Review - Druscilla's Halloween

Druscilla's Halloween
by Sally M. Walker
illustrated by Lee White
Date: 2009
Publisher: Carolrhoda Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

Did witches always ride brooms? No! In fact, long, long ago, witches crept about on tiptoe. On Halloween, they would scare children and cast spells... but always from the ground. No witch ever thought of flying--no witch until Druscilla. Druscilla was an old witch with the loudest, creakiest knees anyone had ever heard. But she was determined not to let anything spoil her element of surprise. One Halloween, after many failed attempts at sneaking up on unsuspecting villagers, Druscilla made a discovery that changed the course of witch history.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This is sort of an origin story regarding why witches fly on broomsticks. It's not historically accurate, but it is rather fun.

Long ago, witches didn't fly on broomsticks. They tiptoed and snuck up on people to scare them. But Druscilla was old, and her knees creaked. A lot. Their audible pops and snaps meant that she couldn't sneak up on anybody. But Halloween was coming, and she was a witch, so she had to figure out a way to join in the hijinks. Various methods failed her... and then she stumbled across a solution where she was least expecting it.

It's a fun little story with cute illustrations that are fun to look at. I liked seeing how the witches prepared for Halloween (it involves styling products and cats), and it was amusing to see how Druscilla's knees acted as a warning to everyone about her approach. (I don't really agree with some other reviewers that this book makes fun of the disabled. Noisy knees on their own aren't exactly a disability; they're just a nuisance. Druscilla says it herself when she talks to them: "Hush, you treacherous old knees. You're robbing me of the element of surprise." She gets around just fine. She's just... loud.)

This is a fun Halloween book that offers a different spin on why witches fly on broomsticks. It's cute and clever, and kids will probably enjoy it. (It's also nice to see a Halloween story that isn't focused on candy.)

Quotable moment:

Premise: 3/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 3.5 out of 5