The Wednesday Witch

Matter-of-Fact Magic

by Ruth Chew

Mary Jane's mother has told her not to let any strangers in the house while she's away. Now someone is outside ringing the doorbell.

Mary Jane looks through the peep hole and sees a short, fat woman wearing a long black dress and a pointed hat. "She looks just like a witch," Mary Jane thinks.

The woman outside IS a witch, and Mary Jane is about to meet her face to face.

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens, Fiction, Witches, Middle Grade, Chapter Books, Young Adult

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1969

About the author

Ruth Chew is the author of a number of popular books for young readers, including Secondhand Magic and The Wednesday Witch. She was born in Minneapolis and grew up in Washington, D.C. She studied art at the Corcoran School of Art and worked as a fashion artist. She was the mother of five children.

Reviews

[SheriC · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had only vague but happy memories of reading this book as a little girl, remembering the slightly incompetent witch who rode a vacuum cleaner instead of a broom and her talking black cat who helped a little girl with her homework. Rereading this as an adult was a pleasure, though the story is certainly dated now. But the humor and delightfully sensible nonsense is still there. Most of all, I was thrilled to uncover the origin story of one of our family quirks: Whenever we pile in the car after a long day’s activities, we all say, “Home, James!” I had forgotten why, except that it was just one of those silly things that families do. And now I remember how it started: In this book, the flying vacuum cleaner is named James, and when the witch is done making mischief on Wednesdays, she mounts the vacuum and shouts, “Home, James!”

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

One Wednesday afternoon, Mary Jane's mother has to go to the store. "Don't get into any mischief while I am away," she says. Alas, Mary Jane goes up to look at the pretty things on her mother's dresser and she does, indeed, get into mischief. A bottle of her mother's perfume, Mischief. Soon, a witch with a vacuum arrives on Mary Jane's doorstep, attracted to the smell of mischief! Mary Jane knows not to open the door to strangers, and when she sees the witch fly away on her vacuum, she is at once frightened and intrigued. And she is surprised and delighted to find the black cat the witch accidentally leaves behind. Many funny and odd little adventures ensue. I especially enjoyed the ones involving the cat (magically miniaturized) inhabiting the pretty new dollhouse Mary Jane got from her aunt. And I liked how the mom, at first reluctant to have a cat in the house, ended up liking the cat and called her Cinders because she helps the mother dust, like Cinderella might ;-) I think this story could be enjoyed by contemporary children (especially those who like cats and dollhouses) but there is definitely some retro charm here, too. (The book was first published in 1969 so this is the time when Mary Jane wears dresses to school, when her mother runs the house and her father is away at work, and when young Mary Jane is allowed to go on a picnic with her best friend on Saturday sans grown-ups.) All in all, a fun, quick read; perhaps not brilliant literature, but winsome for its creativity and I think young readers will enjoy the little details (like Mary Jane taking care of the miniature cat, and how the cat is very wise and always hungry and helping Mary Jane with her homework) and how Mary Jane ultimately deals with the Wednesday Witch.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

How wonderful that Chew's books have been reissued! I opine they hold up well and are still interesting, even enchanting. The art is wonderful, too. The problems modern parents might have with this is 1. Mom feels pressure to tidy up the home before Dad gets home, and 2. Mary Jane is both old enough to be left alone for an hour or more, and young enough to be interested in dollhouses. *I* think those are only minor concerns.

Thank you to the LFL patron who shared this.
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I'm glad I decided to hang onto this. I think it might be the best of the set. Perfect comfort read whilst enduring a horrible cold.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

All time favorite story growing up! i think it changed the way i viewed a vacuum for evs...

[The Babbling Book Lover · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this and my other book reviews at thebabblingbookblog.com!

