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The Ghost Witch
Jenny and her mother are all set to move into old Miss Nagle's mansion when Jenny discovers the house is haunted.
72 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1993
15 people are currently reading
203 people want to read
About the author
Betty Ren Wright
97 books296 followersBetty Ren Wright was an award-winning author of children's fiction including The Dollhouse Murders, The Ghosts Of Mercy Manor and A Ghost in The House.
Known for her ghost stories and mysteries, Wright published 28 children's novels between 1981 and 2006, as well as picture books and short stories. Prior to pursuing her career as a full-time author in 1978, she worked as an editor of children's books.
Wright lived in Wisconsin with her husband, painter George A. Fredericksen, until her death in 2013.
Known for her ghost stories and mysteries, Wright published 28 children's novels between 1981 and 2006, as well as picture books and short stories. Prior to pursuing her career as a full-time author in 1978, she worked as an editor of children's books.
Wright lived in Wisconsin with her husband, painter George A. Fredericksen, until her death in 2013.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
October 21, 2021
Such a clever and refreshing little book! Definitely a new spin on the "evil witch" character.
November 28, 2024
In Betty Ren Wright's 1993 chapter book The Ghost Witch, Jenny and her single mother (the father being dead, but weirdly, this is just mentioned in passing) have inherited a large and kind of spooky looking historical house from the recently deceased Miss Nagle (who had been Jenny's great-grandmother's best friend), with Jenny happy to be moving out of their tiny apartment and to finally be getting her own bedroom instead of having to sleep on the living room couch like she is doing at present. But well, said happiness is rather fleeting because whenever Jenny is feeding the late Miss Nagle's cat Rufus or helping her mother clean up the house, she starts seeing giant snakes, dragons and other terrifying monstrosities. For in The Ghost Witch, the restless and mischievous spirit of Miss Nagle's grandmother is haunting the house, is seemingly also rather bored and in order for her mother and particularly for Jenny to be able to live in their new domicile in peace, it will be up to Jenny to find a way to convince the ghost witch of the book title to leave, to find another place to do her haunting and frightening (so with Halloween right around the corner, Jenny thinks she might have found a plan that should make everyone, including the ghostly witch happy).
And especially my inner child (from about the age of eight to ten and which in my opinion is also Ren Wright's intended audience for The Ghost Witch), she really appreciates how Jenny manages to not only bravely and courageously stand up to the ghost witch and confront her penchant for haunting, for making hideous looking monsters appear, but also makes a deal with her that will let the ghost witch scare a huge number of people without no longer bothering and frightening Jenny and Rufus (and that this plan also makes Mr. Barkin's Halloween Haunted House display a total success, with lots and lots of chills and frights delivered by the ghost witch and many extra coins for the Christmas charity and that the ghost witch will from now on inhabit Mr. Barkin's house and limit her haunting to when he does his Haunted House every Halloween).
A decently fun and nicely entertaining ghost story is The Ghost Witch, not to frightening, and in my opinion perfect for a Halloween read aloud (although I guess at one hundred pages, The Ghost Witch might need to divided into chapters). But because the beginning of The Ghost Witch reads a trifle draggingly, the descriptions of the potentially haunted house as well as the many creatures conjured up to frighten Jenny are adequate but equally not all that atmospheric, and that yes, Betty Ren Wright's presented dialogues are rather stilted and with all of the characters of The Ghost Witch, even main protagonist Jenny and the spirit of Miss Nagle's witchy grandmother (the main antagonist so to speak) being rather on the surface, with no inner depth and as such also pretty one-dimensional in scope and feel, especially for me as an adult reader, my reading pleasure regarding The Ghost Witch is a bit diminished, although my above mentioned inner child has really enjoyed The Ghost Witch and is also not textually and thematically bothered at all (and that even though my older adult reading self rating for The Ghost Witch is three stars, I will for my star rating go with my inner child wanting four stars).
