Here are 89 books that Kiki's Delivery Service fans have personally recommended if you like
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I’ve always been a lover of enchanted items—particularly brooms. Maybe this is because my grandfather used to handmake his own brooms (I can still remember that magical and musty smell of his workshop). It took me a long time to write my own “broom book,” with something different and distinctive to say. The books on my list are some that inspired me along my journey. In addition to being a writer, I teach creative writing and art therapy, which means I’ve logged many hours leading lit circles with kids. I feel it has given me a pretty good handle (pardon the pun) on what makes a child’s imagination soar.
It jerked back, and there was a sickening feeling in her stomach as the stick curved away towards the mountains.
There are five books in the Tiffany Aching series, but this one, Book 2, is my favorite because it’s when Tiffany really rolls up her sleeves as a witch—it also marks her first time riding a broom, but, in a delightful twist, Tiffany doesn’t like it. It’s not because she’s afraid of heights, it’s because she’s afraid of falling. Not to worry, even though she’s not an expert broom flyer, Tiffany has plenty of magical friends to rely on throughout the series: a lawyer who has been permanently transformed into a toad and has a penchant for cursing (“croap”), Horace the cheese, Miss Level (a witch of two bodies and one mind), and the ever-delightful Wee Free Men (they can escape from anywhere . . . except a pub).…
I’ve always been a lover of enchanted items—particularly brooms. Maybe this is because my grandfather used to handmake his own brooms (I can still remember that magical and musty smell of his workshop). It took me a long time to write my own “broom book,” with something different and distinctive to say. The books on my list are some that inspired me along my journey. In addition to being a writer, I teach creative writing and art therapy, which means I’ve logged many hours leading lit circles with kids. I feel it has given me a pretty good handle (pardon the pun) on what makes a child’s imagination soar.
At the touch of the purple juice the little broomstick gave a leap, a violent twist, a kick like the kick of a pony.
A classic book, with a voice in the spirit of C.S. Lewis’s Narnia, this book triggered the idea for Spell Sweeper because of the image it painted in my mind of a lonely broom sitting there, waiting to spring into action. And spring it does! When young Mary finds a broomstick, she accidentally ends up investing it with magic and it instantly whisks her away across the English countryside to arrive at Endor College, the school of witchcraft. But this is not a lovely school—Mary discovers a menagerie of animals being subjected to evil experiments, including her own cat. With her broomstick as her trusty companion, Mary sets out to free the animals. This book is also the basis of the animated film Mary and…
First published 45 years ago, this is a beautiful new edition of Mary Stewart's beloved magical classic illustrated by Shirley Hughes.
Don't miss the beautifully animated film adaptation called Mary and the Witch's Flower (by the producer of The Tale of The Princess Kaguya), in cinemas now.
'The little broomstick gave a leap, a violent twist, a kick like the kick of a pony.'
Mary's been exiled to her great-aunt, deep in the English countryside. Miserable and lonely, she befriends strange black cat Tib who leads her deep into the forest to an ordinary looking broomstick. Before Mary can gather…
As you may notice, in my own stories, I like to find the magic in everyday things and, to a greater or lesser extent, each of the books I have chosen to write about here, do that. Having worked with children as a Rainbow Guide Leader, taught children, for a brief spell, abroad, I know children and their intelligence, understanding, and kindness, amongst other things, can often be underestimated. The books I chose, show how children (girls in particular) win the day by using their intelligence, skills, and talents. Celebrating girls and their achievements is increasingly important in improving their rights and access to opportunities in life.
How do you survive your school days, but with your own set of ‘magic spells’ and a good friend or two to help you along the way?
The humour in Jill Murphy’s stories is second to none and many children may recognise characters within the story, in people they know.
This book also shows that it is the girl who is honest and has integrity who ‘wins the day’ and ‘saves the day’: While perhaps an unlikely heroine, since she always appears to be getting into trouble (not always through any fault of her own) thinking on your feet, honesty and integrity, would probably be just a few of the heroine’s key character traits/teaching points and never giving up, even if you are considered to be ‘The Worst Witch’ in the school...
'Millions of young readers have fallen under the spell of Jill Murphy's Worst Witch' - Sunday Express
Hold on to your broomstick for magical mayhem with Jill Murphy's much-loved classic The Worst Witch- the original story of life at a magical boarding school.
Mildred Hubble is a trainee at Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches, but she's making an awful mess of it.
She keeps getting her spells wrong and crashing her broomstick. And when she turns Ethel, the teacher's pet into her worst enemy, chaos ensues...
