What do you think?
Rate this book
Gritch the Witch #3
Broom Mates
Preparing for the big Monster Mash can be tiring, and Gritch the Witch needs her shut-eye. No sooner does she shoo away the bedbugs and curl up for a good night's sleep than there's a knock at the door. Its Mag the Hag, her bossy big sister, come a day early for the party. Can they survive beign broom mates for an entire day? This is Margie Palatini at her punniest!
32 pages, Hardcover
First published October 30, 2000
32 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
September 7, 2019
A great read-aloud book chock-full of puns! Funny, but I preferred Gritch the Witch in Piggie Pie! and Zoom Boom.
May 28, 2021
These books are entertaining. Piggie Pie is our favorite of these, but the fairytale references keep us coming back.
October 14, 2018
Gritch the Witch - whose story began in the hilarious
Piggie Pie!
, and continued in
Zoom Broom
- returns in this, her third adventure. Exhausted after a long day preparing for her upcoming Howliday party, Gritch is less than thrilled when the doorbell rings just as she's going to sleep. She's even more perturbed when she realizes that it is her bossy older sister, Mag the Hag, on the doorstep, and a series of conflicts - over the bed, about what to cook for the party - develop. Can these two broom-mates learn to co-exist, or will their Mummy have to intervene...?
Perhaps I'm simply becoming a little tired of "witchy" stories - I've read sixty-four so far this season! - or perhaps Palatini has already mined all she can out of this character, but I found myself much less amused by Broom Mates than I was by the preceding two tales about Gritch the Witch. Puns and wordplay still abound - Mag is from "Maliboo," the two sisters have been fighting since they were little "ghouls," their mother is a "Mummy" - and Howard Fine's illustrations are just as colorful and exuberant as ever, but somehow I just wasn't as entertained as I'd expected to be. Still, fans of this author/illustrator team, or of the character, will probably enjoy it.
Perhaps I'm simply becoming a little tired of "witchy" stories - I've read sixty-four so far this season! - or perhaps Palatini has already mined all she can out of this character, but I found myself much less amused by Broom Mates than I was by the preceding two tales about Gritch the Witch. Puns and wordplay still abound - Mag is from "Maliboo," the two sisters have been fighting since they were little "ghouls," their mother is a "Mummy" - and Howard Fine's illustrations are just as colorful and exuberant as ever, but somehow I just wasn't as entertained as I'd expected to be. Still, fans of this author/illustrator team, or of the character, will probably enjoy it.
July 11, 2024
I really enjoyed the art! The story was cute- full of puns.
May 28, 2015
The opening of this picture book is somewhat entertaining, though not at all new, with a magic mirror grumpily telling our young protagonist, who is tired from her monster-mash preparations, that it will take at least twenty years to make her pretty. Then her sister wakes her up by knocking at the door and everything pretty much goes downhill from there. The prose seems like a sad afterthought to the pictures, which are also ghastly. There is no magic here.
July 26, 2016
Oh the bickering!
September 1, 2019
I wouldn't read this to any child. While the pastel drawings are well drawn, they're hideous to look. The story is nonsensical and mindless; it wouldn't capture the audience at all. While I understand the moral of the story for two sisters to be good roommates and share, this story is about two elderly witches that are still scared of mommy.
April 11, 2022
If you enjoy stories about grumpy witches and Halloween, you'll enjoy this book. My children did not enjoy it. They did not like how the sisters spoke to each other, most of the humor was lost on them, and the pictures did not help the situation. If this had been shelved with the Halloween books we'd have never brought it home. We just aren't the audience of readers this book is geared towards.
October 26, 2019
I think kids might think this is funny just because of goofiness, but I think most of the humor is actually more geared towards adults.
October 26, 2023
Two sister witches get together to get ready for the party. They dust the house with dust. They make rat-tail-tooey and add sister and then the other. Mummy comes and then they party.
February 3, 2014
Booklist (November 1, 2003 (Vol. 100, No. 5))
K-Gr. 3. What's more howl-worthy than one impetuous, revolting, yet irresistible witch? Two of them, . . . at least when they're the creations of Palatini and Fine, who collaborated on Piggie Pie! (1995) and Zoom Broom (1998). This time, Gritch faces a thorny problem: her sis, Mag the Hag, has arrived one day early for Gritch's "howliday"party, so Gritch finds herself saddled with a broom mate. The party prep degenerates into frenzied trials of one-upmanship, until the sisters'"mummy"arrives to start the fiesta off on the right foot. Reprising the over-the-top illustration style of Gritch's first two books, Fine gives these leading ladies a distinct family resemblance, from their honking noses to their fondness for accessories that look as if they have been borrowed from Dolly Parton's boudoir. Throughout, puns and witchy bons mots will carry children along on a comic tidal wave reminiscent of a riffing Robin Williams. Ghoulish details in text and art do give this a Halloween feel, but the sibling rivalry has year-round relevance--and the laughs, of course, are seasonless.