And especially my inner child (from about the age of eight to ten and which in my opinion is also Ren Wright's intended audience for The Ghost Witch), she really appreciates how Jenny manages to not only bravely and courageously stand up to the ghost witch and confront her penchant for haunting, for making hideous looking monsters appear, but also makes a deal with her that will let the ghost witch scare a huge number of people without no longer bothering and frightening Jenny and Rufus (and that this plan also makes Mr. Barkin's Halloween Haunted House display a total success, with lots and lots of chills and frights delivered by the ghost witch and many extra coins for the Christmas charity and that the ghost witch will from now on inhabit Mr. Barkin's house and limit her haunting to when he does his Haunted House every Halloween).
A decently fun and nicely entertaining ghost story is The Ghost Witch, not to frightening, and in my opinion perfect for a Halloween read aloud (although I guess at one hundred pages, The Ghost Witch might need to divided into chapters). But because the beginning of The Ghost Witch reads a trifle draggingly, the descriptions of the potentially haunted house as well as the many creatures conjured up to frighten Jenny are adequate but equally not all that atmospheric, and that yes, Betty Ren Wright's presented dialogues are rather stilted and with all of the characters of The Ghost Witch, even main protagonist Jenny and the spirit of Miss Nagle's witchy grandmother (the main antagonist so to speak) being rather on the surface, with no inner depth and as such also pretty one-dimensional in scope and feel, especially for me as an adult reader, my reading pleasure regarding The Ghost Witch is a bit diminished, although my above mentioned inner child has really enjoyed The Ghost Witch and is also not textually and thematically bothered at all (and that even though my older adult reading self rating for The Ghost Witch is three stars, I will for my star rating go with my inner child wanting four stars).
February 22, 2024
Betty Ren does it again. I love her books, this is a nice scary books for kids of all ages.
October 28, 2023
Una historia divertida.
Jenny se va a mudar a una nueva casa y aunque le entusiasma que tendrá un cuarto para ella sola, quizá no sea tan buena idea si esta casa parece ser propiedad de una bruja antigua que parece sigue ¡asustando en el lugar!
Qué hará Jenny, ¿Logrará aceptarlo y mudarse? ya se acerca Halloween y quizá sea la excusa para encontrar otra opción.
Esta historia es más graciosa y divertida que terrorífica.
Jenny se va a mudar a una nueva casa y aunque le entusiasma que tendrá un cuarto para ella sola, quizá no sea tan buena idea si esta casa parece ser propiedad de una bruja antigua que parece sigue ¡asustando en el lugar!
Qué hará Jenny, ¿Logrará aceptarlo y mudarse? ya se acerca Halloween y quizá sea la excusa para encontrar otra opción.
Esta historia es más graciosa y divertida que terrorífica.
October 10, 2024
A fun and silly book to read in Halloween season and of course despite the book is short compared to other betty ren wright books but she never failed at it.
#VERDICT: (6.8)
#VERDICT: (6.8)
October 17, 2018
The summary was a bit dramatic and childish, what with it not being a ghost, but the ghost of a witch, and it scaring Jenny with spiders, snakes, and crazily enough, dragons. But since it's Betty Ren Wright, I bought it.
Jenny's dad has died, and her great-grandma was friends with a lady who left her house to Jenny and her mom when she died. The house is scary-looking, the owner reported to have been a witch. The very first time Jenny goes there with her friend Chris, the door slams by itself, Chris feels she's being watch, and a door opens on its own.
Jenny is skinny and a neighbor woman remarked that Jenny's mom needs a son who can do things around the house for her. Jenny is understandably upset and wants to prove that she's as brave as that lady's son.
I was afraid that this was going to be too juvenile, and that was certainly the case. Jenny looked into the mirror and saw a hairy dragon head, then she and Chris saw a lamp turned into a snake. The base of the lamp had a bunch of wooden rings stacked up and then it was a snake leaping out at them. It was bizarre, and this is coming from someone who believes in ghosts. I don't believe that things like this can happen.
Chris said she was never going into the house again, even if it means they're not best friends anymore. Jenny's mom wouldn't believe her and made her go back to the house and look at the lamp. She commented that maybe Chris will write ghost stories when she grows up, because she felt Chris was making it up to Jenny. It's weird, in a ghost story, that a character would make a comment about writing ghost stories. Wright has done this before and it's awkward and jars me out of the story.
Chris told her cousin about the snake, and she came to the conclusion that it's the ghost of a witch. Chris pronounced that it's the worst thing she's ever heard of and that was a moment of humor.
