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Witch Hill
At first, Jamie isn't too worried about the bad dreams he's been having since coming to his aunt's house. Most people awoken in the middle of the night to find their house burning down would probably have nightmares, too. But instead of fire, he keeps dreaming of a "horrible, scary old woman," relentlessly coming after him for some awful, inexplicable purpose. Even though he's come to Aunt Jane's to recover from the fire's aftermath, he doesn't want to bother her or his cousin Alison with his silly fears. He can see that they are very busy with their village's community service project--cleaning off an age-old carving on the side of hill that overlooks the town. But when the carving turns out to be a peculiar primordial figure instead of the "crown" that the people of Crownshill expected to see, and Jamie uncovers evidence of an ancient witchcraft trial in local history papers, he is swept into a centuries-old mystery to which he unwittingly has the key. Who is the old crone chasing him, and what does she want? Jamie will have to endure an experience worse than fire to find out.
161 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
4 people are currently reading
453 people want to read
About the author
Marcus Sedgwick
107 books1,583 followersMarcus Sedgwickwas a British writer and illustrator. He authored several young adult and children's books and picture books, a work of nonfiction and several novels for adults, and illustrated a collection of myths and a book of folk tales for adults.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
February 28, 2019
I'm confused 😂 RTC...
December 9, 2014
I'm hovering between a two and a three here and the only reason it could be getting the three is that I liked the illustrations, which are also by the author. The rest is an odd mixture of really uninspired prose that is too simplistic even for my nine-year-old to hold her attention and a story she wouldn't be able to follow because it was told way too obscurely. That is unless I interpreted way too much into something that is quintessentially quite trite. That's also a possibility. There wasn't really any point or resolution to it either, which left me feeling cheated out of my reading time, to be honest.
March 13, 2012
One of the things I love the most about blogging and reviewing is how it makes it possible for me to clearly see the evolution of my reading habits. Last year for example, I found myself navigating toward Contemporary YA as the sort of comfort read to fall back into whenever I went through a reading slump. Unfortunately, Contemporary YA doesn’t seem to be working for me lately. It wasn’t until I picked up Witch Hill to read that I noticed that this is the third Marcus Sedgwick novel I turned to as a comfort, safe read since the beginning of the year. “Safe” because it seems that regardless of premise or genre, I tend to enjoy his books enormously. Even when they are not as brilliant as Revolver or Midwinterblood, they are still quite good.
Witch Hill is a short horror story that follows 12 year old Jamie as his family sends him to spend time with his aunt and cousin in the aftermath of a terrible fire that destroyed his house. He is clearly traumatized, trying to cope with the memories of waking up to fire and the nightmares he’s been having recently are not helping – but strangely, they don’t seem to be related to his horrible experience but something else altogether: something to do with his aunt’s house, a witchcraft trial that took place in the village centuries ago and above all, the nearby hill and the ancient legend of an enduring evil.
In terms of narrative, Jamie’s first person narration is interspersed with illustrations from the author and the historical transcripts of the witch trial of a young girl in the 17th Century. Jamie is the main character but the girl’s story is as important – and although she doesn’t have a narrative voice of her own, she was still a vivid character and her story an extremely poignant one.
In terms of content, there are three different threads connected by the narrative: the historical aspect, the elements of horror and Jamie’s character arc.
The historical element is brilliantly incorporated in the narrative as Jamie’s aunt is running a village clean up of the chalk figure in the hill – the figure of a crown that gives the name to their village (CrownsHill) only to slowly discover that the figure might not be that of a crown after all. This story is set in the South of England where there are several of these types of Hill Figures and the connection between the figure and how the name of the village has evolved over time is really interesting. In addition, there is also a connection with the history of Witch Trials in England and although not necessarily news to me, it was interesting to read those from the perspective of a young boy.
With regards to the horror, I always love how Marcus Sedgwick incorporates elements of folklore and history in his horror stories and I feel a little silly to even say that – given how this is a MG novel – but I was completely terrified by Jamie’s nightmares, his paralysing fear when dreaming all too familiar.
Finally, the third element and the one that connects everything together is Jamie’s character arc. I loved seeing him learning about and researching history, connecting the dots to get to the bottom of the mystery. But his emotional arc felt a little bit contrived and even forced especially in the end in the manner he faced his guilt and his fears over his traumatic experience. Another thing that bothered me a little bit was how one of Jamie’s biggest insights was how Jamie realises that the two girls – his cousin and the girl tried as a witch in the past – probably were connected by the fact that they both have or had “boy problems”. His insight is how people don’t really change over time, and that the two sixteen year old girls would inevitably have the same problems and they would inevitably be about boys. This was quite disappointing for being so reductive and generalist: as though ALL 16 year old girls have boy problems. It should be obvious that whilst some 16 year old girls do, some don’t, some have girl problems, and some of them have a freaking variety of other problems altogether. I appreciate that the story is narrated by a young boy of 12 but I didn’t feel the text challenged this realisation in any way. What a shame.