The first chapter book I ever read was The Wednesday Witch by Ruth Chew. Published nearly twenty years before I was even born, it remains one of my treasured books to this day. In fact, I still have my original battered copy. I pull it out and read it every now and again, reminiscing about my childhood and grandma’s witch as I turn the pages. While that witch gives me the willies, The Wednesday Witch is far from scary. Hilda the witch is a Wednesday Witch meaning her magic is at its peak on a Wednesday. It is then when she cascades down from the witch village searching for trouble. Atop her vacuum named James, she rides with her black cat when she catches the scent of mischief originating from the home of Mary Jane Brooks, a little girl home alone while her mother is at the market.
Hilda tries to get in the home under the ruse of a housecleaner, but is turned away by a wary Mary Jane who is certain the woman on the other side of her door is a witch. Hilda leaves in a huff, and in the process leaves behind her talking cat whom the family takes in and names Cinders.
Shenanigans ensue as the witch returns for her cat, there are magical scissors, wild roller skates and pointy hats galore. A fun and whimsical book that is perfect to ease into Halloween. There is all kinds of mishaps and headslaps that come when you let a witch in your life and this book bounds with fun and mayhem. With the slapstick and quirkiness of the Sanderson Sisters from Hocus Pocus, and the charm of Charlotte's Web this makes a wonderful read for any young person. You won’t find this in any general books store but you can still find it on Amazon. A great addition to any little witch’s collection! Remember eyes forward and appear confident and the witches of the world will leave you alone. Happy Reading little bookworms!

[C. (Comment, never msg). · Rating 3 out of 5]

All of Ruth Chew’s books are enormously special. She is a beloved author who won’t be replaced. I always take with a grain of salt, outdated aspects of society. It is preposterous to dock a book’s rating for not matching the reviewer’s present day. It stands to reason every book, written in a current timeline, was most certainly modern in its decade. To judge societal alignment, would mean rendering today’s novels out of mode in due course. It is reasonable, however, to critique inappropriate actions. Wrong is wrong at any point in time. A chunk of Ruth’s books are understandably old-fashioned. Her second, “The Wednesday Witch”, came out in 1969.

A witch enters a house because her black cat and an object belonging to her, ended up there. She messes the master bedroom. The parents disbelieve the explanation that it was a witch’s doing and spank the girl! Corporal punishment was common in reality but it is repugnant for the act to appear in entertainment. Worse, it is a horrid outcome for a blameless protagonist and Ruth extended the discomfort, by having her struck worse after attempting to defend herself. That turned me right off. This is the first of Ruth’s books that I’m not keeping and it escaped getting a poor two stars, by offsetting the gross impropriety with her usual originality.

The part I appreciated is when the child and black cat, whom her Mother urges they keep, agree to facilitate the witch’s mission in order to be rid of her. They confer at her cave, where she asks the girl to complete a spell that misfired. When the girl asserts that she is not magical, I love the ensuing explanation: we are all magical, on our day of birth! Thence derives an inspiring title “The Wednesday Witch”.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this darling book again these school hols in a box in the bottom of the spare room cupboard.

My gorgeous mum had packed it up over 30 years ago, (along with my old Trixie Beldon & Laura Wilder treasures), dragged it from Melbourne to Perth and still had them! Bless you and your occasional hoarding!!

I read this at oh, 8 or 9 and just loved the quirkiness of the story. It's not high literature, but the tender detail of the tiny cat Cinders and what she's fed and other minutae of the daily chores with a witch in your life is well, delightful.

Weirdly though, because every other lengthy witchy book I'd read was English/European, I couldn't get my head around it being set in America. The setting wasn't important at all to the story though, and so I, and my slightly battered vacuum cleaner moved on.

[Becca]

I love all of Ruth Chew's witch stories (mostly out of print now). I used to check this one out of the Casselberry Library a lot when I was a kid. I also checked out a book that had a little girl witch who met a little girl mermaid. The girl witch took care of a baby named BeBe and the mermaid took care of a baby named BayBay. I wish I could find that book again someday.

[Janice Takashima · Rating 5 out of 5]

Today I was looking through my books for some that I could immediately release to the little library down the street. I found this one and had to sit and reread it for one last time. Although it was written in 1969, the time when I had two toddlers that I had started raising, I felt a lot of the culture of the time applied to my growing up time as well. Mary Jane and Marian, two creative and adventurous girls encounter a witch sniffing out mischief on Mary Jane's doorstep one Wednesday. Obeying her mother's instructions, Mary Jane doesn't open the door to the strange old woman pretending to be a vacuum cleaner sales person. The witch goes away without her cat which seeks refuge with Mary Jane and her family. Having a witch cat in the family certainly adds a bit of excitement to Mary Jane's otherwise ordinary life.