I did feel bad for Jenny, because her mom didn't believe her, her friend was threatening to break it off. The son of her mom's friend heard them talking about Jenny being afraid of the ghostly activity, so he dressed up like a ghost and jumped out at her. He also left a rubber snake in front of her apartment and waited with a friend to laugh at her.
Her mom was really making me mad. She not only didn't believe anything Jenny said, she got mad about it. Jenny wanted to help her mom in the basement so she wouldn't have to be upstairs alone, and her mom said she wasn't a baby and everyone has to be alone sometimes.
It was such a ridiculous moment when Jenny saw a crocodile in the hallway. It was like the author sat down and thought of every scary creature she could, but it made no sense. I don't believe that you can see things like this so it really took away from it. To make it worse, the jaws were huge, the picture taking up the entire page, and Rufus the cat jumped right into the mouth. This caused the crocodile to disappear into a puff of smoke. It was insane.
The witch is the grandmother of Miss Nagle. She wasn't intimidating in the least. The way she spoke was juvenile. Jenny told her it's mean to scare people and she replied "Mean shmean." She sounded like a child.
I couldn't wait for her mom to get the scare of her life and feel bad that she didn't believe her daughter. But the witch said her mom didn't believe in ghosts and she'd disappear if her mom came near, so there went that. It became clear Jenny was alone in dealing with it.
I felt bad for Jenny because she feared she would end up like Miss Nagle and be a loner in her house with no friends, just Rufus.
It was an unexpected twist that Jenny had the idea to use the witch. Mr. Barker, a man who goes around recycling and stuff for charity, was planning to make a haunted house for the kids. Jenny knew he needed to raise money and would feel bad if kids didn't like it, so she bravely went back to Miss Nagle's to propose to the witch her idea. (An elephant's head appeared in the kitchen, loudly trumpeting...also a spider the size of a tire...so stupid). Jenny was complimenting the witch, challenging her to be good at scaring the kids. I didn't like this turn of events. I wanted the witch gone, not put to work.
Her bargain was that the witch was only to scare people on Halloween and never bother anyone in the house again. The witch asked Jenny why she should do it, and Jenny said because she wouldn't have anyone to scare because when her and her mom move in Jenny won't be scared of her tricks anymore and won't invite her friends over.
The school had a Halloween party but it was wasted because Jenny was so worried about the haunted house later. Her mom had found the witch's old clothes for Jenny to wear, so she looked like a Victorian girl. I thought the witch would get mad but nothing happened. I thought Jenny would win the costume contest, since everyone had to walk across the stage, but there was no winner. Then at the haunted house, all Jenny did was stand outside the entire time. She didn't even go in. I was dumbfounded. Chris got mad and didn't want to go at all, but they just stood outside and listened to people's reactions. They talked of skeletons coming down the stairs, brewing something in the kitchen, bats swooping down, big spiders, and headless men. The witch especially scared Bobby with a crocodile, so it was good the little jerk got scared so bad he ran out. People saw a gorilla, an elephant and a lion. It was so juvenile and outlandish but a really bad idea not to have Jenny experience it. Of course Mr. Barker was confused, knowing he didn't have any of that stuff in there, but he raised a lot of money for Christmas presents for children this year. That was so goody two shoes and too perfect that he made all that money. By the end, Mr. Barkin needed someone to blow out the candles and Jenny agreed to go in and help, while Chris wouldn't. Bobby was still outside and his mouth dropped open when he heard that, so he got his comeuppance. Jenny wasn't too scared to go in and she proved herself.
She saw the witch one last time. She was tired from all her tricks and said she'd need a year just to work on new ones. That was really convenient that she wouldn't be doing any tricks for a whole year. It's bad though that she was going to stay at Mr. Barkin's parents' house which he inherited. I hoped it would stay empty and she wouldn't scare him. She had one last scare for Jenny too, a mouse the size of a horse. The scares certainly weren't getting any better.
The last line was Jenny saying she was going to move into a house and it wasn't haunted.
Chris wasn't a good friend. The scares were silly and too crazy to even be considered remotely scary.
