The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children

Do you want to be cooked???? What would you do if you just moved into a new house and you meet your first neighbor? That would be great right? But what if your new neighbor's dog was carrying a funny looking bone? Well, sol and Connie were in that same situation. Sol is a 11 year old boy but is know a "5th grade guiness" When Sol finds out from a library computer that the bone was a human Femur bone the adventure to find out what that was about began in the book The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children. This is a great 176 page book written by Keith McGowan. In this story Connie and Sol learn to watch out for each other. Connie and Sol met their first new neighbor Fay Haladerry and her dog Swift who has a weird looking bone in his mouth. When Sol and Connie go to the library Sol finds out that the bone Swift was carrying was a human bone. When they fit the pieces together they figure out Fay is a rotten witch that eats children. Throughout the book Connie and Sol go on many adventures, solving riddles, rummaging through Mrs. Holaderry's house, and with Connie getting in a lot of trouble things start to go crazy!! My favorite part was when Connie and Sol were at the library because Connie was pushing from one side to another to scare anyone who walked by. The most important thing I learned from this book was not to trust strangers but to trust your older siblings to get you home safe if you are lost. Other books Keith McGowan has written are... Human Rights, and Hazardous Waste. I recommend this book to people who like fairy tales. This book is mainly for girls and boys ages 7-9 years old. This is a fantastic book.

I read this all the way through and really enjoyed it. It has a certain Hansel and Gretel element to it. I was great about a brother and sister who try to figure out a mystery to their next door neighbor the fact she could be a witch. This story takes Sol and Connie the two main characters on many adventures mystery solving. You will be suprized as this book has lots of twists and curves in it. I enjoyed it and could read it a couple times over it's that good

This book is visually sophisticated. The illustrations are wonderful, and the care put to the cover and page layout are exquisite. But, we don't buy books just to look at them, right? We also (theoretically) read them. Here, the Witches' Guide also shines. The story rejects plot cliches and uses humor to raise weighty issues about parents, forgiveness, and friendship. I particularly liked the positive way science is portrayed. Science is not mystified, but instead is shown to be a fun, creative thing kids can do. Librarians should get this book on the shelf. McGowan is a lively writer, and I look forward to more books to come.

This book eloquently reworks Hansel and Gretel, bringing in contemporary challenges faced by kids. Sol, one of the main characters, is a gem. Sensitive, sharp, goofy. Connie, another lead character, is also great--athletic, smart talking, and wonderfully human. I loved the book's humor (think Dahl) and the complexity of the characters. And, even better, the book is beautifully written. This is a must read for book worms everywhere.