Keith McGowan

This is a revision of Hansel and Gretel, in a modern setting. A brother and sister fight off the witch who eats children. The witch no longer lives in a gingerbread house in the woods. Her woods have all be cut down and the city has grown up around it, so she now lives in an apartment building and accepts donations of from parents who are annoyed by their children. It’s a cute idea, but the story is a little muddled by seemingly pointless additional characters and the writing is not terribly engaging, compared to other middle grade books I’ve read recently. The illustrations could be interesting, but the book copy I’m using is so poorly printed that the pictures are a dark mass of graytones.

I can hardly complain, though. I picked this up in a thriftshop, mostly because the title caught my eye and I thought it might be amusing. I read this for the Witches square in the 2016 Halloween Bingo.
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What if the witch from Hansel and Gretel had survived into the 20th century and was now taking gifts of children whose parents didn't want them in order to feed her habit? Well, here she is. (She has an unusually nice dog though.) Fortunately, our main characters catch on faster than Hansel and Gretel, and they set out to evade her and their ill-willed step-parents. They have a little help, too.
I'd had this on my list for a long time, and I'm glad I finally got to it. There's a definite flavor of Roald Dahl and/or Bruce Coville to this, though it could easily be more absurdist for my taste. There's also a little bit in here about real family, honesty, and forgiveness. But mostly it's a fun romp with a hint of silly.… (más)

A retelling of Hansel and Gretel, set in the 21st century. Sol and Connie Blink move to a new town. Their father and step mother picked this particular town because their research showed that it was the home of Faye Holaderry. Faye is the original witch from Hansel and Gretel. Yes, H&G failed to kill her. The world has grown around her and she has developed new, modern, means of finding children to eat. Mr Blink attempts to lose Sol and Connie in their new town. He doesn't know that prior to moving Sol took the time to print maps of their new town off the internet. Sol and Connie are intelligent, creative and resourceful. They discover who their new neighbor Faye Holaderry really is and they take her on in her own house.
This was a fun, quick read. I love that the book cover is the same red and white check print as the cookbook that my mother used when I was younger. (Betty Crocker? Good Housekeeping? - I can't remember) Recommended.
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Narrated by Laural Merlington. This retelling of Hansel and Gretel combines fairy tale, fantasy and modern-day elements. Sol and Connie are newly arrived in the neighborhood where old Fay Holaderry lives. Unbeknownst to Sol and Connie, their father (actually their scheming uncle and father's twin) and stepmother moved to the area because they heard there was a witch who ate children and it would be a very convenient way to get rid of the kids. Sol suspects something amiss about Ms Holaderry and her dog and through internet research at the library and sneaking into her house, Sol and Connie figure out who she really is. When they make their escape from Ms Holaderry, Sol and Connie set off from home to seek a relative who might take them in. Reader Merlington sets a light tone for this lively and amusing retelling.… (más)