Book Review: The Only Thing Worse Than Witches

by: Lauren Magaziner

I won this book on Goodreads. They ask that you review it, but it's not required. I was so impressed when it arrived. First of all I didn't know I had won - thanks for letting me know, Goodreads! Second, she autographed it. It said something about bunnies and friends. That became clear as we read the book.

At first I wasn't that impressed. It was so out there with silly names and the kids vs. adults theme. Rupert is in the 5th grade and he has the worst teacher ever! The kids aren't allowed to be friends, they aren't allowed to talk to each other either in school or out of school. She keeps kids late, and even days at a time as punishment. Poor Rupert, his mother doesn't even believe him. She is a very busy woman, working 3 jobs to support them as a single mother. I guess it's not a big deal to kids, but it really tickled my curiosity. What's the story there? What happened between his father and mother? But a father never is mentioned.

One day, immediately after his mother forbid him to have anything to do with the witches in town, he finds an ad for a witch's apprentice. He meets Witchling two. They don't have names until they pass their BAR exam. And Witchling Two needs all the help she can get. This is when the story takes off for me. She is so goofy that we are all laughing. Again, my husband was sucked in and at the end he was just as upset that we had to stop. That really puts this up to 5 stars for me. It was slow for me, but only for me. CW loved it from the first moment. It even prompted him to ask his teacher why she never reads about witches.

Back to the story; it happens to be against the rules for a Witchling to hang around a human boy. Or maybe it was the sharing of spells. I don't really know, but they ran into a bunch of trouble just for being friends. But I loved it because she needed a friend more than an apprentice. She neeeded someone who cared about her, listened to her problems, and didn't care if she was a talented witch or not. He needed a friend, because his teacher had virtually left him all alone. Witchling Two gives him the confidence to stand up for himself, regardless of the consequences. If you've ever felt lonely, you will relate to these two wholeheartedly.

Oh, and did I mention, Witchling Two is terrified of bunnies? The girl has a serious phobia. She had us laughing a lot. An entertaining read for adults and children alike.