Jenny's dad has died, and her great-grandma was friends with a lady who left her house to Jenny and her mom when she died. The house is scary-looking, the owner reported to have been a witch. The very first time Jenny goes there with her friend Chris, the door slams by itself, Chris feels she's being watch, and a door opens on its own.
Jenny is skinny and a neighbor woman remarked that Jenny's mom needs a son who can do things around the house for her. Jenny is understandably upset and wants to prove that she's as brave as that lady's son.
I was afraid that this was going to be too juvenile, and that was certainly the case. Jenny looked into the mirror and saw a hairy dragon head, then she and Chris saw a lamp turned into a snake. The base of the lamp had a bunch of wooden rings stacked up and then it was a snake leaping out at them. It was bizarre, and this is coming from someone who believes in ghosts. I don't believe that things like this can happen.
Chris said she was never going into the house again, even if it means they're not best friends anymore. Jenny's mom wouldn't believe her and made her go back to the house and look at the lamp. She commented that maybe Chris will write ghost stories when she grows up, because she felt Chris was making it up to Jenny. It's weird, in a ghost story, that a character would make a comment about writing ghost stories. Wright has done this before and it's awkward and jars me out of the story.
Chris told her cousin about the snake, and she came to the conclusion that it's the ghost of a witch. Chris pronounced that it's the worst thing she's ever heard of and that was a moment of humor.
I did feel bad for Jenny, because her mom didn't believe her, her friend was threatening to break it off. The son of her mom's friend heard them talking about Jenny being afraid of the ghostly activity, so he dressed up like a ghost and jumped out at her. He also left a rubber snake in front of her apartment and waited with a friend to laugh at her.
Her mom was really making me mad. She not only didn't believe anything Jenny said, she got mad about it. Jenny wanted to help her mom in the basement so she wouldn't have to be upstairs alone, and her mom said she wasn't a baby and everyone has to be alone sometimes.
It was such a ridiculous moment when Jenny saw a crocodile in the hallway. It was like the author sat down and thought of every scary creature she could, but it made no sense. I don't believe that you can see things like this so it really took away from it. To make it worse, the jaws were huge, the picture taking up the entire page, and Rufus the cat jumped right into the mouth. This caused the crocodile to disappear into a puff of smoke. It was insane.
The witch is the grandmother of Miss Nagle. She wasn't intimidating in the least. The way she spoke was juvenile. Jenny told her it's mean to scare people and she replied "Mean shmean." She sounded like a child.
I couldn't wait for her mom to get the scare of her life and feel bad that she didn't believe her daughter. But the witch said her mom didn't believe in ghosts and she'd disappear if her mom came near, so there went that. It became clear Jenny was alone in dealing with it.
I felt bad for Jenny because she feared she would end up like Miss Nagle and be a loner in her house with no friends, just Rufus.
It was an unexpected twist that Jenny had the idea to use the witch. Mr. Barker, a man who goes around recycling and stuff for charity, was planning to make a haunted house for the kids. Jenny knew he needed to raise money and would feel bad if kids didn't like it, so she bravely went back to Miss Nagle's to propose to the witch her idea. (An elephant's head appeared in the kitchen, loudly trumpeting...also a spider the size of a tire...so stupid). Jenny was complimenting the witch, challenging her to be good at scaring the kids. I didn't like this turn of events. I wanted the witch gone, not put to work.
Her bargain was that the witch was only to scare people on Halloween and never bother anyone in the house again. The witch asked Jenny why she should do it, and Jenny said because she wouldn't have anyone to scare because when her and her mom move in Jenny won't be scared of her tricks anymore and won't invite her friends over.
The school had a Halloween party but it was wasted because Jenny was so worried about the haunted house later. Her mom had found the witch's old clothes for Jenny to wear, so she looked like a Victorian girl. I thought the witch would get mad but nothing happened. I thought Jenny would win the costume contest, since everyone had to walk across the stage, but there was no winner. Then at the haunted house, all Jenny did was stand outside the entire time. She didn't even go in. I was dumbfounded. Chris got mad and didn't want to go at all, but they just stood outside and listened to people's reactions. They talked of skeletons coming down the stairs, brewing something in the kitchen, bats swooping down, big spiders, and headless men. The witch especially scared Bobby with a crocodile, so it was good the little jerk got scared so bad he ran out. People saw a gorilla, an elephant and a lion. It was so juvenile and outlandish but a really bad idea not to have Jenny experience it. Of course Mr. Barker was confused, knowing he didn't have any of that stuff in there, but he raised a lot of money for Christmas presents for children this year. That was so goody two shoes and too perfect that he made all that money. By the end, Mr. Barkin needed someone to blow out the candles and Jenny agreed to go in and help, while Chris wouldn't. Bobby was still outside and his mouth dropped open when he heard that, so he got his comeuppance. Jenny wasn't too scared to go in and she proved herself.
