Thrift store find. Dolly's review is perfect. I'm not a big fan of Halloween, but I enjoyed this little book. ( )

Based on its rather drab cover, and a book description that didn't really pique my interest, I had rather low expectations of Donna Guthrie and Amy Schwartz's The Witch Who Lives Down the Hall, a picture-book I probably wouldn't have picked up from the library at all, were it not for my 'witchy-witches' project. What a mistake that would have been! I was pleasantly surprised this morning, on my commute, to discover what an engaging, fun, witchy adventure it is - definitely one of the better ones I have read so far this season!

Narrated by a young boy, who is convinced that his neighbor, Ms. McWee, is a witch, it lists the many pieces of evidence in favor of the idea - Ms. McWee's grouchy cat, Malcolm, her seemingly supernatural knowledge of the young boy's interests, her very effective 'potion' to defeat colds, and most of all, her love of Halloween - while also noting the more prosaic explanations given by the boy's mother. Following each of these, of course, is the boy's reiteration that he "is not so sure." After a disastrous experience trick-or-treating in his building, the boy makes his way to Ms. McWee's fabulously decorated apartment, where he discovers a true kindred spirit, and decides that, witch or no, she is one magical lady...

I enjoyed everything about The Witch Who Lives Down the Hall, and had I encountered it as a kid - it was published in the 1980s, so I could have encountered it - it would have been a seasonal favorite, I think. The humor to be found in the narrative, with the boy's assertions, his mother's denials, and his dubious reaction to them, is very winsome, while the mostly black and white illustrations, with orange accents, are just charming! The sense of childhood wonder - not something 'sweet,' but rather, real and sharp - is present here... I was reminded of some of my own childhood experiences, like my belief that the creepy dark brown house, up the hill from my own, was haunted. Recommended to anyone in the market for good, witchy Halloween fare! ( )