The Ragwitch by Garth Nix is the story of a brother and sister, Paul and Julia, who are carried into another world full of magic and powerful creatures after Julia is consumed, literally, by a rag doll witch. Can Paul figure out how to save his sister and stop the Ragwitch from its’ destructive purpose? Or is the sister already dead and his quest useless?

Something that I really liked about the story was that Paul’s fearful, dependent nature could have easily been made annoying, but the author succeeded in exploiting his lack of confidence while at the same time showing his courage. I also really enjoyed Leasel the hare, a faithful and loving sidekick.

Something that I didn’t like was that we were introduced to characters at the beginning of the story that seemed to have gotten lost by the end. I would’ve liked to see more of them in the tale.

For some reason, I was totally not expecting this story, yet I really loved what I thought was an original tale. I figured it would end positively somehow; I couldn’t predict much more beyond that, which was weird for me. I would love if my story could perplex my readers in the same way.

I think I would’ve tried clarifying some of the details a little bit more. I admit I got lost in a few places as the world was so new, but I kept reading and let my imagination fill in the gaps.

I would definitely recommend the story for an older more mature crowd. Some of the witch “visions” were a bit gory. But I would read it again.

Enjoyment Level: 5/5
Beginning: 3/5
Middle: 5/5
Ending: 4/5
Writing: 4/5.
I thought it could’ve been more clear but still some descriptions were rather clever: a skinny seaman described “as thin as an oar.”

Kate

The Ragwitch by Garth Nix
(c) 1990, Harper Collins
Publisher Reading Level: Young Adult
ISBN: 0-06-050807-8
391 Pages