A Washington Post Best Book of 2014
A Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Book of 2014
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2014
A Chicago Public Library "Best of the Best" 2014
“The Witch’s Boy is equal parts enchanting and haunting. Kelly Barnhill is master of truly potent and unruly magic.” —Anne Ursu, author of Breadcrumbs and The Real Boy
“The classic fantasy elements are all there, richly reimagined, with a vivid setting, a page-turning adventure of a plot, and compelling, timeless themes.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
When Ned and his identical twin brother tumble from their raft into a raging river, only Ned survives. Villagers are convinced the wrong boy lived. But when a Bandit King comes to steal the magic Ned’s mother, a witch, is meant to protect, it’s Ned who safeguards the magic and summons the strength to protect his family and community.
Meanwhile, across the enchanted forest that borders Ned’s village lives Áine, the resourceful and pragmatic daughter of the Bandit King, who is haunted by her mother’s last wordsto her: “The wrong boy will save your life and you will save his.” When Áine’s and Ned’s paths cross, can they trust each other long enough to stop the war that’s about to boil over between their two kingdoms?
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful.
Rich and Deep and Satisfying
By Pop Bop
Kelly Barnhill has a nice touch with middle grade lyrical fantasy. I don't mean tra-la-la moonbeams and fairies. I mean evocative, vaguely fantastic, slightly unnerving mystical otherness that colors and carries her stories. In The Mostly True Story of Jack she created a place that was just a bit off and creepy, with a hint of menace and portent, and a hero who was in some not easily expressed way - different.Here, there is a real palpable magic in the air and our hero also carries that trace of something special and different, although the magical power he carries is revealed earlier and more clearly.Some reviewers of "...Jack" didn't care for its dreamy pace or the fantastic and ambiguous ending. It also developed slowly and the reader was often well ahead of the hero and a bit impatient with his failure to grasp his own situation. There's a bit of that here, but not too much and not to the detriment of the narrative.The author takes quite a while to set up the main characters and to set the mood. The pace is leisurely, but we're not talking filler; we're talking a certain richness and depth. This is not a book that gives us the characters on page one, a magical MacGuffin on page three and a quest on page five. It takes quite a while for the characters to team up and even longer for the whole story to come in to focus. That makes for a very satisfying read, but it probably poses a bit of a problem in terms of readership. You need a reader who is patient and can tolerate, or appreciate, some lyrical scene setting, but the book appears to be intended for a younger audience that may not yet have those skills.But what do I know? From here, having read a lot of middle grade and YA, I can just say with confidence that this is smartly and sensitively written, with many remarkably graceful observations and turns of phrase. It is ambitious and sometimes opts for the unexpected, but that is what distinguishes it. That, and the fact that skillful writing is in service of a generous, good-hearted and positive tale of friendship, courage and forgiveness and atonement. Fine by me.Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful.
Beautiful, memorable, richly imagined
By Evie Seo
The Witch's Boy is my absolute favorite middle grade novel. Truth be told, I haven't read all that many of them yet - I am only just getting into the genre, but I certainly know a great book when I see one. I always thought middle grade genre didn't have much to offer to a mature, 30-year-old woman like me, but The Witch's Boy has proved me wrong - so very wrong! This is the most meaningful, beautifully written, powerful and moving middle grade book I have ever read. I have voted for it in this year's Goodreads Choice Awards and have been recommending it to everyone I know. This is a story so magical, so hopeful, so important, I believe everyone should read it. No matter the age, gender or genre preferences. The Witch's Boy raises above it's categorization as a middle grade novel. It's a timeless and gorgeously told story that is destined to become a modern classic. I know for sure I want my daughter to read it when she's old enough to read on her own. She will learn so much from it - about the world, about love and friendship, and about herself. Ned and Aine's story is full of magic. There is the actual magic - a very tricky kind of magic that needs to be contained and kept under control - and there's also the magic of growing up, discovering yourself and the world around you, finding true friendship and strength to do very heroic things. It's an exciting and heart-pounding adventure, but it's also so much more than just that. Exploring themes of loss, grief, good and evil, letting go and starting anew, family bonds and unlikely friendships, The Witch's Boy is a profoundly affecting, poignant and insightful tale of true bravery, finding your true voice and redemptive power of true love. I fell in love with this story. I loved everything about it - from the effortlessly flowing, fairy-tale-like writing (so very beautiful, it hurts!), to the remarkable and unforgettable characters. This is such a powerful and emotional story, I am positive I will always remember it. And I will be going back to it when in need of something good in my life, something hopeful and authentic, something magical and yet painfully realistic. I can't quite wrap my mind around this gem of a book. My words can't possibly do it justice. One thing I know is that it filled my heart with warmth and took me on an unforgettable journey through the deep and scary forests, beautiful kingdoms, friendly villages and flowing rivers. And I will always cherish it.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful.A lovely book for middle grade readers who love fairy tales!
By The Write Edge
A boy survives a tragedy in which his twin brother dies; a young girl follows her father to a hideaway in the woods in the hopes that it will give them a new start in life. A king, egged on by greedy men, embarks on a quest to reclaim a portion of his kingdom. And magic beings wait in a forest for the time and the person who can come to free them from an enchantment of their own making. Author Kelly Barnhill offers middle grade readers a modern-day fairy tale in The Witch’s Boy, a novel that offers charm and depth in equal measure.When twins and best friends Ned and Tam build a raft, they have one goal: to reach the sea. Their trip goes horribly wrong; only Ned comes home and that too after his father rescues him. Ned’s mother, Sister Witch, summons all of her knowledge about magic to save him. She does it with hesitation; she has only used the magic for the benefit of others, and she doesn’t know what consequences it will have in using it for personal gain.The magic does save Ned’s life; it also has consequences. His smooth speech turns into a debilitating stammer. Every attempt to read turns into a dead end. Ned withdraws from the company of the villagers who call him “idiot.” More than anything he carries the reputation of “the wrong boy” who was rescued.Meanwhile, Aine allows her practicality to rule her life. Despite her mother’s death, Aine does what she can to take care of her father. He in turn loves her, but more and more Aine notices that his behavior has begun changing. One day he comes home and tells Aine they will move out of their home by the sea and into a cottage in the woods. There, he believes, they will find refuge from the temptations that entice him.Aine and her father move, but the new location only contributes to his straying from home. Little by little Aine figures out the truth: her father is a bandit. More than that, the other bandits look to him as the Bandit King. Aine does her best to adjust to her new life and to accommodate her father’s trips away from home that become more frequent. Soon, however, events force Aine to realize that her life will never return to normal.In the midst of all of this, the Stones in the woods wait. Long ago they let loose their magic in the world. Now they see how complicated matters have become as a result of the magic roaming the land. They know someone must set them free in order to make everything right again.Author Kelly Barnhill gives middle grade readers a wonderful story. She doesn’t shy away from building depth into her story, giving her main characters flaws that make them more endearing and their challenges that much harder all at the same time. As a result readers will find themselves entrenched in the world of Ned and Aine. The book’s length might make some parents wonder whether their middle graders can handle it, but parents can rest assured. Every page and chapter make the journey well worth it.I highly recommend The Witch’s Boy for those readers who enjoy a modern twist on a fairy-tale world.