Horn Book (Spring 2004)
With a witch's brew of wordplay, alliteration, and deliberately bad jokes, Palatini stirs up trouble when two witch-sisters get together for their "howliday party." The sisters are grownups, but you wouldn't know it, so quickly do the taunts--and pillows--fly: "You're a fright for sore eyes!" While the text is more a succession of one-liners and tart rejoinders than it is a story, reading it aloud is lots of fun. Fine's dynamic paintings are as brassy as the text.
Kirkus Reviews starred (June 15, 2003)
Gritch the Witch is understandably peeved when her saucy, bossy sister Mag the Hag flies in a day early for the upcoming Howliday party. Having "fussed and feuded about anything and everything ever since they were little ghouls," the two immediately take up where they left off, bickering over bedding and decorations, and finally racing into the kitchen to whip up rival party fare ("I'm going to make my rat-tail-tooey"). Fine illustrates the running rumble with page-filling close-ups of two Phyllis Diller look-alikes in fright wigs. Ultimately both end up covered in Gritch's slimy "brew-ha-ha," just as their mummy (in both senses of the word) walks in the door, looking "very unraveled," but more than a match for her unruly offspring. A "brew-ha-ha" indeed, with generous portions of humor both clever and gross for flavor and irrepressibly lively images and language as main ingredients. Fans of Gritch's previous misadventures will scream-with laughter. (Picture book. 7-9)
Publishers Weekly (August 4, 2003)
Gritch the Witch from Piggie Pie and Zoom Broom returns, this time with too much mischief and not enough magic. When Gritch's sister, Mag the Hag, arrives early (from "Maliboo") on the eve of Gritch's "howliday party," the two argue over everything from sleeping arrangements to menu. Mag says, "Phooey! I'm going to make my rat-tail-tooey," to which Gritch replies, "My brew-ha-ha will be the howl of the party." While such puns make for a fun read-aloud, their meaning may be lost on many children. Fine characterizes Mag, with her big blonde hair and animal print shirts and Spandex, as a comic counterpoint to the warty, green-clawed, wild-haired antiheroine, but his over-the-top style only accelerates the full-throttle text. Ages 3-6. (Aug.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
School Library Journal (September 1, 2003)
PreS-Gr 3-Gritch the Witch has worn herself out with the preparations for her big Halloween party. Awakened by her doorbell the night before the gala, she discovers that her sister, Mag the Hag, who "just flew in from Maliboo" for the fun, has arrived 24 hours early. They've never gotten along "since they were little ghouls" and this time is no different. A pillow fight, differing tastes in decorating, some competitive spell casting, and a cooking contest pit the sisters against one another in a skirmish of sibling rivalry. When "Mummy" arrives, it's finally time to party. The paintings offer varying perspectives, close-ups, bright rich colors, and grossly humorous details. The large pictures spill over from one page to the next and even the text is highlighted with colorful onomatopoeic outbursts. Silly puns, inventive wordplay, and wonderfully creative illustrations combine to concoct a splendid "howliday" read-aloud.-Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
K-Gr. 3. What's more howl-worthy than one impetuous, revolting, yet irresistible witch? Two of them, . . . at least when they're the creations of Palatini and Fine, who collaborated on Piggie Pie! (1995) and Zoom Broom (1998). This time, Gritch faces a thorny problem: her sis, Mag the Hag, has arrived one day early for Gritch's "howliday"party, so Gritch finds herself saddled with a broom mate. The party prep degenerates into frenzied trials of one-upmanship, until the sisters'"mummy"arrives to start the fiesta off on the right foot. Reprising the over-the-top illustration style of Gritch's first two books, Fine gives these leading ladies a distinct family resemblance, from their honking noses to their fondness for accessories that look as if they have been borrowed from Dolly Parton's boudoir. Throughout, puns and witchy bons mots will carry children along on a comic tidal wave reminiscent of a riffing Robin Williams. Ghoulish details in text and art do give this a Halloween feel, but the sibling rivalry has year-round relevance--and the laughs, of course, are seasonless.
Horn Book (Spring 2004)
With a witch's brew of wordplay, alliteration, and deliberately bad jokes, Palatini stirs up trouble when two witch-sisters get together for their "howliday party." The sisters are grownups, but you wouldn't know it, so quickly do the taunts--and pillows--fly: "You're a fright for sore eyes!" While the text is more a succession of one-liners and tart rejoinders than it is a story, reading it aloud is lots of fun. Fine's dynamic paintings are as brassy as the text.
