Witch’s Boy by Michael Gruber is one of my favorites so far this year. From the compelling cover to the imaginative story, I was entranced. When the story begins, it seems a little hum-drum, but read a few more pages and you realize that you are going to see a portrayal of a witch that has never before been seen. A witch with personality and maternal feelings who struggles to show her son her love, but eventually manages to prove many times over the strength of her devotion. And then Lump, the witch’s son, who is spoiled rotten, used by a demon, tortured by humans, and much more must overcome his upbringing and his temperament to discover what his mother has given him.
My favorite part of the book was the witch’s unique take on well-known fairy tales. Wonderfully done!
This is one of those books that you can give to those good pre-teen readers, even though we have it in our YA collection. It has no language and no sex. But the story is deep, dark and follows Lump into adulthood. Push this engrossing story on fantasy lovers, though Lump’s yellow stare from the cover may draw them in as well.