The Witches

Written by Rhoald Dahl
Illustrated by Quentin Blake
Copyright ©1983
Published by Jonathan Cape 1983
Dahl, Roald, and Quentin Blake. The Witches. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1983. Print.

Awards: The Whitbread Award, the Federation of Children's Book Groups Award in the UK, and the New York Times Outstanding Books Award in the US

Reading Level: Grades 3-5
Grade Level Equivalent: 5.5
Lexie Reading Level: 740L
Fountas and Pinnel Guided Reading: R
DRA: 40

Genre: Fiction, Children's literature, Speculative fiction

Suggested Delivery: Read aloud to grades 3-4.
I would use this as a read aloud in my classroom because the book suggests it. In the opening chapters the narrator refers to the teacher reading the book. Along with voices and accents this is a great book to read aloud to your class. 

Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read
September 27-October 3, 2015

The Witches is number 22 on the 100 most banned and challenged books of 1990-1999.

Challenged and Banned for:

• Being too violent
• Anti-Feminist
• Offends witches
• Devalues the life of a child

 Educating students about banned and challenged books and the importance of freedom to read is a great lesson during banned books week. Here is the link to the American Library Association's banned book lists and activities for banned books week. 
http://www.ala.org/bbooks/banned

13 authors speak out against banning books:

Having children explore and choose books from the banned and challenged books list is a great way to promote reading and celebrate the freedom to read.

Writing Activity:
This book ends with a plan to wipe out the rest of the witches, but we do not find out if the heroes are successful or not. After reading the book have students write an additional chapter to the book. Have students think about what they think will happen next. With the narrator turn back into a boy? Will he and his grandmother be successful in their plan? Any other questions you can think of relating to the story should work. After writing and illustrating their chapter have the students share it with a partner small group and display them around the room or in the hallway. This activity may take a few days to complete depending on the length and editing of the work so plan accordingly. 

After Reading You Can Watch the Film

The movie costs $2.99 to rent on Amazon. 
As an extra treat you could show the video 
in class after reading the book. 
This makes learning meaningful to students because it improves comprehension of the story and helps the students visualize what was read. 













Vocabulary:
Indecent:not conforming with generally accepted standards of behavior or propriety; obscene
Metamorphosis:a change of the form or nature of a thing or person into a completely different one, by natural or supernatural means.
Larder: a room or large cupboard for storing food.
Trodden: (past tense) to set down the foot or feet in walking; step; walk.
Delayed:postpone or defer
Meek:quiet, gentle, and easily imposed on; submissive.