I enjoyed escaping into childhood for a brief time. It was a shock to read of Mary Jane's spanking by her dad, which was something we wouldn't find in modern children's fiction. Since I had experienced that relatively mild form of corporal punishment in my own childhood only rarely, I was familiar with it, but I didn't spank my girls as a single parent and that was perhaps my only complaint with this otherwise enjoyable fantasy.

[Tabitha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and quick to read. It'd be nice if Mary Jane's parents acted less idiotic for seemingly no reason at all-- I mean I'm a big fan of idiotic caregivers when it furthers the plot, but these guys were just mean and silly enough to give the atmosphere a slightly unpleasant vibe without doing anything to the story/character development.

[Helena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used to read this book regularly as a child. I enjoyed it so much that as an adult I purchased as many of Ruth Chew's books as I could, despite that most of them are out of print. They are fun to read, magical, but are not dark at all, and are really great for children about 3rd grade and up.

[Melissa Porter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this book more than any other in the world, so I must give credit where it is due. I checked it out at the AP library and bought my own copy a year or so ago. Takes me back to the days when I pretended to carry around a miniature witch (and cat) around in my pocket.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read all of Ruth Chew's books as a kid. Great fun, filled with fantasy and magic. A cranky witch, a magical flying vacuum cleaner, and some funny adventures.

[Kaitlyn (ktxx22) Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was delightful. It was so fun, funny, and magical! For a book published in 1969 I definitely think this aged well! There was some minor detail that were old fashioned but all in all it translated very well. Easy 5/5 for a children's book. It's an early chapter book. And it was a perfect addition to my Halloween reads!

[Milliebot · Rating 2 out of 5]

A simple tale about a girl who gets involved with a pesky witch and her talking cat. It lacks details that would make the characters or scenes more realistic, but it's a cute story, good for younger readers. Mostly I bought it because it was a vintage copy and the cover is purple. lol.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read this book since I was like 9 or 10 but it was just as delightful as I remembered.

[Just a Girl Fighting Censorship · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honey, I shrunk the cat and then the vacuum cleaner? And then a door-to-door witch salesman?

This is the second Ruth Chew book I have tried, and while I liked it much more than The Would-Be Witch, it still isn't my type of book.

There isn't much conflict, and the story consists of playing with everyday objects that can suddenly fly or shrink. The witches are barely even characters in these stories. I just don't get it.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bland little story about a bland little girl who meets a witch who rides a vaccuum cleaner. Another copy-cat; Sabrina Spellman made her first appearance in Archie Comics in 1962, 7 years before this book came out Witch Hilda (sound familiar?) isn't very good at magic, except on Wednesdays; and even then nothing goes quite right for her until she learns to be helpful and unselfish. Geh.

Mary Jane (even her name is bland)'s parents are pretty oblivious to what's going on around them, and her best friend Miriam seems to accept talking cats, witches and flying vaccuums without batting an eye. The story could have been a lot of fun but it was just dull. Two-dimensional characters, missed opportunities for plot development. The vaccuum cleaner would appear to be sentient as well as magic, but nothing is made of an element that could have added a lot of laughs and maybe some excitement where there is none. It was like Beezus Quimby meets Archie Comics--and that is not a compliment. 1,5 stars, really. I can't imagine a girl over 7 would be interested or impressed with this chapter book.

[Lisa Ard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Last night my kids and I settled in, while I read this book cover to cover. My daughter drew at her desk. My son curled up next to me on her bed. That coupled with this easy, old-fashioned, quirky story almost made me want to give it 5 stars. Instead I give it a solid 3 stars.

When a young girl spends an afternoon alone at home, her mother advises "don't get into mischief". Well, of course, she does. She's too smart to let in the witch that turns up on her doorstep, but the cat left behind is another story. And so starts an adventure of flying vacuum cleaners, shrinking items, witch's brew and magical roller skates.

