In Michaelbrent Collings’ The Witch in the Woods, modern sci-fiction meets the fantasy world of fairytale to give kids, who like a lot of magic and mystery, a story to enjoy.

Willow and Jake Grimm are 11-year-old twins who relocate with their parents to a quaint, secluded town, New Marburg. The strange thing is that the town is cut off from the rest of the world and is not even on the map! The town is a futuristic place, full of bizarre experiences for the kids. There are flying cars, talking robots, a talking animal, multiverse fairies, and lots of other crazy stuff that most children will find exciting.

Adding to all the complexities of relocation for the siblings is their new school, where a teacher is mean to them for no reason. As if the changes in their lives were not enough, by some bizarre twist, their school turns into a medieval castle and the kids land up in a fairytale world that is more creepy than cute. Their friends have become Hansel and Gretel, locked in a cage by a wicked witch whose torment they can only escape by solving some riddles.

The plot of The Witch in the Woods can become a bit complex to follow a times, but I am sure the generation that grew up after the Harry Potter books find no fantasy adventure too hard to understand and enjoy. Despite the dark setting of the book, there are ample instances of humour to lighten the mood.

One can be sure that there will be more books in the series to follow since the writer has woven a tale in the setting of the Grimms’ fairy tales, which provides lots of potential for more adventures. The Witch in the Woods is a novel for older kids who don’t easily get scared by witches.

Published in Dawn, Young World, July 13th, 2024