This appealing novel seems continually to struggle to transcend the formulaic conventions YA fantasy fiction. As I read, I kept thinking of Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane and of how Gaiman might have dealt with the same material. In both novels, a resourceful child strives to escape hideously evil adults. In contrast to Gaiman’s dark, disturbingly ambiguous world view, however, in Stewart’s novel, evil is soundly defeated, its mysteries explained, and its plot strands neatly tied up. Pre-teen Mary Smith is sent to stay for a month with her Great-Aunt Charlotte while her academic parents travel. The lonely, bored child bonds with a black cat (Tib). When a magic broomstick transports Mary and Tib to Endor College, a school for witches, the headmistress, Madam Mumblechook, assumes that Mary is a new pupil. Initially, Mumblechook appear to be a rule-bound, somewhat absent-minded bureaucrat. However, as the tour progresses, Mary sees that the young students are taught horrifyingly evil skills. Endor College does not anticipate Hogworts. And, Madam Mumblechook and her associate, Doctor Dee, are, thank heavens, worlds away from the cozy, domesticated witches of those interminable series books currently popular!Mary’s most troubling discovery is the storeroom of the Transformation lab. In row upon row of cages, there “were certainly animals, but not any animals that she had ever seen. There was one she thought at first was a squirrel, until she saw it only had two legs and a thin tail like a Rat’s. Then there was a bird with no feathers, not even on its wings. Then something that might have been a hedgehog, except that it had no eyes and nose, which made it like a sea urchin with feet” (97). Mary flees on her broom, but discovers that Madam M has kept her beloved Tib and will use him for transformation experiments. Returning to the school, Mary uses Madam M’s ancient book of “Mefter Fpells” (she mistakes the s’s for f’s) to restore the maimed creatures to their original shapes: deer and birds. When Mary and the restored animals flee, Madam M and Doctor D pursue. Mary and these magnificent animals destroy the witches, transforming them into a grove of birches.The lyrical nature descriptions were, for me, the most enchanting aspect of the book. The Little Broomstick contrasts the magic of the woods with the dryly academic, life-denying magic of the witches. Stewart’s book was, of course, written before genetic engineers would produce designer cats and aquarium fish that glow in the dark. However, The Little Broomstick is still relevant: a delicious cautionary tale, warning against humanity’s arrogant efforts to subjugate and redesign plants and animals.
The cover of the book shows a nice little girl and her kitty, and a cute title --you think you know what you're getting. But don't judge this book by its cover. Mary Stewart is great at suspense and unsettling moods, and she continues this in her only children's book, published in 1972. Her boarding school for young witches is nothing like J.K. Rowlings' wondrous Hogwarts school. It's more of a cross between mad scientist's laboratory and Dracula's castle. Not a place to linger. A chase scene on broomsticks across the moonlit countryside is outstanding. In this book, magic is both terrifying and fascinating, and creeps alongside our everyday lives.
What do You think about The Little Broomstick (2015)?
"Even her name was plain. Mary Smith. Nothing could have been more depressing, she thought; to be plain, to be ten, and to be alone, staring out of her bedroom window on a gray autumn day, and to be called Mary Smith."So begins this magical, swift read about a young British girl, Mary Smith, bored staying with her elderly aunt in the country while her parents are away for work in the US. But soon Tib, a charming and mysterious cat, leads her to a patch of fly-by-night flowers in the woods, and when the crushed pollen of the fly-by-night on her fingers touches a little broomstick in her garden, Mary is flown into a world of magic and danger. I very much enjoyed this story. The magic is not only in the witchery but in the way Stewart weaves her words. I especially loved the descriptions of nature. She is able to create suspense, as well, and manages a chase scene with broomsticks that gives Quidditch a run for its money. I was a bit surprised, given this is a children's book, how dark the "bad deeds" in the story are--the evil witch Miss Mumblechook and Dr. Dee trap animals and perform cruel transformation spells on them. But nothing is really graphic and there is an inevitable happy ending, so perhaps children will not be as disturbed as I was (since, of course, I know that things of this sort happen in real life, with science instead of magic). The idea of magic is approached in a thought-provoking way, too, as Mary realizes that it is not fair to thrust magic upon creatures or objects against their will. I also really loved the way Stewart wrote about Tib; she really seems to know cats :-)All in all, a very engaging story that is well suited for Halloween. I have read some of Mary Stewart's other books before, but didn't realize she had written for children. Though this book does not seem to be as well known as many of her others, I recommend it to those looking for a quick and magical read.
—Kathryn
Sweet tale that I liked myself when I was Logan's age, written by the author of The Crystal Cave and The Hollow Hills. A girl staying with her elderly great aunt is bored until a little black cat, Tib, leads her to an adventure that involves a flight on a broomstick and a tour of a school for witches. But unlike Hogwarts, this school is filled with creepy bad witches, and as you might expect, some trouble ensues. Not too scary, just a little tense. Stewart's writing is great for reading aloud. I love the first paragraph: "Even her name was plain. Mary Smith. Nothing could have been more depressing, she thought; to be plain, to be ten, and to be alone, staring out of her bedroom window on a gray autumn day, and to be called Mary Smith." My only issue with the book is that when a boy enters the story half way through, he's the one who starts driving everything and many of his sentences start with, "But don't you see?," as though the girl is an idiot, when in fact she's quite brave and intelligent. Still, both Logan & I enjoyed it.
—Logan
