The Little Broomstick

I loved this book more than almost any other book from my childhood. When my first daughter was born @ 8 years ago, it was out of print and I actually bought used copies so that I would be sure to have it to read to her when she was old enough. Now that she is, I am happy that we can buy copies as gifts for her friends as well. J.K. Rowling owes a huge debt to Mary Stewart. I have to imagine that she must have loved this book as a child as well.

Mary Stewart's delightful fantasy is fun and exciting from beginning to end. I first read it about 30 years ago, and it made a big impression on me. Something about the way Stewart told the story made everything seem quite logical. I reread the book last year and loved it all over again. I only wish it were a bit longer, as it seems to end rather quickly. Still, I thoroughly recommend this as a delightful fantasy for children who are a bit too young for Mr. Potter (whom I believe owes a debt to Ms. Stewart)>

I read this book when I was about 8 years old and I loved it more than any other book I read. I say this because I remember it better than any other book I read as a child, and I read quite a few books. I have a copy somewhere in a box in my house and am longing to read it to my 6 year old and I don't want to wait any longer. So I have ordered another copy of it. In the wake of Harry Potter (which I also love) this story is just as enchanting and enthralling. It all begins with a child in England discovering a magical broomstick followed by a school for witchcraft! I can only highly recommend this book, plain and simple.

A lonely, young girl finds a cat and magic in the English countryside in this book for young readers. Pre-Harry Potter, there are similar themes, but Mary Stewart writes like no other, and the story unfolds giving just enough details so a young person's imagination can fill in the rest. When I went back and re-read this after many years, I realized how much I had forgotten, and how much I had made up about it when I was nine. I love this book very much.

I love most of Mary Stewart's books, but, if you have a young daughter getting interested in reading, after she reads this, she'll become a fan for life, like I did! It's a story about a girl with a cat, who get caught up in intrigue. My mother brought this book home from a trip to Canada, and I'm sick that it's out of print. I hope to find it again, soon!