The Witch's Curse: A Witch Hunt Gone Wrong

UNITED STATES OF GRIMM series by Keith McGowan #2

by Keith McGowan, Yoko Tanaka (Illustrator)

Sibling adventure inspired by the Grimm folktale "Brother and Sister." Booklist called it "another edgy, absorbing read" and School Library Journal said "This sequel to The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children is an exciting adventure . . . A well-done continuation of the story that leaves readers wanting to hear from this brother and sister again."

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens, Adventure, Fiction, Middle Grade

304 pages, Hardcover

First published March 19, 2013

About the author

For info on me and my books, please visit me at http://www.KeithBooks.com. I'm the author of The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children and The Witch's Curse: A Witch Hunt Gone Wrong.

Reviews

[Stefanny Natalia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 / 5 🌟
Seruuuuuu
Buku keduanya ini lebih seru dari buku pertamanya. Tapi ada beberapa tokoh yg sayangnya gak dilanjutkan perannya disitu sebagai, semacam numpang lewat aja. Tapi untungnya gak terlalu menggangggu plot ceritanya.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This clever little tale written in the admirable mould of A Series of Unfortunate Events retells the Grimm brother's story Brother and Sister in a flashy, action packed, modern setting. It's part 2 of an horror escape adventure as two siblings get caught up in the machinations of a forest witch (and hunted down by her cursed hunter) after just escaping another household witch who wanted to cook them for dinner. Appropriately Grimm as just as entertainingly macabre as Lemmony Snicket's tales or other modern children's horror like the Spiderwick books, but perhaps lacking that additional, memorable flare of a children's horror writer like Gaimen.

What is excellent about the Witch's Curse is the pacing and the characters. The book is action packed enough for the impatient and the twists, while obvious, have that approaching dread important to all horror tales. But McGowan also has momentary linguistic detours - his enchanted forest and its animals are patiently created and described and the atmosphere created is real and vivid. The chase scene are adrenaline packed but lush with setting and preparation. Moments of drama, like the dangerous river crossing, feel appropriately dangerous and the younger sisters trip downstream is sensually evokative, breathless almost.

The two leads are not typecast, although they do share a slight Gothic weirdness with the Unfortunate Event's children. They are also not very harmonious and prone to mistake. Those mistakes, betrayals and annoyances with each other are used to solidify their sibling relationship and it makes the sense of duty to one another and their care for one another seem more believable. It's not a masterpiece, not entirely original, but McGowan's reinvention contains fitting servings of traditional fairy tale atmosphere with plenty of modern style, as well as some very evokative descriptive writing and enough mystery to keep the plot interesting till the end. 5

[Brett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This follow-up to "The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children" is definitely very Grimm-esque, rating high in the creepy/scary category. Siblings Sol & Connie have managed to escape their new home town, but they're headed straight into a cursed forest where they'll be up against a witch who turns children into animals so that the cursed huntsman she keeps in a deep sleep most of the time can hunt them with enchanted arrows. After death, they become part of the world's creepiest & most upsetting taxidermy exhibit. Can they outsmart the witch more or less on their own? The only help they're going to get is coming from a computer cube Sol made a few years ago & a small songbird sent by the mysterious owner of a local pet shop.
This book falls into a strange place for me - its length & reading level place it around 4th or 5th grade, but the subject matter is so incredibly morbid that you'd have to only recommend it to a very specific kind of kid. Personally, I think it would have given the admittedly seriously chicken 4th-grade me a whole lot of nightmares.

[Marjorie Bowman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second in a series. Brother and sister working together to solve their predicaments, a good witch a bad witch, and promise of more to come. I even solved one of the riddles! Action with sensitivity to younger readers. Recommended for those who like Narnia, "Breadcrumbs" and "Wildwood."

[Wendi Lau · Rating 5 out of 5]

4th grader was very said when she reached the end of the book because it was over. "I want to read the next book! I liked it because it had magic and trickery and action."
What other book is it like: "Earwig and the Witch"

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much fun, so creative! I lvoed it, even as a grown-up reader. I hope he continues with more sequels.this may be a great read aloud to 5th graders, and he has some lesson plans that tie in with Grimm and Hansel & Gretel too.

[Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly a lot better than the first! Much more thrilling, complex, and overall just a lot more interesting/creative. With the way it ended, I wanna say this might be the last book in the series but then again you never know. The witches are always out there...

[Jurnal Si Bugot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sungguh malang nasib kakak beradik Sol dan Connie. Setelah berhasil lolos dari tetangga mereka yang ternyata adalah penyihir, mereka harus menghadapi kenyataan bahwa Ayah dan Ibu tiri mereka bekerja sama dengan si penyihir.
----
Menyadari bahwa kaki tangan si penyihir yang masih ada di kota mungkin masih akan mencari mereka, Sol dan Connie pergi dari rumah menuju kediaman bibi Heather yang ada si luar kota.
----
Tapi malangnya, bus yang mereka tumpangi terperangkap di sebuah hutan yang dikuasai Monique, penyihir yang lebih jahat. Bisakah Sol dan Connie lolos kali ini?, Dengan seorang pemburu yang memburu mereka dengan panah-panah ajaibnya.
----
Sebenarnya ini adalah kelanjutan dari buku "The Witch's Guide to Cooking With Children", tapi masih bisa dibaca secara terpisah. Aku sendiri belum membaca buku pertamanya. Buku ini pun kudapat sebagai bonus dari @hematbuku , online shop kesayangan 😂😆.
----
Walaupun agak kelam, ceritanya seru. Aku menyukai kedua kakak beradik nyentrik ini. Solomon, sang kakak, mewarisi otak jenius dari ibunya yang seorang ilmuwan. Sol sangat menyayangi Connie, ia menciptakan Kubus Pintar, yang memiliki sedikit artificial Intelligents. Sementara Connie, adalah anak gadis dengan rambut cepak berjambul (kebalikan dengan Sol yang rambutnya panjang).
----
Ceritanya mengalir dengan bahasa yang mudah dimengerti anak-anak. Fontnya juga cukup besar dan dilengkapi beberapa ilustrasi di dalamnya.

bookstagram : @harovansi

[R-Qie R-Qie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sol dan Connie. Kakak beradik masing-masing berusia sebelas dan sembilan tahun. Setelah lolos dari penyihir sebelah rumah, Fay Holaderry, yang hendak memakan mereka, Sol dan Connie memutuskan pergi dari rumah dan menuju rumah bibi Heather, adik perempuan mendiang ibu mereka. Mereka merasa sudah tidak aman jika tetap tinggal bersama ayah serta sang ibu tiri. Perjalanan itu tak semudah yang mereka pikirkan. Keduanya tersesat di dalam hutan dan bertemu dengan Monique, penyihir yang mengubah anak-anak menjadi binatang, serta David, pemburu yang terkena kutukan Monique.
Novel dengan bab-bab pendek disertai ilustrasi menarik tiap bab-nya. Di awal saya kira Sol perempuan sementara Connie laki-laki karena ilustrasi mereka digambarkan berpenampilan berbeda. Sol berambut panjang, sementara Connie memiliki model rambut seperti laki-laki. Untungnya di beberapa halaman awal ada penjelasan jenis kelamin mereka. Seperti halnya novel fantasi dan petualangan, rintangan demi rintangan ditemui kedua tokoh utama. Eratnya persaudaraan diuji di sini. Meski sering jengkel satu sama lain, keduanya sebenarnya amat saling menyayangi. Satu hal amanat dalam novel ini yang paling saya ingat. Berhati-hatilah dengan keinginanmu. Bisa jadi ketika itu terkabul, kau akan menyesal karena pernah menginginkannya. Tiga bintang.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than the first one, but that isn't really saying much. The suspense was ramped up in this book, but it still suffers from over-explaining its own plot via diary entry exposition. Why does everyone in these books have a diary/journal/logbook that explains everything? This one also suffers from loose threads at the end that don't get tied up at all. Some are the same as before just a little more so, and others are new. This is very frustrating. My last bothersome point is that Connie is very one dimensional, and frankly an annoying nuisance at best.

I was also hoping for a bit of a darker ending, considering what occurred in the book. But alas, it was not to be.