She saw the witch one last time. She was tired from all her tricks and said she'd need a year just to work on new ones. That was really convenient that she wouldn't be doing any tricks for a whole year. It's bad though that she was going to stay at Mr. Barkin's parents' house which he inherited. I hoped it would stay empty and she wouldn't scare him. She had one last scare for Jenny too, a mouse the size of a horse. The scares certainly weren't getting any better.
The last line was Jenny saying she was going to move into a house and it wasn't haunted.
Chris wasn't a good friend. The scares were silly and too crazy to even be considered remotely scary.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2024
I got this at Franklin County Library Sale in 2023 along with another one of Betty's books. These are dated for sure, but this one was better than another I read at least.
Jenny and her mom are cleaning up a house they were given after a family friend died. Jenny is thinking the place is creepy and so does her best friend Chris. Chris hates it and doesn't want to go back in after the time of seeing a snake coming at them.
There is a cat named Rufus that they are feeding that belonged to the family friend and is now theirs. It doesn't mind the fact the place is haunted and deals with the crocodile in the hall when it happens.
There was a witch Years ago before the family friend owned it. The grandma of them who now that Jenny and her mom are moving in is going to start scary stuff up again that she used to do. Jenny don't like it and keeps saying she doesn't want to live there. Her mom thinks she's got a big imagination along with Chris.
Well Jenny loves the place when the Ghost Witch isn't trying to scare her. So she makes a deal. The woman can haunt the haunted house that the guy that helps kids out. She can do this every year if she doesn't haunt the house there anymore.
It takes a little convincing, but it is agreed on. The ghost witch has so much fun at the haunted house that she says it'll take an entire year to build back up and make things even more scary.
Jenny and her mom are cleaning up a house they were given after a family friend died. Jenny is thinking the place is creepy and so does her best friend Chris. Chris hates it and doesn't want to go back in after the time of seeing a snake coming at them.
There is a cat named Rufus that they are feeding that belonged to the family friend and is now theirs. It doesn't mind the fact the place is haunted and deals with the crocodile in the hall when it happens.
There was a witch Years ago before the family friend owned it. The grandma of them who now that Jenny and her mom are moving in is going to start scary stuff up again that she used to do. Jenny don't like it and keeps saying she doesn't want to live there. Her mom thinks she's got a big imagination along with Chris.
Well Jenny loves the place when the Ghost Witch isn't trying to scare her. So she makes a deal. The woman can haunt the haunted house that the guy that helps kids out. She can do this every year if she doesn't haunt the house there anymore.
It takes a little convincing, but it is agreed on. The ghost witch has so much fun at the haunted house that she says it'll take an entire year to build back up and make things even more scary.
July 28, 2020
Discounted | I read a lot of Betty Ren Wright when I was small, so when this was 99¢ I picked it up for nostalgia. It's very much one of a type, not a deep story but written so that young readers get a sense of the backstory without a lot of exposition. The protagonist solves her own problem, as was common with the author's books that I read back in the day. Overall, a good short chapter book for young readers who want slightly spooky but not scary.
March 7, 2021
I did not know this was a children's book until I started reading. I kept reading because I have a granddaughter that I think would enjoy this book. I enjoyed it and think it would be good for her to read. It was enjoyable reading.
October 6, 2025
Jenny’s mother inherits a house that’s haunted by the ghost of a witch. It’s up to Jenny to figure out a clever way to get rid of the ghost witch so she and her mom can live in peace. This was a very short and fun Halloween book with great illustrations.
August 29, 2018
Read this with Matt when he was little and he liked it.
July 1, 2023
i didnt realize this was a children's book until i started reading it. very cute story!