Read the rest of Mildred's (mis)adventures: The Worst Witch, A Bad Spell for the…
Throughout my childhood, my mother repeated the mantra, “Love your own, leave others alone.” Her purpose was to prevent me and my siblings from begging to keep every animal we saw. Arguably, the phrase had some impact because we obviously didn’t bring home every animal. (But we also adopted a opossum from the backyard and named him Mr. Jenkins, so you be the judge.) For as long as I can remember, I have loved finding fantasy adventure books that feature the animals I love so much as trusted companions. I hope you enjoy the books on this list as much as I do!
Another middle grade fantasy, Eva Evergreen: Semi-Magical Witch, follows a young girl trying to prove herself even with a lack of magical ability.
Though away from her parents, Eva’s not alone. Her trusty companion throughout her journey to help the residents of Auteri and earn her title never leaves her side. And, what’s more, is her animal companion is one I hadn’t seen before reading this book—it's a flamefox.
The flamefox, better known as Ember, loves food but loves her person, Eva, more—something that will resonate with people who love pets (and people who just love, well, love)!
Eva Evergreen is determined to earn the rank of Adept Witch before she turns thirteen years old. If she doesn't, she'll lose her magic forever. For most young witches and wizards, it's a simple enough test:
ONE: Help your town, do good all around. TWO: Live there for one moon, don't leave too soon. THREE: Fly home by broomstick, the easiest of tricks.
The only problem? Eva only has a pinch of magic. She summons heads of cabbage instead of flowers and gets a sunburn instead of calling down rain. And…
I was an elementary school teacher for over ten years, so I know how important high-interest books are for getting kids to read independently. And in my experience, nothing is more interesting than a book that makes you laugh! In addition, throughout my life, I have been a reader as a means of entertainment and escape, and the more magical the story details are, the more I feel like I’m on an imagination vacation!
The voice of this book hooked me right away—the main character, Bea, is hilariously self-deprecating and quirky; I felt immediately connected to her. Plus, I tend to love epistolary books, meaning books that are structured in the form of letters, or this case, a diary with lots of fun cross-outs, footnotes, and lists. Even saying the word ‘epistolary’ is fun!
I was also charmed by the setting—a school for witches, which Bea’s charming, absent-minded-professor-type dad has accidentally enrolled her in. It has witchy trademarks like flying brooms, levitation spells, and rebellious magic wands.
And I was compelled to read to the end because I wanted to find out how Bea would fit in with a bunch of witches when she was a regular kid!
1
author picked
New Girl
as one of their favorite books, and they share
why you should read it.
This book is for kids age
6,
7,
8, and
9.
What is this book about?
Monday 20th September
I'M AT WITCH SCHOOL! Now would be a really good time to discover I can do magic...
Bea Black has just moved to Little Spellshire, a town with a magical secret. When her dad accidentally enrols her at the local witch school, she has to get to grips with some interesting new classes, like, NOW! Also on her to do list? Make friends, look after the grumpy class frog AND do everything humanly magically possible to stay on a broom...
But with the Halloween Ball on the horizon, will she be able to master her wand skills…
I’ve worked with kids in preschools and elementary schools, (plus I’m a mom!) and to me, nothing is better than hearing kids laugh. I also just adore picture books and treasure my personal library, with its focus on (you guessed it!) humor. Sassy cats, bears who want to have kids for pets, chickens who interrupt, alphabets overrun by frustrated Zebras, picture books bravely go where other books might only tiptoe in a cowardly fashion—into the world of wild imagination and anthropomorphized everything. With amazing artwork!! Let’s be honest, I’ll choose funny picture books over War and Peace every time.
Traction Man is a big-hearted superhero, and boy does he have some rescuing to do. Everything comes alive in this delightfully illustrated picture book about one action figure’s adventures—including evil pillows and a brave scrubbing brush who becomes Traction Man’s sidekick. But when Traction Man takes a trip to Grandma’s house in the Intergalactic People Mover (a car,) he faces his biggest challenge yet: can he pull off the green romper suit that Granny knit just for him? Laugh out loud funny!!
Traction Man—wearing combat boots, battle pants, and his warfare shirt—comes in a box, but very quickly finds the way into the imagination of his lucky boy owner. This superhero searches for the Lost Wreck of the Sieve as the boy makes a game of doing the dishes, and later in the bathtub, he conquers the Mysterious Toes that are stealing his pet, the brave little Scrubbing Brush. These are just a few of the action-packed adventures played out by the boy and his new toy that may not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, but can…
I started reading crime fiction as a teenager, so maybe it was inevitable that one day I would start writing it. I began with short stories, but then found an idea for a novel that wouldn’t let me go. One small paragraph about a tape recording left by a dead man. The books I love reading now are often set in small towns and communities, like the one I grew up in, where normal people tend to hide the worst secrets! Hidden motivations and seeing how the past plays out in the present are two elements I love in crime fiction—they help to work out who the killer is.
Humour done well in crime fiction is rare, I think, and this novel has plenty. I think you would call it a caper, with things constantly going wrong for Jac, the main character, in bizarre and amusing ways, but Draga, her Croatian housekeeper is hilarious. Draga’s solutions to fixing things are not what any sensible person might agree to, but Jac is desperate. She even resorts to using Draga’s favourite broom herself at one point. This one will keep you on the edge of your seat, yes, but you might also fall off it laughing. I’m hoping there will be a sequel.
The week begins like any other in Jacqueline Burne's messy life. And it just gets worse. Jac's business is in trouble, her husband is up to no good, and her eccentric housekeeper, Draga, is nagging her with unsolicited advice. Then Jac's annoying teen stepson lands on her doorstep and wants to stay.
Jac devises a plan to regain control of her life, but Draga jumps in to help and it goes horribly wrong. They soon find themselves on the wrong side of the law, where handcuffs and prison jumpsuits become a real possibility. As Jac juggles her many problems, dark…
Growing up as an only child, books and animals were hugely important to me – they were my friends and I really wanted to believe in a magic that would allow me to talk to animals and them to me. I have now written over 250 books and pretty much all of them have either magic or animals in or a combination of both – unicorns, ponies that turn into magical horses, star animals who teach the children they bond with how to do magic, mermaids with sea creatures as pets. I really love to write – and read – about magical animals and their very lucky human friends!
And last but definitely not least, one of my favorite books from when I was growing up. Carbonel tells the story of Rosie, a young girl who thinks she is going to have a very boring summer until she buys a cat (Carbonel) from a retiring witch and gets drawn into an amazing adventure trying to free him from the witch’s binding spell and helping him to reclaim his royal throne. I read this book so many times when I was a child that the copy I owned fell to bits. I adored the bond between Rosie and Carbonel and the way the author effortlessly weaved magic into everyday life. She made magic seem so possible and so real – a feeling I have tried to capture in my own writing ever since!
Now in paperback, a story about a girl and her magical talking pet cat, reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland
Rosemary’s plan to clean houses during her summer break and surprise her mother with the money hits a snag when an old lady at the market talks her into buying a second-rate broom and a cat she can’t even afford to keep. But appearances can be deceiving. Some old ladies are witches, some brooms can fly, and some ordinary-looking cats are Princes of the Royal Blood. Rosemary’s cat (“You may call me Carbonel. That is my name” ) soon enlists her…
I’m an award-winning and USA Today Best-Selling author whose work includes everything from short stories in school journals to horror and epic fantasy. But I’ve long been obsessed with books that work as well for adults as they do for children. The prose must be beautiful and designed to read aloud; the plot must be on point, and the characters must be compelling. And all of this with a PG rating. A tricky ask, even when the authors haven’t added Easter egg extras for adults. It’s because of this that I believe these are some of the best fantasy books ever written. So, enjoy!
I adored this book. It was so brilliant that I couldn’t write for a week after reading it. The crisp, clear, poetic text and darkly-edged brilliance of this fairytale absolutely blew me away.
The imagery and fairytale elements resonated with so many of the old childhood fairytales that it took the story to another level. Added to that was the adventure, with stakes that ramped up with every page. For me, it wasn’t just an unputdownable story but one I didn’t want to leave.
Ryan and his friends don't think twice about stealing some money from a wishing well. After all, who's really going to miss a few tarnished coins?
The well witch does.
And she demands payback: Now Ryan, Josh, and Chelle must serve her . . . and the wishes that lie rotting at the bottom of her well. Each takes on powers they didn't ask for and don't want. Ryan grows strange bumps—are they eyes?—between his knuckles; Chelle starts speaking the secrets of strangers, no matter how awful and bloody; and Josh can suddenly—inexplicably—grant even the darkest of wishes, the kind…
Growing up in California, I was enchanted by the idea of New York City—largely due to the visions of it I found in the books on this list. I’ve now lived in NYC for 20 years and love matching real locations with their versions in my imagination. In my time in the city I’ve been a staff writer for Newsweek Magazine, an editor at Scholastic, and a freelancer for many publications including The New York Times and The Washington Post. I’m currently working on a second novel.
Don’t be fooled into thinking that just because the main character (and in fact most of the characters) in this book is a cat it’s only for very young readers. This charming and elegant story, the first of a series, takes place in Greenwich Village, where a small black orphaned cat named Jenny finds a home with a sea captain and a community with her neighborhood felines. Jenny’s explorations of the then-dicey neighborhood and encounters with less fortunate cats are ridiculously poignant and moving, and her foot-high view of her city feels entirely authentic.