Written in 1969, this story feels like one from a bygone era, when kids stayed home alone, mothers were housewives, kids were spanked and fathers smoked pipes. Witches didn't look like Hermoine Granger, instead they were plump, dressed in black, cackled and were honestly not all that harmful. Step back in time, curl up with a child and read The Wednesday Witch. I think you'll like it.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before there was Harry Potter and J. K. Rowling was unknown, there was Ruth Chew. She wrote several witch stories, but my favorite by far is the Wednesday Witch. This book captures the imagination and is nothing but fun. I never looked at our Filter Queen vacuum the same way again. I kept sitting on it--wishing it would fly like James, until my mother told me to knock it off. This is a fun rainy day book for kids, but adults would find it amusing as well.

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember purchasing this from a Scholastic book club in elementary school. I read it over and over -- I particularly liked the innovation of a vacuum-riding witch (so much more practical and easier to manipulate than a broom!). I still have my childhood copy!

[Amie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book repeatedly as a kid. It was fun to read it again! The author has a fun imagination, and created a character that was interesting, but not at all menacing. It's a cute little book - I'm sad that it's out of print.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a HUGE Ruth Chew fan as a child... her books shaped most of my childhood games and imaginative play...

It would be soooooooooooo great if they were reissued. I can not believe they are out of print - when so many other series continue to be reissued over and over for future generations.

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read--either as an independent read or read aloud--for early elementary kids. Some magic, a quirky witch, a brave girl, a flying vacuum, a tiny cat--all make for a humorous adventure. I liked the author's illustrations, too.

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, simple, nothing too scary for young kids, mostly episodic adventures with overarching character amusement. Chapters are the perfect length for reading aloud. Read & enjoyed this as a kid and I'm happy to share with my own.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in elementary school (it is a chapter book...really!), and I remember loving it. It was mentioned by a friend (they once had a cat named Cinders-after the cat in this book), and I had to order it and see if it still held up. I am happy to report it does!!

[Lauri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reread October/November 2017

[Lisa]

I absolutely loved this book when I was growing up!

[Jill Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Wednesday Witch wasn’t a nice witch. She was short and fat with a tall black hat. Her cat Cinders was thin from hardly being fed and riding with the witch on James the vacuum cleaner, the witch kicked.

Mary Jane was at home alone. Her mother told her not to let anyone inside. When there was a knock on the front door Mary Jane opened the peep slit, after getting a stool to stand on. There was a frightening sight, a lady in black with a pointed hat and a vacuum.

‘You can’t fool me,’ Mary Jane put on a gruff voice. ‘You’re a wicked witch! Go away!’
She watched as the witch sit on her vacuum. ‘Home James!’ The witch flew higher and higher.

‘Meow,’ Mary Jane found a thin black cat on the doorstep. She gave him fish and milk. The cat told her its name was ‘Cinders’. He didn’t like the witch but he did like the fish and milk.

Hilda was a Wednesday witch, so she didn’t go back to get her cat till the following week. Meanwhile, Cinders had become fatter and met Mary Jane's mother who liked help with the dusting.

Mary Jane was a good girl but Cinders caused mischief at school. The perfume on her mothers' dressing table was tempting. When her mother went out she opened the perfume called a mischief.

The story is a delightful tale with adventures for Mary Jane and her friend. You’ll have to read the book to see where they both journey.

The author Ruth Chew is no longer with us but, she has left us a variety of entertaining children’s books. As I write stories for children I enjoy reading different authors' styles. This is a perfect example.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's been awhile since I've read a book for really young chapter readers, so maybe I'm not giving this book it's fair dues, but... I'm not sure how much I liked it, reading it as an adult. It's not a bad book by any means, but it's kind of weird.

The adults are constantly getting after Mary Jane for things she didn't do (and she doesn't try much to explain what's going on, nor do any of the adults ever find out). Cinders is annoying, and I'm really not sure why Mary Jane wants to keep her. The witch... I'm not sure what I think about her. She almost becomes another person without ever actually changing. A confusing statement, but I'm trying to avoid spoilers. :P

Not to say it's a bad book, as the world of witches seems to be quite interesting--which, in large part, comes from the fact that nothing is explained, but just is. Also, it's interesting the way the two worlds interact with one another, where they see each other but don't.

Maybe this book would be more fun for a little kid, but I just had a hard time caring about what was going on. I don't regret reading it, but it's not one I'll be keeping.