Pongwiffy: A Witch of Dirty Habits

Pongwiffy #1

by Kaye Umansky

Pongwiffy has it all...a hovel of her own, a sometime-friend named Sharkadder, and an odor only a witch could love. Everything is almost perfect -- until a gaggle of Goblins move in next door. Heavens above, they're enough to wake the dead. It's time to move. But where? And where will she find a much-needed assistant? Sharkadder persuades Pongwiffy to advertise...but the only asistant who answers is a hamster.

What's a witch to do? Forget about finding a new slum! How can Pongwiffy cope with a gang of Goblins, a sassy rodent assistant, and the Witches' Coven, who are waiting for an explanation? Even worse, she's responsible for Sourmuddle's 200th birthday cake. What will happen if Pongwiffy messes that up?

Genres: Childrens, Fantasy, Witches, Fiction, Humor, Young Adult, Magic

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Ezgi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay.. Hands down, one of the best children books - ever. Pongwiffy is the funniest, happiest character in all witch history - with all nonchalance. She and all the other witches, and the goblins are so funny, so sweet and relatable that this book tops (well, almost) the list of best childhood reads. I read Pongwiffy about a year ago once again and loved it, once again. She is truly bewitching.

[Deniz Özeker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Çocukluğunuza bir göz kırpmak, bir kaç anı arasında dolaşmak isterseniz mutlaka okuyun derim. Canım Kaye Umansky =)

[Soobie has fog in her brain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh jeez, I've read Pongwiffy again!!

When I was a kid, Pongwiffy - or better - Puzzy was one of my favorite books. I adored her and I adored Hugo as well. I've almost consumed this edition of Pongwiffy: Puzzy la strega sudiciona. I've never been a fan of Nicoletta Costa's art but... for this book it was perfect. But it also made it a bit more difficult to recognize Pongwiffy through Chris Smedley's drawing.

I struggled a bit at the beginning of the book. I don't know why. If it's the story that needs to be slow to introduce its characters or what. The part about the contest was a livelier, in my opinion.

One thing about reading Pongwiffy in English. The language. Well, even if this is a book for younger readers, I'm not sure that it's suitable for those learning English as a foreign language. The language is pretty articulate and sentences are long and well-structured. Definetely not an easy read.

In addition, I think that foreign readers (and I include myself in this) won't recongnize or won't get the references hidden in the character's names. Such names are called nomi parlanti in Italian (something like "Speaking names") and they usually describe a characteristic of the character in question. Let me explain, in Italian Pongwiffy becomes Puzzy, which would literally translates to Stinky in English. And I swear, I just looked up pong in the dictionary because it's a word I've never heard before. The same with Sharkadder. At first, I though the name had something to do with sharks but then I looked in up in the dictionary and it turns out that an adder is a sort of viper. Which explains why in Italian she's called Viperilla...

I'm not sure I'll read the next ones in English though. This one was a like taking a walk down memory lane and, you know, it's never a good idea reading again the novels you loved as a kid. It's like all the magic disappear. And I remember clearly that I didn't like the following novels as much as I love this one.

[Shahrun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this as a child and still love it as a adult. The humour and shenanigans are right up my street. Poor Pongwiffy is constantly lurching from one disaster to the next. Hugo is so awesome. And there’s pictures too! I didn’t realise this was first book in a series, I’ll have to track the next one down now.

[Heidi_pie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Risking re-reading a childhood favourite is no joke. You never know if they'll live up to the memory but I'm so happy this book definitely did. A middle grade book of pure delight. Definitely the perfect book for kids and for adults that identify as a ratty cardigan loving, goblin hating bog witches 🐸🧙🏻‍♀️🪄

[Lisa Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all time favourite books! I've read it so many times over the years it's falling apart.

[Ramona Cantaragiu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of ol' good dirty fun in this well-paced story with idiot trolls, bad smelling witches, rolling cakes and many others.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read this since I was a child. Its longer than I remember. The humour is silly and smelly. The plot is laughable, but of course it is!

Its sweet and nostalgic

[Shannon Pearl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best childhood memories from this book

[Siddiqa · Rating 5 out of 5]

nostalgic af

[Owen Townend · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's always a pleasant surprise to read children's books that feature the silliness of everyday adult behaviour. Case in point: Pongwiffy's frenemy relationship with Sharkadder. They may fall out like little girls but the fact that they keep coming back together suggests a troubling co-dependency between the two.

Meanwhile Hugo is a little wonder: a fine lesson in proving that size is no indication of ferocity. That being said I can't say I see Hugo getting as much out of their partnership as Pongwiffy: he is obviously the more capable of the two.

The stories in which these characters move are simple and incidental: buying houses and finding lost cakes isn't as important as who is doing them. Pongwiffy, Hugo and Sharkadder are the standouts obviously with Umansky devoting most of her creative energy into them. Also the humour is pitch-perfect and, even better, not at all dated.

I'd say that this is a fun read for junior school kids especially at Halloween.

[avventuredicarta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Puzzy è una strega sudiciona, così come racconta il titolo, è caparbia e testarda, le piace lo sporco e non lascia mai che la sua Scopa spazzi per terra. Eppure, non le si può resistere, perchè ha simpatia da vendere!
Una storia che a distanza di anni e anni (lo lessi in quarta elementare, se non sbaglio, ora ho 33 anni) mi piace ancora, mi fa ridere e sorridere, mi colpisce per l'ottimo italiano della traduzione e le splendide illustrazioni di Nicoletta Costa.
RACCOMANDATISSIMO! Da leggere a tutti i bambini, li farà divertire e gli sarà di insegnamento.

[Luca Dofus · Rating 4 out of 5]

La strega sudiciona, pasticciona (anche se a dir la verita' e' brava con gli incantesimi, dai!) e con una mentalita' ... in realta'  non molto diversa da quella delle altre streghe. Ovviamente rileggendo il libro ora non aveva piu' il fascino di quando ero ragazzino, ma e' riuscito ad essere comunque molto divertente ^^ E poi Hugo e' un mito!!!!!!! Ora mi devo leggere i seguiti, che non ho mai letto ma che mi sono ritrovato a casa!

[Oak Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pongwiffy is one of the best books I’ve ever read as it has great humour. Kaya Umanusky wrote this and it’s about a very messy and smelly witch and she lives in a common with 12 other witches with familiars. In the1st book where it starts in Pongwiffy’s new house in goblin territory next door to a bunch of goblins. One night they scream her roof down singing while she’s having a dinner party with Sharkadder. The 2nd and 3rd are just as good. I would give it 7000 out of 5.
Bryony

[Furrawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a children's book that I've been listening to as an audiobook at night when I go to sleep. It's taken forever to hear the entire book as I always fall asleep (This is a good thing). The story is adorable, original, and hilarious. Prunella Scales absolutely inhabits the story and her voices add even more hilarity.

[gufo_bufo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Non è che a me piacesse da morire, ma funzionò egregiamente per attaccare la malattia della lettura alla figlia piccola. Non è più guarita. Grazie, Puzzy.

[Tamara Geraeds · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were definitely some very funny moments and descriptions, but it wasn't nearly as much fun as the Twig stories. I love those and I'm still hoping for more of them.

[Susanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Læst på dansk
Titel : Hørmeost - en heks med skjulte fejl

[Erica Gazzoldi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Divertentissimo per bambini e ragazzi. Regala qualche ora di risate assicurate. Si consiglia un buono stomaco, per affrontare le avventure di Puzzy. 😉

[Beril · Rating 5 out of 5]

First series I’ve ever read! Probably I was around 10 years old. I didn’t have many books back then so I was re-reading this book again and again until all the pages were torn... will definitely be re-reading for the tenth time this year!

[Indah W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perkenalkan Pongwiffy, si penyihir yang jorooook bener daahh..

Tapi biar kata jorok2, dia lucuu, hihihi..

Nah terus si Pongwiffy ini khan hidup tetanggaan ama si Goblin, kalo biasanya Goblin digambarkan sebagai makhluk yang menyeramkan, di sini Goblin-nya pada telmi2, hihihi, lucu dhe :D

Jadi keinget ama katanya si Dewi kalo baru di Pongwiffy ini semua tokohnya makhluk non manusia.

Kalo cerita2 lain khan suka ada yang mixed githu atau ngga manusia terjebak di dunia khayalan, naahh di Pongwiffy ini ngga ada manusiaa!!

Mantaps khan ^o^

Merhatiin aja si Dewi, gua aja ngga nyadar, wakakakak :p

*ngga heran*

[Sue Berg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pongwiffy (Unabridged)

Author: Kaye Umansky
Date:
01-JAN-1992
Narrator:
Prunella Scales
Provider:
BBC WW
Running Time:
3 h 08 min


Pongwiffy is a very smelly witch of very dirty habits, but a happy one - until a gruesome gang of goblins moves in next door. Pongwiffy finds a new slum and advertises for a new familiar, but the only reply is from a hamster. What will the Witches' Coven say?

[Kate Herbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love all the Pongwiffy books! Kaye Umansky seems to be a forgotten genius of humorous literature. The stories are about a ridiculous witch and her cronies and various adversaries which all live in wild settings, largely in woodland. Although they are marketed as children's books, I had some very big belly-laughs from the Pongwiffy series, and I don't laugh easily. Very clever and altogether brilliant.

[Archimedes Grimm]

Someone asked me a question about books with witches for children recently, and for some reason this book came to mind. I remember reading it a long, long, loooong time ago when I was still in junior school. While I think I enjoyed reading the book at the time, I really have no clue what it was about. The only thing I really remember in the book was the description of the filthy cauldron. The cover really stuck with me, however. Weird.

[Gem Esprey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favourite books as a child. I think I read it thirteen times in total and had to do a presentation on it in my first year of high school. Any chldren (perhaps moreso girls) of around 8 years old would love it. There is a talent show at the end - kind of like the forerunner to the X Factor, I suppose.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

listen my dudes, I first came across Pongwiffy when I was (I want to say) 8, in a charity shop and it was the BEST 50p I EVER SPENT. I LOVED these books as a child, and I have very fond memories of them to this day. I feel in a way, Pongwiffy has shaped my sense of humour too; so thank you Kaye Umansky. They're just good, funny, witchy books. 5 STARS.

[Ruth Mackay · Rating 4 out of 5]

After listening to the Harry Potter audiobooks in the car I was a bit lost as to what to listen to next. That long commute was suddenly quite boring again. Then I discovered another childhood classic on audible. Pongwiffy was another series I read and also had on cassette tape and listened to regularly when I was little. It's been great once again listening to it in the car :)

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't finish - don't know why but obviously not gripping enough.

Fun ideas about a smelly witch but emphasis more on old ladies. Is that why I wasn't interested enough to finish it?

Grammar and semantics appropriate for younger readers

Frequent pictures but did not scaffold the text.

[Elahe]

funny, easy to read

[Pong]

Amazing. Sheer genius