The Witches (novel)

The Witches is a children's dark fantasy novel written by Roald Dahl. It was illustrated by Quentin Blake and released in 1983.

Plot summary

A young boy and his Norwegian grandmother travel to a hotel in England. The boy's grandmother tells him about witches and their hatred for children, as well as how to spot them. The boy is wandering around the hotel and soon finds himself hiding in a room full of witches. The leader of the witches, the Grand High Witch, tells them about her new potion that transforms kids into mice. The witches soon discover the boy and turn him into a mouse, as well as another boy named Bruno. The boy, now turned into a mouse, sneaks into the Grand High Witch's hotel room, steals the potion and puts it in the witches' food at dinner, turning them all into mice. The boy and his grandmother plan to go to the America to get rid of the witches there.

Characters

• The Boy — the hero of the story is a young boy. He lives with his grandmother because both of his parents died. Halfway through the book, he is transformed into a mouse by the witches. Even though he defeats them, he remains as a mouse forever.
• The Grandmother — she is a former witch hunter who is one of the few adults who know how to spot witches. She tells her grandson all about him because she has had several encounters with them.
• Grand High Witch — she is the leader of all the witches in the world. She wears a mask to conceal her true face. It is her desire to get rid of all the children.

• Bruno Jenkins — he is a spoilt kid who is staying at the hotel with his parents. He is turned into a mouse after given chocolate by the Grand High Witch, who put her special potion in it.
• Mr Stringer — he is the manager of the hotel that all the characters are staying at.
• Mr and Mrs Jenkins — they are Bruno's rich and wealthy parents.
• Woman in Black — is one of the many witches. She is the first witch that the boy encounters.

Adaptations

• 1990 movie starring Anjelica Huston, Mai Zetterling and Rowan Atkinson
• 2020 movie starring Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer and Stanley Tucci