Kirkus Reviews starred (June 15, 2003)
Gritch the Witch is understandably peeved when her saucy, bossy sister Mag the Hag flies in a day early for the upcoming Howliday party. Having "fussed and feuded about anything and everything ever since they were little ghouls," the two immediately take up where they left off, bickering over bedding and decorations, and finally racing into the kitchen to whip up rival party fare ("I'm going to make my rat-tail-tooey"). Fine illustrates the running rumble with page-filling close-ups of two Phyllis Diller look-alikes in fright wigs. Ultimately both end up covered in Gritch's slimy "brew-ha-ha," just as their mummy (in both senses of the word) walks in the door, looking "very unraveled," but more than a match for her unruly offspring. A "brew-ha-ha" indeed, with generous portions of humor both clever and gross for flavor and irrepressibly lively images and language as main ingredients. Fans of Gritch's previous misadventures will scream-with laughter. (Picture book. 7-9)
Publishers Weekly (August 4, 2003)
Gritch the Witch from Piggie Pie and Zoom Broom returns, this time with too much mischief and not enough magic. When Gritch's sister, Mag the Hag, arrives early (from "Maliboo") on the eve of Gritch's "howliday party," the two argue over everything from sleeping arrangements to menu. Mag says, "Phooey! I'm going to make my rat-tail-tooey," to which Gritch replies, "My brew-ha-ha will be the howl of the party." While such puns make for a fun read-aloud, their meaning may be lost on many children. Fine characterizes Mag, with her big blonde hair and animal print shirts and Spandex, as a comic counterpoint to the warty, green-clawed, wild-haired antiheroine, but his over-the-top style only accelerates the full-throttle text. Ages 3-6. (Aug.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
School Library Journal (September 1, 2003)
PreS-Gr 3-Gritch the Witch has worn herself out with the preparations for her big Halloween party. Awakened by her doorbell the night before the gala, she discovers that her sister, Mag the Hag, who "just flew in from Maliboo" for the fun, has arrived 24 hours early. They've never gotten along "since they were little ghouls" and this time is no different. A pillow fight, differing tastes in decorating, some competitive spell casting, and a cooking contest pit the sisters against one another in a skirmish of sibling rivalry. When "Mummy" arrives, it's finally time to party. The paintings offer varying perspectives, close-ups, bright rich colors, and grossly humorous details. The large pictures spill over from one page to the next and even the text is highlighted with colorful onomatopoeic outbursts. Silly puns, inventive wordplay, and wonderfully creative illustrations combine to concoct a splendid "howliday" read-aloud.-Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 7, 2016
This is a humorous book with a ton of play on words and jokes. The title alone sets the mood for the entire book.
The writing was simply fantastic and very clever. I never have had sisters but my brothers and I often fussed. The things these sisters compete about is hilarious.
What is really fantastic about this book is the large, over-the-top, illustrations that are down right side splitting. The illustrator and author matched perfectly together. I particularly liked the pages with the dust bunnies and them sharing the bed...funny! Also, the characterization of these two were a hoot as well. If opposites could be related, these two are that!
No doubt that kids would love to read this over and over.
This book gets 5 stars from me.
Disclosure: I obtained a copy of this book from my local library. The views here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~Naila Moon
The writing was simply fantastic and very clever. I never have had sisters but my brothers and I often fussed. The things these sisters compete about is hilarious.
What is really fantastic about this book is the large, over-the-top, illustrations that are down right side splitting. The illustrator and author matched perfectly together. I particularly liked the pages with the dust bunnies and them sharing the bed...funny! Also, the characterization of these two were a hoot as well. If opposites could be related, these two are that!
No doubt that kids would love to read this over and over.
This book gets 5 stars from me.
Disclosure: I obtained a copy of this book from my local library. The views here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~Naila Moon
December 14, 2010
This book is about the same witch from Piggy Pie, but in this story she is planning a Halloween Party. Everything is going well until her sisters shows up early for the party and the two have to be be "Broom Mates" for the night. The two siblings do their fair share of arguing and competing until their "mummy" shows up the following day. This is a super funny book. I read it along with The Pain and The Great One to teach text-to-text connections.
May 4, 2013
This is another top-notch piece of writing, Halloween-based in this case. Two quarreling sisters have a day long battle for supremacy as they prepare for a holiday party. The writing is what makes this so impressive. The illustrations by Howard Fine are incredibly intricate as well. Funny and beautifully wordy.
February 9, 2012
I love Gritch the Witch! I have used her in several of my storytelling trainings. I think that she is just marvelous! While I have loved all her tales, nothing has touched the greatness of Piggie Pie! Love it!
March 22, 2008
Still fun, but not quite as zippy as the other two Gritch the Witch books (Piggie Pie and Zoom Broom). Still anyone who ever quarreled with a sibling will enjoy it!
April 1, 2009
Not as good as "Piggie Pie", but still pretty good.
November 22, 2009
This is a book about two sister's and their mummy! It is by the author of Piggie Pie.
November 15, 2012
Piggie Pie is still my favourite by this author but Broom Mates is still a great book featuring Gritch the Witch.
October 31, 2012
3.5 stars. Margie Palatini is usually pretty funny and this one is no exception.
April 4, 2013
This one was just over the top with all of the puns and word play. It distracted from the story.
November 16, 2021
This series is cute.
July 30, 2014
This time Gritch's sister gets into the mix. More delightful word play and alliteration!
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews