What do you love most about it?
Books can touch your life at every age, but I believe they absolutely shape you as a child, and The Witches left a mark deeper than most. It was the first book I’d ever come across where things weren’t completely alright at the end. The boy’s parents were still dead, he was still very much changed by his contact with witches, the families of other children derailed by their magic had no resolution. As an adult reader, I’m not particularly drawn to books that are overly dark, but The Witches was the first book to open my eyes to how broad and wide fiction really can be.
What elements of the book changed the way you think about writing?
It’s all about the impact and connection with the reader. As a modern children’s classic, The Witches seems a long way from my own novels, which are Australian mysteries for adult readers. But there are outstanding books in every genre and what I admire about The Witches—and what I always aspire to create in my own novels—is that compelling hook that pulls readers in, characters who keep you invested, and that all-important ebb and flow and delicate balance of light and dark that runs right through the story. It’s not easy to do, and to be able to do it in a way that’s both simple and complex enough to engage young readers is a masterclass in itself.
The Witches was the first book I’d ever come across where things weren’t completely alright at the end.
