Two Reviews of The Witch with the Glitch by Adam Maxwell
Nina, Oswald and Ivy enter a different world whilst they are visiting the Lost Bookshop. They meet a witch, have a spell put on them and find themselves in the middle of a magical situation in which there is a race against time to get out of. The story is fast paced, exciting and entertaining.
The book introduces the characters in a quirky, magical, setting (the bookshop). The three children are believable, full of character and have realistic friendships and bickering. Nina’s Uncle and Aunty’s magical rambling bookshop is an excellent portal from which adventures can spring. I enjoyed the way that the book talk to the reader at times during the story and the imaginative humour and excitement throughout the story. This is the first book I have read in the ‘Lost Bookshop Adventures’ series and I will certainly look for more. Highly recommended.
Review by Kate Riley
It’s an awful long time since I read a children’s book or perhaps this should be called a tweenie’s book. I’m not sure of the exact target age of the book. Nevertheless, I want to say right off the bat that The Witch With The Glitch was a pleasant, fun and short read.
There were some aspects of Maxwell’s writing that I found particularly endearing. The first of these was the “breakout” from the story, where the author addresses the readers directly. This is almost like a narrator speaking directly to the camera, in a movie. I found this enjoyable and felt it worked well and would work well for the target audience. The other aspect of Maxwell story was his allusions to other stories and fairy tales, which were peppered throughout the tale. Some of these would no doubt go straight over the top of the young people’s heads, but provided a nice “aha” moment for any adults who might be reading the story to their children or grandchildren. A nice touch Mr Maxwell.
The whole idea of a mystery room in Uncle Bill’s bookshop where the books come alive and suck the children into the story, is probably one that’s been done before, but that doesn’t make it any the less endearing. Our three heroes; Nina, Ivy and Oswald regularly rendezvous at the bookshop to undertake another journey literally into the literary world. In this particular iteration the three end up in a land that bears a more than passing resemblance to that of Hansel and Gretel.
I enjoyed this book as a small distraction from my usual heavier fare of books. As a children’s book The Witch With The Glitch certainly succeeds in telling a fun tale, with some interesting dialogue and arcs. All in all, a satisfying read and a good four star book. Well done!
Review by Grant Leishman and originally posted on his website.
Bookshop Bistro 