Despite this gripe, I enjoyed Witch Hill even though it is not a brilliant novel as I know Marcus Sedgwick’s can be. Although I feel this is aimed to a much younger audience, Witch Hill was an easy, comfortable read, exactly what I wanted and needed.
Witch Hill is a short horror story that follows 12 year old Jamie as his family sends him to spend time with his aunt and cousin in the aftermath of a terrible fire that destroyed his house. He is clearly traumatized, trying to cope with the memories of waking up to fire and the nightmares he’s been having recently are not helping – but strangely, they don’t seem to be related to his horrible experience but something else altogether: something to do with his aunt’s house, a witchcraft trial that took place in the village centuries ago and above all, the nearby hill and the ancient legend of an enduring evil.
In terms of narrative, Jamie’s first person narration is interspersed with illustrations from the author and the historical transcripts of the witch trial of a young girl in the 17th Century. Jamie is the main character but the girl’s story is as important – and although she doesn’t have a narrative voice of her own, she was still a vivid character and her story an extremely poignant one.
In terms of content, there are three different threads connected by the narrative: the historical aspect, the elements of horror and Jamie’s character arc.
The historical element is brilliantly incorporated in the narrative as Jamie’s aunt is running a village clean up of the chalk figure in the hill – the figure of a crown that gives the name to their village (CrownsHill) only to slowly discover that the figure might not be that of a crown after all. This story is set in the South of England where there are several of these types of Hill Figures and the connection between the figure and how the name of the village has evolved over time is really interesting. In addition, there is also a connection with the history of Witch Trials in England and although not necessarily news to me, it was interesting to read those from the perspective of a young boy.
With regards to the horror, I always love how Marcus Sedgwick incorporates elements of folklore and history in his horror stories and I feel a little silly to even say that – given how this is a MG novel – but I was completely terrified by Jamie’s nightmares, his paralysing fear when dreaming all too familiar.
Finally, the third element and the one that connects everything together is Jamie’s character arc. I loved seeing him learning about and researching history, connecting the dots to get to the bottom of the mystery. But his emotional arc felt a little bit contrived and even forced especially in the end in the manner he faced his guilt and his fears over his traumatic experience. Another thing that bothered me a little bit was how one of Jamie’s biggest insights was how Jamie realises that the two girls – his cousin and the girl tried as a witch in the past – probably were connected by the fact that they both have or had “boy problems”. His insight is how people don’t really change over time, and that the two sixteen year old girls would inevitably have the same problems and they would inevitably be about boys. This was quite disappointing for being so reductive and generalist: as though ALL 16 year old girls have boy problems. It should be obvious that whilst some 16 year old girls do, some don’t, some have girl problems, and some of them have a freaking variety of other problems altogether. I appreciate that the story is narrated by a young boy of 12 but I didn’t feel the text challenged this realisation in any way. What a shame.
Despite this gripe, I enjoyed Witch Hill even though it is not a brilliant novel as I know Marcus Sedgwick’s can be. Although I feel this is aimed to a much younger audience, Witch Hill was an easy, comfortable read, exactly what I wanted and needed.
May 26, 2019
I loved this book when I was younger and honestly not surprised I'm interested in true crime now with there being mention of a murder suicide in here, it's always interesting rereading books as an adult
July 23, 2012
This was surprisingly good. Short and sweet and spooky but not too heavily overloaded. It was all plot, and all story, and I think that's what I liked about it. Though it could have been a tiny bit longer, I really appreciated that it wasn't weighed down by filler material or a dramatic romantic subplot. For what I'm guessing is a book aimed at ages 12+ it's quite creepy. It was descriptive and well written and I certainly had the chills moreso in this book than some adult level horror novels. This book didn't try too hard and therefore succeeded in what it wanted to say. Honestly I think this was a true example of 'don't judge a book by it's cover'. The cover didn't do much for me, but it delivered miles better than other books with pretty girls in pretty dresses on the cover.
Well done, I'm certainly interested in seeing what else Marcus Sedgwick has up his sleeve.
Well done, I'm certainly interested in seeing what else Marcus Sedgwick has up his sleeve.
January 14, 2019
This book had a cool premise and interesting themes. I thought it was really badly written though. I don’t like and couldn’t get a proper sense of any of the characters including the narrator. I think the author was trying too hard to make it sound authentically from an adolescent boys perspective but it just came out sounding rude, confusing and boring.
November 19, 2015
2.5 Stars
I have mixed feelings about this book. Despite my rating, which is relatively low, I actually have a lot of good things to say about this novella, so I'm going to start with those!
I would definitely class Witch Hill as a middle grade novella, but I'd be a big fat liar if I said it didn't give me the creeps. A lot of this story focuses on the nightmares Jamie has been having since going to stay with his aunt and his cousin, and the descriptions in his nightmares gave me the heebie jeebies. In fact reading those dream sequences was quite nostalgic, it reminded me of the way I felt as a child when I read ghost stories before bed that I probably shouldn't have been reading. I find myself reading middle grade so rarely these days that it was a real joy to read it again!
As I've grown older and learned more regarding the history of witchcraft, I find myself sympathising with the word 'witch' rather than fearing it. This book, in the hour I read it, reminded me why witches can still terrify children; in fact it reminded me of those frightening, self-inflicted afternoons of my childhood when I would watch Roald Dahl's The Witches.
Having said that, one of the elements of this story I appreciated the most was its historical accuracy, and I think that's especially important in a middle grade story; writers of historical fiction should try just as hard to be accurate for their younger readers as they would their adult readers. One of the characters is a historian from whom Jamie learns a lot about the witch trials in the 17th century; she shares information with him such as crushing the myth that accused witches in England were burned at the stake.
Alongside the terrifying woman on the hill, we also have the story of a young girl from the 17th century who was accused of witchcraft by her neighbours, and murdered because of it. Honestly it was nice to see Sedgwick use the old witch for the fright factor, but also use the story to remind his readers, most of whom we can presume are children, that the witch trials which occurred in our past were incredibly unjust and resulted in the horrific deaths of many innocent people.
Now, it's time we moved on to some of the stuff I didn't like that much.
I have to admit I was expecting a different kind of story when I started reading Witch Hill. When I first read it I assumed the story was going to be about a modern day boy befriending the ghost of a 17th century girl who was wrongly accused of witchcraft, and the evil, old crone was going to fit into the story somehow. Honestly, I sort of wish it had been that story and I can't help thinking that, my edition at least, was a little misleading. The story is much more focused on Jamie and his fears, which isn't a bad thing, but I did sometimes find him a little boring as a narrator.
In fact the other major problem I had with this novella is that Jamie's narrative voice seemed to be all over the place. I kept having to remind myself that he was 12 years old, because at times he seemed a lot younger and then at other times he said something that made him sound more like a teenager. I would have liked to have gotten more of a sense as to who he was. Despite the story being told from his POV I don't think I could tell anyone anything particularly interesting about him; as far as I can remember he doesn't seem to have any hobbies or interests. He just felt a bit bland.
Though there were definitely elements of the story I appreciated and enjoyed, I thought the story as a whole was underwhelming and pretty obvious. However, I am in my 20s so I'm not exactly this novella's target audience, which is why I have such mixed feelings about it. While I might not recommend this book to one of my friends, I definitely recommend it to younger readers; especially younger readers who like their stories on the spooky side, or readers who have an interest in history but don't want to dive straight into historical fiction.
This story might not have blown me away, but parts of it still creeped me out so I'd like to check out more Sedgwick in future - I'm interested in seeing what some of his YA fiction is like.
I have mixed feelings about this book. Despite my rating, which is relatively low, I actually have a lot of good things to say about this novella, so I'm going to start with those!
I would definitely class Witch Hill as a middle grade novella, but I'd be a big fat liar if I said it didn't give me the creeps. A lot of this story focuses on the nightmares Jamie has been having since going to stay with his aunt and his cousin, and the descriptions in his nightmares gave me the heebie jeebies. In fact reading those dream sequences was quite nostalgic, it reminded me of the way I felt as a child when I read ghost stories before bed that I probably shouldn't have been reading. I find myself reading middle grade so rarely these days that it was a real joy to read it again!
As I've grown older and learned more regarding the history of witchcraft, I find myself sympathising with the word 'witch' rather than fearing it. This book, in the hour I read it, reminded me why witches can still terrify children; in fact it reminded me of those frightening, self-inflicted afternoons of my childhood when I would watch Roald Dahl's The Witches.
Having said that, one of the elements of this story I appreciated the most was its historical accuracy, and I think that's especially important in a middle grade story; writers of historical fiction should try just as hard to be accurate for their younger readers as they would their adult readers. One of the characters is a historian from whom Jamie learns a lot about the witch trials in the 17th century; she shares information with him such as crushing the myth that accused witches in England were burned at the stake.
Alongside the terrifying woman on the hill, we also have the story of a young girl from the 17th century who was accused of witchcraft by her neighbours, and murdered because of it. Honestly it was nice to see Sedgwick use the old witch for the fright factor, but also use the story to remind his readers, most of whom we can presume are children, that the witch trials which occurred in our past were incredibly unjust and resulted in the horrific deaths of many innocent people.
Now, it's time we moved on to some of the stuff I didn't like that much.
I have to admit I was expecting a different kind of story when I started reading Witch Hill. When I first read it I assumed the story was going to be about a modern day boy befriending the ghost of a 17th century girl who was wrongly accused of witchcraft, and the evil, old crone was going to fit into the story somehow. Honestly, I sort of wish it had been that story and I can't help thinking that, my edition at least, was a little misleading. The story is much more focused on Jamie and his fears, which isn't a bad thing, but I did sometimes find him a little boring as a narrator.
In fact the other major problem I had with this novella is that Jamie's narrative voice seemed to be all over the place. I kept having to remind myself that he was 12 years old, because at times he seemed a lot younger and then at other times he said something that made him sound more like a teenager. I would have liked to have gotten more of a sense as to who he was. Despite the story being told from his POV I don't think I could tell anyone anything particularly interesting about him; as far as I can remember he doesn't seem to have any hobbies or interests. He just felt a bit bland.
Though there were definitely elements of the story I appreciated and enjoyed, I thought the story as a whole was underwhelming and pretty obvious. However, I am in my 20s so I'm not exactly this novella's target audience, which is why I have such mixed feelings about it. While I might not recommend this book to one of my friends, I definitely recommend it to younger readers; especially younger readers who like their stories on the spooky side, or readers who have an interest in history but don't want to dive straight into historical fiction.
This story might not have blown me away, but parts of it still creeped me out so I'd like to check out more Sedgwick in future - I'm interested in seeing what some of his YA fiction is like.
August 4, 2019
I'm a bit confused after completed this book. I kept telling myself there's must be some truth behind all the incidents, but nope! Quite disappointed to me. Though this book is a children fiction, I do think it's very confusing and there's a lot more need to be explained. The book didn't discuss much about Jamie's nightmare like...why did he had those nightmares, who was the witch, who was that young girl, what did they both want from Jamie, etc... Some chapters were a bit gripping and kept me in suspense. But, still...I can't find the truth lies behind all these.
Short Summary:
Jamie was sent to his aunt house somewhere in the village after his house was burnt out. He was traumatised of the incident, the fire, his mom and dad and Kizzie - his little baby sister. He felt guilty of not be able to save her. He thought he never did but at the end of this book, Kizzie survived. While he spent his days at her aunt (Jane) and Alison (Jane's daughter), he found out about something weird about the village. Jamie had a nightmare on the first night, about the old lady and her face was horrible. She looked like a Witch and in that dream, she walked horribly towards Jamie. And this happened not once, but he had 3 nightmares of the same thing - the witch. On his last dream, he has fought with the witch and saw a young girl, who was believed not guilty. I really confused on this part.
The village was called the Crownhill. And, once in a year, aunt Jane, Alison and a few villagers will climb up to the hill to make a crown carving, using the chalk. (which I don't know what was the reason why). Claire, one of lady from the Historic England seemed to know a lot of things about the village - its history from before the world war until now. And, Jamie took this opportunity to ask and ask, to discuss, to make assumption, to think of why the villagers called the village as the Crownhill, and what was its first name before they changed it. Apparently, Claire kept a record of all the documents about this history.
The ending was when Jamie had a nightmare and fought with the witch, and suddenly there was a fire, a flame. And, he realised that aunt Jane's house was on fire. He managed to escaped from the witch as she was burnt on the floor. He also managed to saved aunt Jane and Alison from the fire burning. The next thing he knew, he was in the hospital. His parents came to visit him, with Kizzie. And, that's it. Just that? I know right....I expect the storyline would be more details and related to each chapter (at least). Well, I gotta say...it was so-so reading to me.
Short Summary:
Jamie was sent to his aunt house somewhere in the village after his house was burnt out. He was traumatised of the incident, the fire, his mom and dad and Kizzie - his little baby sister. He felt guilty of not be able to save her. He thought he never did but at the end of this book, Kizzie survived. While he spent his days at her aunt (Jane) and Alison (Jane's daughter), he found out about something weird about the village. Jamie had a nightmare on the first night, about the old lady and her face was horrible. She looked like a Witch and in that dream, she walked horribly towards Jamie. And this happened not once, but he had 3 nightmares of the same thing - the witch. On his last dream, he has fought with the witch and saw a young girl, who was believed not guilty. I really confused on this part.
The village was called the Crownhill. And, once in a year, aunt Jane, Alison and a few villagers will climb up to the hill to make a crown carving, using the chalk. (which I don't know what was the reason why). Claire, one of lady from the Historic England seemed to know a lot of things about the village - its history from before the world war until now. And, Jamie took this opportunity to ask and ask, to discuss, to make assumption, to think of why the villagers called the village as the Crownhill, and what was its first name before they changed it. Apparently, Claire kept a record of all the documents about this history.
The ending was when Jamie had a nightmare and fought with the witch, and suddenly there was a fire, a flame. And, he realised that aunt Jane's house was on fire. He managed to escaped from the witch as she was burnt on the floor. He also managed to saved aunt Jane and Alison from the fire burning. The next thing he knew, he was in the hospital. His parents came to visit him, with Kizzie. And, that's it. Just that? I know right....I expect the storyline would be more details and related to each chapter (at least). Well, I gotta say...it was so-so reading to me.
June 16, 2020
This wasn't quite what I wanted it to be, but it was much better than what I'd feared it turn into.
Witch Hill is the story of a British town with a shadowy history of witches and lynch mobs. The main character, a little boy, has an interesting backstory involving a fire, plus an implied psychic connection to the superstitions at hand. I would've preferred the book to take a hard "there's no such thing as witches" stance (it instead remains in the realm of potential coincidences and plausible deniability), but even in spite of including what's implied (but not confirmed) to be an actual ancient witch, Sedgwick takes the time to emphasize for the reader that the (mostly) women victimized in Anglo history's lethal witch hunts were innocent victims of horrific treatment up to and including torture and death.
There's also a fun mystery element to this one, and the dream scenes with the "real" witch are legit frightening by the standards of kidlit. If you've got a kid who really wants to be scared by a child-targeted book (a kid who isn't, for example, already moving on to teen stuff like Cirque du Freak or adult stuff like Stephen King), this is a great choice.
I'm definitely going to be checking out what else this author's written!
(As an end note, I regret to say that this too is not the vaguely-remembered witch book from my childhood that I'm still seeking. This one had fire as a major theme; that one had at least one pivotal scene at a lake, if I recall correctly.)
Witch Hill is the story of a British town with a shadowy history of witches and lynch mobs. The main character, a little boy, has an interesting backstory involving a fire, plus an implied psychic connection to the superstitions at hand. I would've preferred the book to take a hard "there's no such thing as witches" stance (it instead remains in the realm of potential coincidences and plausible deniability), but even in spite of including what's implied (but not confirmed) to be an actual ancient witch, Sedgwick takes the time to emphasize for the reader that the (mostly) women victimized in Anglo history's lethal witch hunts were innocent victims of horrific treatment up to and including torture and death.
There's also a fun mystery element to this one, and the dream scenes with the "real" witch are legit frightening by the standards of kidlit. If you've got a kid who really wants to be scared by a child-targeted book (a kid who isn't, for example, already moving on to teen stuff like Cirque du Freak or adult stuff like Stephen King), this is a great choice.
I'm definitely going to be checking out what else this author's written!
(As an end note, I regret to say that this too is not the vaguely-remembered witch book from my childhood that I'm still seeking. This one had fire as a major theme; that one had at least one pivotal scene at a lake, if I recall correctly.)
November 20, 2010
This book is so short it is more a novella than a novel. I've read Sedgwick before and LOVED The Foreshadowing and liked The Book of Dead Days and its sequel, so I was looking forward to this book. Turns out, unlike the other books I've read by Sedgwick, this is definitely more geared to the pre-teen and below reading level than older YA fans. When the knowledge of what "crone" means is an important plot point, you know you're way too old for a book.
I'd recommend this book for tweens. It's kinda spooky and has some good historical information (though again it made me feel too old for it, because I took a college class on 17th c. England and wrote an essay on the witch burning craze, so nothing new for me. BUT I did appreciate that Sedgwick dismisses the old myth that witches were killed by burning. Burning was for heretics; witches were hung [usually]). It's kind of like a better Goosebumps and seems like it would be particularly good for boys.
There was also one plot twist involving Jamie's family and the fire that destroyed their house that I did NOT see coming. So good on Sedgwick for being able to surprise even when writing a fairly simple book.
I'd recommend this book for tweens. It's kinda spooky and has some good historical information (though again it made me feel too old for it, because I took a college class on 17th c. England and wrote an essay on the witch burning craze, so nothing new for me. BUT I did appreciate that Sedgwick dismisses the old myth that witches were killed by burning. Burning was for heretics; witches were hung [usually]). It's kind of like a better Goosebumps and seems like it would be particularly good for boys.
There was also one plot twist involving Jamie's family and the fire that destroyed their house that I did NOT see coming. So good on Sedgwick for being able to surprise even when writing a fairly simple book.
October 31, 2016
I only had 40 pages to go when I had to leave for church. So, yes, I read during the Primary program. It would have been easier if those kids had been quiet...
I love Marcus Sedgwick, and so far there is only one of his books I didn't love (but I didn't realize it was a biography). I love the twists and turns of his stories. I love being only a little bit scared. I love realizing that there are layers upon layers that I may not have noticed, so I will have to go back and reread the book.
Thanks again, Marcus Sedgwick.
Warnings
Drugs - Beer
Sex - No
R&R - Evil witches and nightmares (?)
Language - Not that I remember
Violence - Scary, yes. Violent, no.
I love Marcus Sedgwick, and so far there is only one of his books I didn't love (but I didn't realize it was a biography). I love the twists and turns of his stories. I love being only a little bit scared. I love realizing that there are layers upon layers that I may not have noticed, so I will have to go back and reread the book.
Thanks again, Marcus Sedgwick.
Warnings
Drugs - Beer
Sex - No
R&R - Evil witches and nightmares (?)
Language - Not that I remember
Violence - Scary, yes. Violent, no.
July 3, 2013
I thought this book was great. It was scary and has a very good story line that does not get boring at any time. The events are spread out great and leave you wondering. The character development is also very good and does not misinform you or leave you hanging. The ending is SHOCKING which totally just makes the book that much better! So get ready to turn on your light and start reading this book wont let you put it down!
April 3, 2008
Middle school level horror is about the level I can deal with.
This was creepy and fun. Definitely a boy-book.
This was creepy and fun. Definitely a boy-book.
March 27, 2025
Witches! The classic horror monsters! And also FIRE! And also, a freakin’ awesome cover! Who wouldn’t love this?
Now, let me just say, I really, really, REALLY love horror books. And the library seems to have endless amounts of horror books. I was in the Anthony Horowitz section, looking for yet another Horowitz book, when I saw this book. Now, the strange part is, in the library the books are in alphabetical order of authors. So technically this book should’ve been in the “S” Section, but I guess the Library Helpers (there’s so many of them, mostly because ALMOST ALL of my friends have become one) didn’t sort it out yet or were too lazy to do it. Anyway, but I had already found an Anthony Horowitz book. I judged my options, and I wanted the Horowitz book more, so I took it.
And once I finished that, I went back to the Anthony Horowitz section, to finally get Witch Hill. But it wasn’t there. I had silently cursed the Library Helpers for being so efficient (well, at least SOME of them). And annoyingly, I couldn’t remember what the author’s name was, so I took another book. And another. And another.
And miraculously, When I was reading the book in one of the chairs (which are right next to the books, so I could see what book I want next), a book caught my eye. I walked up to it, and yep, there it was. Witch Hill! At that moment, I acted like that book was some sort of Holy book that would give me the answers to the universe.
So I zoomed through the book I was reading currently (since I was on the last 10 pages), returned it, and got this book. I hope I didn’t squeal too loudly.
Anyway, AWESOME! The ending was a bit hard to understand, but the Epilogue had me in tears, so… REDEMPTION! Ignore all the negative reviews on here, if you love horror, you’ll love Witch Hill!
Now, let me just say, I really, really, REALLY love horror books. And the library seems to have endless amounts of horror books. I was in the Anthony Horowitz section, looking for yet another Horowitz book, when I saw this book. Now, the strange part is, in the library the books are in alphabetical order of authors. So technically this book should’ve been in the “S” Section, but I guess the Library Helpers (there’s so many of them, mostly because ALMOST ALL of my friends have become one) didn’t sort it out yet or were too lazy to do it. Anyway, but I had already found an Anthony Horowitz book. I judged my options, and I wanted the Horowitz book more, so I took it.
And once I finished that, I went back to the Anthony Horowitz section, to finally get Witch Hill. But it wasn’t there. I had silently cursed the Library Helpers for being so efficient (well, at least SOME of them). And annoyingly, I couldn’t remember what the author’s name was, so I took another book. And another. And another.
And miraculously, When I was reading the book in one of the chairs (which are right next to the books, so I could see what book I want next), a book caught my eye. I walked up to it, and yep, there it was. Witch Hill! At that moment, I acted like that book was some sort of Holy book that would give me the answers to the universe.
So I zoomed through the book I was reading currently (since I was on the last 10 pages), returned it, and got this book. I hope I didn’t squeal too loudly.
Anyway, AWESOME! The ending was a bit hard to understand, but the Epilogue had me in tears, so… REDEMPTION! Ignore all the negative reviews on here, if you love horror, you’ll love Witch Hill!
October 12, 2019
Quite a compelling opening but just flops around in the end
I understand that this is meant to be read by younger readers but I feel even young readers would feel cheated by the ending. It's just a little too contrived and flat and a waste of such a great build-up. Its a common sentiment I have with Sedgwick's works: he does an amazing job hooking you in but leaves you feeling unresolved by the end of it.
Anyway, it's still a lovely and quick read. Has a lesson so it's good for kids, I suppose
I understand that this is meant to be read by younger readers but I feel even young readers would feel cheated by the ending. It's just a little too contrived and flat and a waste of such a great build-up. Its a common sentiment I have with Sedgwick's works: he does an amazing job hooking you in but leaves you feeling unresolved by the end of it.
Anyway, it's still a lovely and quick read. Has a lesson so it's good for kids, I suppose
March 5, 2021
It wasn’t as spooky as I would’ve hoped it to be, I think it’s like middle grade spooky so ideal for someone a few years younger than me. The dreams he experiences are truly something that can shake your skin and the drawings which I think are done by the author himself really help add to the storyline. However I just feel like the book didn’t really have the ending I had hoped for in a way I feel like there might’ve been more that needed to be said however for a short spooky book it was pretty decent. Looking forward to reading more I’m by Marcus Sedgwick
August 27, 2020
A spooky little read that had I read it many many years ago in my pre-teen days would have seriously creeped me out - & I would have love being scared by it! Reading it as an (old) adult I liked it well enough but found it didn't always flow particularly well & as it reached it's conclusion it left me a little unsatisfied. I did, however, really like the historical story of the young girl which ran alongside, particularly the artists illustrations which added a really nice eerie touch.
April 18, 2022
I'm ngl I got confused at the end like everything kinda just jumbled together. It only scared me a little bit but that was from the drawings in between chapters lol. Overall, good book and would recommend to people.
February 10, 2024
This book had a good mix of folklore and superstition thrown into it and I particularly liked how it drew inspiration from the Uffington White Horse. I loved the narrative from the witch trials and the illustrations by the author made the story all the more enjoyable!
August 28, 2017
I really enjoyed the idea of it and I think it has something to it. But the ending was just a bit too short winded and not really "spooky" as I wanted it to be.
September 15, 2018
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
RTC hopefully.
RTC hopefully.
February 8, 2020
A nice read, 'easy'
May 30, 2013
Goodreads synopsis: At first, Jamie isn’t too worried about the bad dreams he’s been having since coming to his aunt’s house. Most people awoken in the middle of the night to find their house burning down would probably have nightmares, too. But instead of fire, he keeps dreaming of a “horrible, scary old woman,” relentlessly coming after him for some awful, inexplicable purpose. Even though he’s come to Aunt Jane’s to recover from the fire’s aftermath, he doesn’t want to bother her or his cousin Alison with his silly fears. He can see that they are very busy with their village’s community service project–cleaning off an age-old carving on the side of hill that overlooks the town. But when the carving turns out to be a peculiar primordial figure instead of the “crown” that the people of Crownshill expected to see, and Jamie uncovers evidence of an ancient witchcraft trial in local history papers, he is swept into a centuries-old mystery to which he unwittingly has the key. Who is the old crone chasing him, and what does she want? Jamie will have to endure an experience worse than fire to find out.
My review: This will be a kinda short review, (short as in a couple less paragraphs than usual. Still pretty long.) as I can’t really say much about the story without ruining it- it’s really short!
When I picked up this pretty small Marcus Sedgwick tale for an evening scare, I was only expecting a moderately spooky tale told in a basic plot. However, I got a heck of a lot more than that! The ghost story was spine-chilling and pretty freaky; a witch woman, wandering this old historical hill and entering people’s dreams… ahh! I really loved the realistic historic research behind the ghostly tale. Then, we had the tie-in with the fire that destroyed Jamie, the protagonist’s, home. I think that the way the two stories combined was really clever, and also quite haunting.
The plot was pretty epic, and quite layered for a book that wasn’t even two hundred pages. It included witchcraft, a destroyed family, haunting, and a discovery of an ancient event. The events were really great; and flowed very well in my opinion. There were a lot of shocks in store, and I really liked where the story went. There really wasn’t a boring moment, and I devoured it pretty quickly because it was just so brilliantly written. After every chapter (I think) there was a short paragraph of a historical account, or piece of information on the Witch, followed by a beautiful, abstract illustration by the author. It was really enjoyable.
Jamie was a very likeable protagonist. As soon as I met him- as he woke up from a nightmare- I instantly understood him. He was such a realistic character. He was a strong kid throughout the story, despite having just had his house destroyed in an unexplained fire, which I really loved about him. He seemed to just get on with things and didn’t really get too scared, even of the haunting Witch. There were hints dropped about his baby sister, which suggested a traumatic incident involving her in the fire, which was fully explained at the (extremely sweet) ending. That added another element of mystery which kept me reading, because I really wanted to find out what happened to little Kizzie.
Overall, Witch Hill was quite a fun read. It isn’t the longest book I’ve ever read, but it certainly does pack a punch with it’s twisting plot. Jamie made a really great main character. He was definitely very heroic at the shocking ending, though I think the last pages were a little bit rushed. I also really loved the occasional passages about the Witch, accompanied with the author’s eerie illustrations. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a short spooky read that sends a chill up your spine and keeps you guessing at the outcome. It can be easily read in one sitting, really: a great book to curl up with on a cold and miserable night like the ones we’re having in England at the moment.
My review: This will be a kinda short review, (short as in a couple less paragraphs than usual. Still pretty long.) as I can’t really say much about the story without ruining it- it’s really short!
When I picked up this pretty small Marcus Sedgwick tale for an evening scare, I was only expecting a moderately spooky tale told in a basic plot. However, I got a heck of a lot more than that! The ghost story was spine-chilling and pretty freaky; a witch woman, wandering this old historical hill and entering people’s dreams… ahh! I really loved the realistic historic research behind the ghostly tale. Then, we had the tie-in with the fire that destroyed Jamie, the protagonist’s, home. I think that the way the two stories combined was really clever, and also quite haunting.
The plot was pretty epic, and quite layered for a book that wasn’t even two hundred pages. It included witchcraft, a destroyed family, haunting, and a discovery of an ancient event. The events were really great; and flowed very well in my opinion. There were a lot of shocks in store, and I really liked where the story went. There really wasn’t a boring moment, and I devoured it pretty quickly because it was just so brilliantly written. After every chapter (I think) there was a short paragraph of a historical account, or piece of information on the Witch, followed by a beautiful, abstract illustration by the author. It was really enjoyable.
Jamie was a very likeable protagonist. As soon as I met him- as he woke up from a nightmare- I instantly understood him. He was such a realistic character. He was a strong kid throughout the story, despite having just had his house destroyed in an unexplained fire, which I really loved about him. He seemed to just get on with things and didn’t really get too scared, even of the haunting Witch. There were hints dropped about his baby sister, which suggested a traumatic incident involving her in the fire, which was fully explained at the (extremely sweet) ending. That added another element of mystery which kept me reading, because I really wanted to find out what happened to little Kizzie.
Overall, Witch Hill was quite a fun read. It isn’t the longest book I’ve ever read, but it certainly does pack a punch with it’s twisting plot. Jamie made a really great main character. He was definitely very heroic at the shocking ending, though I think the last pages were a little bit rushed. I also really loved the occasional passages about the Witch, accompanied with the author’s eerie illustrations. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a short spooky read that sends a chill up your spine and keeps you guessing at the outcome. It can be easily read in one sitting, really: a great book to curl up with on a cold and miserable night like the ones we’re having in England at the moment.
September 2, 2011
This first person narrative of a boy who is trying to cope with disaster, interspersed with historical fragments, had me gripped from the start. It centres on Jamie, staying with relatives in the aftermath of a fire, but the story shifts to focus more and more on his creepy dream of an old hag, his new surroundings and their strange and oddly compelling folklore. Sedgwick's writing is lyrical and haunting, drawing you into the strangeness by rooting it all in visceral reality.
I will absolutely be seeking out a lot more of Sedgwick's work in the future. I am always happy reading books which reference folklore and superstition, going beyond the obvious and weaving a range of ideas, beliefs and practices into a single narrative. That's one of the things I appreciated about Witch Hill, and it seems that Sedgwick generally works in this way.
I will absolutely be seeking out a lot more of Sedgwick's work in the future. I am always happy reading books which reference folklore and superstition, going beyond the obvious and weaving a range of ideas, beliefs and practices into a single narrative. That's one of the things I appreciated about Witch Hill, and it seems that Sedgwick generally works in this way.
March 4, 2014
After reading another book by Marcus and absolutely loving it, I had high hopes for his other works, but I have to admit this one didn't do it for me. It was certainly readable, but i just couldn't get to grips with the way it was written, whether it was because it was from a child's point of view I'm not sure, but something just didn't click and I could never fully immerse myself with this book. It did get good towards the end, and the nightmares Jamie experiences were truly scary, just the description of the witch had me grimacing, it's just a shame i didn't fully enjoy this short novel, it has not deterred me from other novels by Marcus, I will definitely be reading more by him very soon.
October 18, 2014
I loved The Book of Dead Days and The Dark Flight Down, so I expected to like this one. Unfortunately it just isn't all that good. The descriptions of Jamie's dreams are super creepy and were the best parts. Unfortunately, the storyline and the writing are just kind of weak, so it was a fairly disappointing read. Not the worst book I've ever read, but not a good one, either.
September 16, 2019
Re-read 2019?
Soo, um... I had kind of forgotten that I had read this book until came on Goodreads to mark it as read. Apparently, I read this book back in 2014...well, it was just enjoyable the second time around. :D
Soo, um... I had kind of forgotten that I had read this book until came on Goodreads to mark it as read. Apparently, I read this book back in 2014...well, it was just enjoyable the second time around. :D
April 3, 2008
it was an ok book...because of the tragedy that happend to jamie...and how he got over his fear..nice actually.
December 26, 2008
This was not one of Sedgwick's best!
April 29, 2009
I LOVE Marcus Sedgwick... usually. Sadly, this book was rather a disappointment. :( Okay, but nothing special. The plot made it sound a lot better than it was.
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