Roald Dahl, how to avoid witches by Roald Dahl. Illus. by Quentin Blake

Roald Dahl, How to Avoid Witches is a perfect companion guide book to be read/presented alongside Roald Dahl's The Witches. What a lot of fun for the parent, teacher or librarian to capture student imagination with the host of possible spin off activities this book presents.

The original book, The Witches was first published in 1983. In Roald Dahl, How to Avoid Witches, Quentin Blake's illustrations appear again but this book is written by Kay Woodward, published in 2020 and the copyright is held by The Roald Dahl Story Company Ltd. This book is a guide, speaking directly and instructively to children, about how to save their lives if they ever meet a witch! 

It is such a FUN book. It's funny - HIGHLY engaging! Font, illustrations, diagrams and typesetting is varied throughout. There are multiple activities including choice quizzes, motto-making guides, "witchograms", bad witch jokes, word searches, witch world flight paths, witchy recipes, fact files, mazes, ratings, flip book guides and much more.

Extracts from The Witches and Boy are included in just such a way that children may well be enticed to go and find the original stories and read more. Bonus material including links to apps and audiobooks read by some..." very FAMOUS voices" are included at the end with the reminder that Roald Dahl Day is every year on the 13th September.

Teachers, Librarians, if you want to mystify the children - keep them guessing - this book is an instruction book that will tell you how.  A must for the school library if librarians are able to part with it to share with teachers and children.

Themes: Witches, childhood initiative and resilience.

Wendy Jeffrey