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    EARWIG AND THE WITCH
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    EARWIG AND THE WITCH
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    EARWIG AND THE WITCH
    Audiobook1 hour

    EARWIG AND THE WITCH

    Written by Diana Wynne Jones

    Narrated by Julia Barrie

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Everyone knows that orphanages are horrible places. But Earwig has a surprising amount of power over everyone else at St Morwald’s Home for Children, and loves it there. So the last thing she wants is to be sent to live with the very strange Bella Yaga…

    Earwig was left at St Morwald's as a baby. Unlike the other children, she loves it there, mostly because she has the run of the place and seems to be able to persuade people to do as she wants. Then one day Earwig is chosen to live with a very strange couple: Bella Yaga, her new 'mother', is actually a horrible witch. Earwig will need all her ingenuity (and some help from a talking cat) to survive…

    With terrific line drawings that perfectly complement Diana’s witty, magical story, this is sure to appeal to a new generation of fans.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateJun 9, 2011
    ISBN9780007447671
    Author

    Diana Wynne Jones

    DIANA WYNNE JONES was born in August 1934 in London, where she had a chaotic and unsettled childhood against the background of World War II. The family moved around a lot, finally settling in rural Essex. As children, Diana and her two sisters were deprived of a good, steady supply of books by a father, ‘who could beat Scrooge in a meanness contest’. So, armed with a vivid imagination and an insatiable quest for good books to read, she decided that she would have to write them herself.

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    Reviews for EARWIG AND THE WITCH

    3.5/5

    119 ratings13 reviews

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    • 3/5
      It's not the most enjoyable of her stories. Incredibly simplistic though not without its moments. I'm fascinated by this one character and his relationship dynamic with the witch but they're all so unfortunately paper thin though I do really enjoy a manipulative character who enjoys being that way. Barrie's narration was kinda fun in that pantomime way.
    • 2/5
      Fun little story but not one that stuck with me particularly. I am excited to watch the movie of it that's been made.
    • 4/5
      Fun little story. Earwig sounds like she'll be nasty, but somehow manages to make everyone do what she wants without being either a bully or a schemer. Mostly, she's lucky! There should be a good bit more to the story - her mother, and such - but this is what we have. I needed a break from Strange and Norrell.
    • 3/5
      Very short Diana Wynne Jones book, geared toward younger readers. One kind of thinks there should have been a sequel, after all there is still the mystery of Earwig's mother, who is still on the run, evidently.
    • 3/5
      This was a really good read. I could have finished it in an hour, but spread it out over a few days mixing it up with the other book I started. I might have given it more stars if it had been a little longer and in more depth. I know it is a young children's book, but I could see the potential story that DWJ could have expanded it into. It's the last book she wrote entirely herself.Anyway, the story is about a little girl, Earwing who lives happily in an Orphanage, with good friends and people who do what she wants. She doesn't want to leave, but a strange couple come one day and pick her to everyone's surprise. Turns out the woman is a witch in need of an assistant/slave and the man a mandrake, a rather grumpy but well-mannered demon. They don't know what they've let themselves into when they take Earwig home with them. She does not know it, but is the daughter of a witch, and purposes talents of her own, coupled with her intelligence and arrogance, she eventually gets people around her to do what she wants and these two are no exception. And of course, she makes a new friends in Thomas, the talking black cat, with whom she conspires to get her way! It reminded me a bit of a DWJ short story, What the Cat Told Me. I like talking animals! :)
    • 4/5
      Shortbut fun.
    • 4/5
      Ages 8-11.Earwig is perfectly happy to remain at St. Morwald’s Home for Children. But one day, her uncanny ability to deter prospective foster-parents fails, and she goes home with the strangest couple: Bella Yaga, a “raggety, ribby” faced woman with terrible fashion sense, and a tall man who seems to have horns above his ears. At her new home, Earwig is instructed to grind rats bones and pick herbs for the cauldron, and soon determines that Bella Yaga is a witch. With the help of her new friend Thomas the cat, Earwig sets her mind to learning magic herself.Children who love classic fairy tale takes on magic will enjoy the wonderful descriptions of disgusting spell ingredients and secret brewing processes. Despite her fantastic situation, Earwig is a relatable character in that she is a head-strong child responding to a situation where someone else is the boss. The witch's threats to give people worms and the brooding mandrake may frighten some young children, but the story is more whimsical than scary.Zelinsky’s pen and ink illustrations capture the spunk and ingenuity of Earwig’s personality. His illustrations add great visual appeal as he depicts the fascinating details of the workshop and whirling bits of demons.Fifteen lines of text per page with generous whitespace and simple sentence structure will assist readers transitioning from easy readers to more complex texts. Earwig is clever, likes a challenge, and is determined to have her way. Readers will cheer on this formidable young witch. Recommended.
    • 4/5
      A light, fun read best used as a chaser in between more serious or longer books. Since this is designed for younger readers, it doesn't have the mind-bending twists of Jones' more complex novels ... if Wynne Jones were alive, I would wish for her to rewrite this for older readers and expand the whole story. And write many more, of course. *sigh*
    • 4/5
      This is a hilarious tale of Earwig, a little girl dropped off at a orphanage with a note pinned to her saying "Got the other twelve witches all chasing me. I'll be back for her when I've shook them off. It may take years. Her name is Earwig." Though the orphanage had regular tours of potential foster parents going through, Earwig, who has "a very strong personality", managed to never be picked, on purpose. She liked her ability to get whatever she wanted there. However, a very strange couple (though only she seemed to be able to see HOW strange) took her home with them. The woman is a witch who just needs "an extra pair of hands", and the man is something else (made clear by the horns that are not quite hidden on his head). And so her adventure begins.This reminds me, in a lot of ways (including a wild hairdo), of Pippi Longstocking, whom I loved greatly in my childhood. This updated version has magical tricks and treats and no small amount of humor. I wish this was to be a series, but alas, Jones passed away in 2011. Still this is an amazing treat, and I can see why Neil Gaiman says "I would like to declare Diann Wynne Jones an international treasure."
    • 5/5
      Earwig loves life at St. Morwald's Home for Children. She has everyone, from the matron to the cook to the youngest orphan, under her thumb. She has no intention of being adopted -- until Bella Yaga and the Mandrake show up. Bella Yaga proves to have an even stronger personality than Earwig . . . or does she? Bella Yaga and the Mandrake take Earwig home with them despite her objections. Though Earwig is homesick for the orphanage, she is hopeful that Bella Yaga will teach her some magic. Bella Yaga, however, is only looking for "another pair of hands" -- someone to chop ingredients and stir cauldrons and clean the workroom. What follows is an epic battle of wills. Will Earwig convince Bella Yaga to teach her magic, or has the determined young girl finally met her match?This book is so typically Diana Wynne Jones -- quirky and funny and delightful. It skews a little younger than many of Jones' other books, so will serve as a great introduction for young readers. Earwig doesn't seem a sympathetic character at first, but by the end of the book, readers will be firmly under her spell.
    • 3/5
      The last book from Diana Wynne Jones. This is a much younger book than Jones usually wrote. Enjoyable enough, but very slight.
    • 4/5
      It is light and delightful. And to the best of my memory, the sort of book I would have enjoyed reading as a child.
    • 4/5
      This is presumably the last Diana Wynne Jones there will ever be, unless she’s left a manuscript behind. It’s a short (very short) story for younger children, all about a plucky, not to say bossy, orphan, and the witch who adopts her and rather comes to regret it. Vintage DWJ. Far too brief, of course, but all we can do now is be thankful for her legacy.