September 4, 2019
Nothing like a good scare
I rather enjoyed this book. I forgot how much I enjoyed reading this author as a kid. I love her so much more as an adult.
I rather enjoyed this book. I forgot how much I enjoyed reading this author as a kid. I love her so much more as an adult.
August 22, 2016
Jenny and her mom inherit a house from an old lady named Miss Nagle, and Jenny's excited to be able to move out of their tiny apartment. That is, until she goes to the house, and starts seeing giant snakes, dragons, and other beasts. It turns out Miss Nagle's grandmother was a witch, and now she's a ghost witch who haunts this house. Jenny has to find a way to get the ghost witch to leave her alone so she can live in peace.
This is the first Betty Ren Wright book I've reviewed on this blog, but I've loved her books for a long time. I discovered her in the children's section of the public library when I was a kid, and then a few years ago I found a bunch of her books at the library book sale so I quickly scooped them up!
I love the way Jenny figures out how to deal with the ghost witch, making a deal with her that will let her scare way more people than just those that live in her house. Characters in Betty Ren Wright books tend not to just run away in fear, but instead confront it and find a way to deal with it, which I quite like. This was a fun ghost story.
5 stars.
This review is copied from my blog, The Towering Pile. It was originally published here.
This is the first Betty Ren Wright book I've reviewed on this blog, but I've loved her books for a long time. I discovered her in the children's section of the public library when I was a kid, and then a few years ago I found a bunch of her books at the library book sale so I quickly scooped them up!
I love the way Jenny figures out how to deal with the ghost witch, making a deal with her that will let her scare way more people than just those that live in her house. Characters in Betty Ren Wright books tend not to just run away in fear, but instead confront it and find a way to deal with it, which I quite like. This was a fun ghost story.
5 stars.
This review is copied from my blog, The Towering Pile. It was originally published here.
October 15, 2015
Perfectly spooky for the Halloween season! Jenny doesn't want to move - especially to the big spooky house that her friends call the Witch's House. Which oddly enough - is exactly what it turns out to be. A nasty ghost of a witch aims to keep her on her toes - and hopefully scared out of her mind. Her mother refuses to believe her.
I liked this book. Gave me a hint of chills as I read, and a dilemma that was solved in a clever manner. Come October these have become my favorite books to read. :D
I liked this book. Gave me a hint of chills as I read, and a dilemma that was solved in a clever manner. Come October these have become my favorite books to read. :D
October 16, 2012
Jenny and her mom just inherited a house. Jenny was excited about moving, she'd finally have her own bedroom! But it turns out the house is haunted and it's just not any normal haunting - it's haunted by the ghost of a witch!
I think this is a nice book to read to children for Halloween. It's not really scary, but still exciting and definitely fun for Halloween. I didn't like it as much as other books I've read by this author. However, it was still good and I liked it.
I think this is a nice book to read to children for Halloween. It's not really scary, but still exciting and definitely fun for Halloween. I didn't like it as much as other books I've read by this author. However, it was still good and I liked it.
October 31, 2007
Jenny and her mother were given a big house by jenny's grandmother's friend. The first time Jenny entered the house, she felt that something was eerie about it and she was correct, the house was haunted by a ghost witch. In the end, Jenny thinks up a plan that would satisfy the witch and stop the haunting of innocent people by letting the witch scare people at Halloween.
May 22, 2013
My 4 year old son picked this chapter book instead of a different one we had been reading. His older brothers liked it too, so we ditched the other book. The writing wasn't anything special, but the spooky elements left the boys wanting to figure out what would happen.
September 27, 2008
The reason I like this book is because they actually compramised with the ghost so that everyone was happy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 25, 2008
it was so awsome creepy!!
May 8, 2015
A great read for the kiddos. My six-year-old nephew followed along from beginning to end. Even my three-year-old son was interested at times. It's a fast enough read to finish in one sitting too.
February 24, 2017
A perfect slightly scary but also funny story. Enough imaginative elements to capture kids attention without being too spooky or boring.
December 12, 2015
Great read for 3rd and 4th graders
May 26, 2016
Good book for 3 & 4th graders - a real witch does haunt the house. I too wanted to know what was going on in the house.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 22, 2021
Short, sweet, and fun!
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews