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Deep in the woods lives the old witch called Ugly One. All she wants is to forget—the she was once a loving mother and a healer, blessed and powerful within her magic circle, and not a witch, claimed by the devils. Then one day she hears the footsteps she dreads. Then real voices—children’s voices. The Ugly One longs to take care of sturdy, sensible Gretel and her young brother Hansel. They are such good children, such delicious, beautiful children. But demons’ voices scream in her head: “Eat them!” How can she? . . . How can she not?
“A brilliantly conceived and beautifully executed novel.”—School Library Journal, starred review
“A work of great strength and powerful emotion, written with immediacy and intensity, filled with beauty and terror and pervading sense of compassion that must touch young and old.”—Lloyd Alexander
An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
A Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
June 1, 1995 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781101665657
- File size: 240 KB
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781101665657
- File size: 241 KB
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Languages
- English
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Levels
- ATOS Level: 4
- Lexile® Measure: 580
- Interest Level: 4-8(MG)
- Text Difficulty: 2-3
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Reviews
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May 31, 1993
A midwife-cum-sorceress known simply as the Ugly One narrates this riveting tale of how, tricked by the devil's minions, she lost her gifts for healing and was forced to become a witch. Escaping from the stake, where she is about to be burned, she ekes out a solitary existence in an enchanted forest--until she takes in two wandering children named Hansel and Gretel. As she did in The Prince of the Pond , Napoli gives a classic fairy tale an entirely new twist, at the same time incorporating absorbing details about medieval religious beliefs. The witch's ``true'' history as a devoted mother and pious servant of God renders her a compelling and entirely sympathetic figure, a heroine courageously fighting the evil spirits that have invaded her once-pure life. The Hansel and Gretel motif, carefully woven into the story, emerges as a surprise for the reader, albeit a surprise that has been fully prepared. The author's extraordinary craftsmanship and originality never flag, and even the archetypically fiery ending for the witch acquires a new dimension. A YA novel of genuine magic and suspense, this will captivate adults as well. Ages 12-up. -
May 29, 1995
In the words of PW's starred review, ``Napoli gives a classic fairy tale an entirely new twist, at the same time incorporating absorbing details about medieval religious beliefs. . . . A YA novel of genuine magic and suspense.'' Ages 12-up.
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