[Marinea Wooley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting and creative story. It reminded so much of the Lemony Snicket‘s series. I didn’t realize it was a sequel until I had started it but the adventures and experiences were just as fun for me having found out later and didn’t have me miss out on any of the story. Modern take on a classic sums it up well but it captivated the attention of the kids in my life as well as brought a kid’s book reading alive for me!

[fia · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my greatest realization around 13 year old me that I love suspense and thrilling situation when the main characters don't have the full clue to what is going on. And, folklores are among the best when it comes with mystery solving!

[Evil Secret Ninja · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is not one of my favorites I think some of the ideas presented are just harsh. People don't just give up their kids like that and how gross what is done with the children/animals. I think it is certainly horror for children but not what I would want.

[Koolas · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fun but very predictable. How I wish there’s a proper resolution to the 3rd act of the book which left me hanging and wondering. Overall I enjoyed it.

[Aleetha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poor kids.

[Neto]

Sana all

[Shala Howell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Number 2 in a series but you don’t have to have read the first book to be charmed by the story in this one. A bewitching twisted fairy tale.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once upon a time a royal hunter and his knights ignored the warnings of curses and sought game in an enchanted valley. After years of successful ventures the prince was cursed by Monique, a powerful witch, to remain in the valley forever tracking down and killing animals who were once children. In a small town not far away lives Sol and his sister Connie who recently escaped from Mrs. Holaderry, their neighbor and author of “The witch’s guide to cooking with children.” The children’s only hope remains with their Aunt Heather who lives on the other side of the mountains. After leaving a note for their one friend, Gertrude, owner of the store “All Creatures, Big and Small,” they board a bus bound for their last remaining relative. When the bus breaks down, Sol and Connie wander and become lost in the forest located unfortunately for them in the famed enchanted valley. Gertrude has her magic cane back and is able to send a thrush into the valley to help guide the children to safety. However Monique is cunning and knows just how to lure lost children to her bespelled streams where the water will turn them into prey. Even though Sol and Connie become caught up in her web, begin the transformation and are separated, they use their talents and love for one another to change their fate. In addition to the main perspective of Sol and Connie there are passages telling the stories of Gertrude, the cursed hunter and the poor thrush who is desperate to complete his mission. This delicious fractured fairy tale will beguile younger kids with the spooky magic and adventure while the gothic undertone will appeal to tweens. Tanaka’s lovely soft brushed black and white illustrations are a perfect match for McGowan’s ghostly yarn. (Book provided for review by Children's Lit - www.childrenslit.com).

[Clare Rossetter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second in a series of books by Keith McGowan about two children, Sol and Connie Blink. The first was a Bluebonnet book, The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children. I never really liked that book. I felt it was forced in many instances and a flat narrative. This second book, however, I found to be much more engaging. The characters were much more well developed and the writing smoother. There is a whole group of supporting characters that give the story life-who has ever thought of a wood thrush as a heroic character, well there is one in this tale. The camper lady turns out to be not what she seems and this adds some real suspense. If I had to choose this would be my favorite of the two.
The illustrator, Yoko Tanaka draws in a Manga like style which I found distracting. The attempt at gothic was not effective in setting a tone of the distressing situation the children found themselves to be in, but other reviewers seem to think that it was effective, Kirkus Reviews for example said it was a good touch to the book. My students found the pictures confusing and were not sure if they were girls or boys and almost always thought wrong mistaking the boy, Sol for a girl, and Connie for a boy.
Both books could be uses as extensions to the Hansel and Gretel tale and thus make a good writing assignment for 4th-5th graders. Assign them another fairy tale and have them write a narrative with a different setting.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my second fantasy/ science fiction book review.

This story followed the ideas of "Hansel and Gretel". It is about siblings named Sol and Connie who escape from an evil witch. The return to their father and stepmother, but quickly realize that they need to run away. They get on a bus to make their way to their aunt's house, but not before the bus gets a flat tire. As the passengers get off, Sol and Connie find themselves deep in the woods. They get tricked by another clever witch and are slowly turned into animals. The witch Monique, awakens the Hunter, the one that hunts the children-into-animals. Sol and Connie manage to find their way to their aunt's house and promise not to get tricked so easily again.

