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lo leí hace muchísimos años.

Me encantó, me lo prestó una amiga y desde entonces lo he intentado buscar para comprármelo y también toda la saga del autor, pero me ha sido imposible.

Si alguien de ustedes lo tiene atesórenlo, es un cuento muy lindo y muy bonito y lo leí recuerdo. Aquella vez como dos o tres veces, no podía dejar de leerlo.

Recuerdo perfecto sobre todo su personaje que se llamaba Spike….

[Stephen Hayes · Rating 3 out of 5]

A strange mixture of science fiction and fantasy. I can't help comparing it with Alan Garner's children's books, where magic enters the everyday world in a convincing way, but this was a little too unconvincing for me.

[Agust · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tengo que admitir de que la trama está muy buena para chicos jóvenes, pero que no me supo atrapar del todo.
Y siento que pasaban tantas cosas que no me daba un tiempo para procesarlo. La prosa del autor no ayudó mucho, la sentí medio insípida y simple.

[Régulo García Zabala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un buen libro para aquellos que están aprendiendo inglés. Fácil de leer y muy entretenido. Ideal para preadolescentes. Pará un adulto? Ante un patrón de lectura, te servirá para volver a reiniciar lecturas más profundas.

[Whimsy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book would have been more interesting if I was perhaps between the ages of ten and fifteen. Reading it as an adult, it's highly predictable and oftentimes boring. The magic and the mysticism is just not meant for someone my age.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh

[Lobke · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good story, easy to read. Had me thinking: what will happen next? Curious about the next volumes

[Brina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abby Clover lebt zusammen mit ihrer Tante Lucy, ihrem Onkel Ben und ihrem besten Freund Spike in Speller, einer kleinen Küstenstadt in England. Vorher lebte Abby zusammen mit ihren Eltern in einem Leuchtturm, jedoch sind Abbys Eltern seit einer Expidition nicht mehr aufgetaucht.

Doch die kleine Stadt scheint kein normaler Ort zu sein, denn die Stadt ist weder auf Karten eingezeichnet, noch gibt es außer Abby und Spike keine Kinder. Diese sind angeblich auf hoher See verunglückt.

Durch Zufall lernen Spike und Abby Captain Adam Starlight kennen, der aktuell im Leuchtturm lebt. Doch dieser erscheint ihnen mysteriös, denn mithilfe eines Pulvers schafft er es, dass Abby unsichtbar wird, wenn sie eine bestimmte Melodie pfeift. Durch eine Lichtkugel können die Kinder ebenfalls Kontakt zu dem Captain aufnehmen, wenn sie direkt in die Kugel hineinsprechen.

Als sie von Capitain Startlight das Geheimnis von Speller erfahren, nämlich das alle Einwohner Meerhexen und von den dunklen Hexen bedroht sind, steht für Abby, Spike und Captain Starlight fest, dass sie etwas unternehmen müssen und begeben sich auf eine gefährliche Reise..

Michael Molloy hat mit „Die Hexen der Finsternis“ ein tolles Kinder- und Jugendbuch geschrieben, dass voller Magie, Abenteuer und Spannung steckt.

Das Buch liest sich leicht und flüssig. Vor allem die große Schrift ist ein Pluspunkt für die jüngeren Leser.

Das Cover erscheint zunächst recht schlicht, wird aber dann durch die glänzenden „Spinnenweben“ zu einem Highlight.
Auf diesem befindet sich eine sogenannte dunkle Hexe, die den bösen Part in dieser Geschichte übernimmt.

Auch der Klappentext ist stimmig und enthält das Hauptthema der Geschichte.

Besonders interessant geschrieben ist der Konflikt zwischen den Meereshexen, Lichthexen und dunklen Hexen. Auch deren Unterschiede sind sehr detailliert und liebevoll beschrieben.

Vor allem die Londoner Lichthexen und die Elfen sind wunderbar charakterisiert worden. Auch wenn diese zunächst sehr eigenwillig rüberkommen, merkt der Leser schnell, das noch viel mehr in ihnen steckt und sie erweisen sich als sehr loyal, wie z.B. bei der Suche nach Captain Starlight.

Aber auch die Daratellung der dunklen Hexen ist wunderbar gelungen. Vor allem die Darstellung des Hauptquartiers fand ich sehr toll gewählt und stimmig.

Toll sind aber auch Informationen zu Atlantis oder auch dem alten Seemann.

Durch das etwas abrupte Ende kann man jedoch auf eine Fortsetzungen hoffen, was ich nur begrüßen würde, denn diese Geschichte wäre eine Weiterführung wert.

„Die Hexen der Finsternis“ ist ein Buch voller Geheimnisse, die nur darauf warten, vom Leser gelüftet zu werden. Empfehlenswert!

[Lynne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not the target audience and the more I read of this, the more that became blindingly obvious.