Whispering to Witches

By: Anna Dale

Narrated by: John Curless

Length: 6 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's Summary

When Joe is traveling to stay with his mother and stepfather for Christmas, little does he imagine the excitement and magical intrigue that await him when he falls headfirst into an evil plot to rid England of witches. With great bravery and more than a little help from his half sister, Esme, and a new friend, Twiggy, he has to muster all his courage and ingenuity to solve the riddles surrounding him and save his newfound friends.

A fabulously detailed and richly exciting adventure story that grips the listener in its magical clutches from the very beginning.

©2004 Anna Dale (P)2004 Random House, Inc. Listening Library, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group

Critic Reviews

"Curless offers an upbeat reading sustained with notes of suspense and mystery befitting Dale's effervescent fantasy. Kids will be eager to follow the inviting Curless along for all the twists and turns here." (Publishers Weekly)

Whispering to Witches

A wonderful story - not too heavy - just right for listening by the fire while I knit :)

Great story

This is a great preteen story with an interesting mix of old story time magic and new twist put in by the author suggested for preteens and those who love stories

Fun story

This book felt a bit like The Wizard if Oz mixed with Harry Potter. It’s a delightful story with good characters, fun plot twists, and an enjoyable narrative. Good for kids, and adults who enjoy children’s literature. A reader can make or break an audiobook, and I found John Curless to do a top job.

Whispering to witches

This is a great book, im reading it on paper and I thought it would be better to read it on my ipad, so I got and its even better than paper!!!!!

Just OK

I don't know what a younger audience would think of this book but I found it kind of boring. I didn't really finish the last hour or so, I couldn't focus on it for too long at a time and found myself drifting off so I finally stopped trying.

Enjoyable

I think this book is more for 5-8 year olds. My 2 girls love listening to this book as light and easy to follow and well narrated. I found it enjoyable the first time and it is still pleasant to listen hear serveral times later.

Good, but not great

This is a good children's book for 7- to 10-year-olds, but not a great one and not one that is particularly of interest to adults.

The characters have quirks, but are not very well developed. There?s not much sense of the setting--modern-day Canterbury--or of the subculture of witches and magic. Three stars may seem a bit unfair, but there are plenty of examples of children?s books for this age group--Mary Norton?s The Borrowers series, C. S. Lewis?s Narnia series, Lynn Reid Banks?s Indian in the Cupboard, Edward Eager?s funny magic books--that have great characterization combined with a sense of place.

Buy it for a child but not for yourself.