I felt the book dragged a bit at certain pages and was expecting more action. I would use the book with intermediate elementary students and may use parts of the book as examples of a direction for fairy tale writing. The pictures were a bit unusual in regards to the character facial features. Sol and Connie had dropping eyes and large ears.

The book contained obvious elements of fantasy: witches, magic, curses, beings frozen in time, etc. I would recommend this book to students that do enjoy reading fantasy. The ending, to me, left me wanting to know if Connie and Sol were truly out of the dark. It was fun having that element to the story.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy the first book in this series all that much but decided to give this one a try anyway. These are dark adventures in the true spirits of the original Grimm's tales. The suspense was very tight and well done and the villain/situation well imagined. Truly spooky and gripping. Not for more timid kids or those that want a happy ending. The conclusion, as in the first book, doesn't leave us with a feeling of total resolution or complete victory and setting right of wrongs. A little too dark and uncomfortable for me so I won't be continuing with the series, but could see it being a real draw for lots of kids.

[Sabbath Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sebenarnya aku gak suka cerita horor. Kalau horor fantasi okelah. Kalau itu menyangkut penyihir dan kutukan dengan sampul buku yang tampak seram sudah pasti cerita horor kan? Paling tidak kedua tokoh utamanya adalah anak-anak jadi seharusnya tidak terlalu seram. Dan memang tidak seseram yang kubayangkan walaupun cukup menegangkan.
Di novel horor fantasi ini pun muncul tokoh-tokoh baik. Setidaknya Sol dan Connie memiliki orang lain yang dapat membantu mereka, itu cukup melegakan, walaupun bantuan kecil dari jauh.

[Hobby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much better than the first book, remind me of Grimm's Fairy Tale, so dark and fill with horrible creature, yet enchanting (^_^) My favorite part is Yoko's illustrations all over the book, like the first book, she puts another fairy-tale into wonderful illustrations.

more about this book, just check my review at here :
( http://my-fantasy-readings.blogspot.c... )

[Esti Sulistyawan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Karena tidak membaca buku 1, jadi saya tidak bisa membandingkan antara 2 buku ini. Tapi buku kedua ini cukup bisa dinikmati tanpa kita harus membaca buku 1. Petualangan kakak beradik ini sangat menegangkan :)hanya saja jangan samapi anak dibawah 12 tahun ikut membacanya ya. Karena ada penyihir dan pemburu manusia segala, kurang cocok untuk anak-anak.

[Risa Nuraini · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ini buku kedua. Ga baca buku pertama yang sepertinya berkaitan, soalnya di awal cerita kedua anak dari keluarga Blink ini udah terlibat kasus sama Holladery. Perubahan Sol dan Conie itu sedikit menegangkan ya. Dan ga tau bahasa penerjemahnya atau penulisnya penjabaran di novel ini aku bilang sih mendetail penuh dengan deskripsi.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seru sih membayangkan pengalaman Sol dan Connie di tengah hutan. Banyak kejutan yang juga muncul, meski endingnya terlalu datar. Saya malah berharap bibinya Sol dan Connie adalah penyihir lainnya. Hehe
Yang masih jadi misteri, kenapa ayah mereka tidak bisa dihubungi? Apa memang ayah mereka adalah konspiratornya? Semoga seri ini ada lanjutannya.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although the continuing misadventures of Sol and Connie is full of twists and turns, the 2 nd book of the series lacks the punch of the first book and follows a predictable pattern. Still a solid read for upper elem readers who love fairy tales with witches, and mildly chilling adventures.

[Indah Threez Lestari · Rating 3 out of 5]

26 - 2014

Seperti apa ya, garis tangan kakak beradik Blink? Lolos dari mulut satu penyihir (literally) di buku sebelumnya dan masuk perangkap penyihir lainnya di buku ini...

Hati-hati... penyihir ada di mana-mana...

[WhyNN ~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

it's kinda plain and boring for me

yang satu ini dibilang seru sih seru...tapi keliatan banget seperti diulur-ulur dan bertele-tele...entah karena naskah aslinya seperti itu ato efek dari terjemahannya.....

[Emily Mosby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun book to read aloud to your young child!