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Matter-of-Fact Magic
No Such Thing as a Witch[NO SUCH THING AS A WITCH][Paperback]
No Such Thing as a Witch <> Paperback <> RuthChew <> RandomHouseBooksforYoungReaders
Paperback
First published January 1, 1971
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About the author
Ruth Chew
47 books132 followersRuth Chew is the author of a number of popular books for young readers, including Secondhand Magic and The Wednesday Witch. She was born in Minneapolis and grew up in Washington, D.C. She studied art at the Corcoran School of Art and worked as a fashion artist. She was the mother of five children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
March 20, 2022
Today's Shabby Sunday book is No Such Thing as a Witch by Ruth Chew.
We found our copy at a used book sale. They had a handful of old Ruth Chew books that looked familiar, and we grabbed them all. Our copy is in good condition for its age. The cover is rough but structurally sound. It won’t be long before it needs some tape reinforcement because these are all super thin paperback books.
This paperback edition was published in 1974 by Scholastic Book Services. It’s fairly short at 112-pages with clear and easy-to-read text, making this the perfect book for young readers. Illustrations are few and far between, but we found it impressive that the author, Ruth Chew, created them herself.
The story begins with Nora and Tad, two siblings that have grown curious about their neighbor next door. She seems friendly enough, and she even invites them over to see her, but Nora knows there is something strange about this woman next door, Maggie Brown.
Nora turned to Tad. "Can't you see she's trying to lure you into her house? You don't know what she'll do to you in there. Don't go, Tad."
"I want to go, Tad said. It's an adventure. I'm not afraid, even if you are."
Tad goes inside Maggie Brown's home, and Nora goes home to start her homework. She cannot stop thinking about Tad. Finally, Nora's mother instructs her to go next door and bring Tad home for dinner. While Nora visits next door with Maggie Brown, she notices that she loves animals and seems nice. Maggie sends them home with some delicious fudge. Maybe the new neighbor isn't so bad after all?
When I was younger, my favorite stories were fairy tales, myths, and fantasies involving magic, just like this one. No Such Thing as a Witch is another magical story by Ruth Chew that is hard to resist. My children and I loved reading about the talking animals and the magic fudge and what would come of Tad. It brought on a conversation with my children about how they thought it was dangerous for Tad to enter the neighbor's house without knowing whether or not she was a safe person. Tad believes he is invincible, while Nora is more cautious with her decisions. Even their mother does not seem concerned about what the kids are doing. We discussed people and whether or not they are more careless today than how they used to be, or the other way around. This was thought-provoking. The characters in this story were interesting, having different personalities, and it was satisfying to see Tad learn his lesson in the end. Even though the story gets serious, it is not too scary, and we thought it was funny after.
Overall, If you have kids who enjoy stories with magic and adventure, I highly recommend Ruth Chew's books. Stories like these are fun to read, but they also remind children to problem-solve and to think before making rash decisions. This is a fun story for all ages.
I noticed online that some of Ruth Chew's books have been reprinted with new fancy covers. I'm unaware if they've been modified or not, but they kept Ruth Chew's original illustrations from the looks of the preview. We might check some of them out later on.
You can see this Shabby Sunday review with pictures @www.readrantrockandroll.com
We found our copy at a used book sale. They had a handful of old Ruth Chew books that looked familiar, and we grabbed them all. Our copy is in good condition for its age. The cover is rough but structurally sound. It won’t be long before it needs some tape reinforcement because these are all super thin paperback books.
This paperback edition was published in 1974 by Scholastic Book Services. It’s fairly short at 112-pages with clear and easy-to-read text, making this the perfect book for young readers. Illustrations are few and far between, but we found it impressive that the author, Ruth Chew, created them herself.
The story begins with Nora and Tad, two siblings that have grown curious about their neighbor next door. She seems friendly enough, and she even invites them over to see her, but Nora knows there is something strange about this woman next door, Maggie Brown.
Nora turned to Tad. "Can't you see she's trying to lure you into her house? You don't know what she'll do to you in there. Don't go, Tad."
"I want to go, Tad said. It's an adventure. I'm not afraid, even if you are."
Tad goes inside Maggie Brown's home, and Nora goes home to start her homework. She cannot stop thinking about Tad. Finally, Nora's mother instructs her to go next door and bring Tad home for dinner. While Nora visits next door with Maggie Brown, she notices that she loves animals and seems nice. Maggie sends them home with some delicious fudge. Maybe the new neighbor isn't so bad after all?
When I was younger, my favorite stories were fairy tales, myths, and fantasies involving magic, just like this one. No Such Thing as a Witch is another magical story by Ruth Chew that is hard to resist. My children and I loved reading about the talking animals and the magic fudge and what would come of Tad. It brought on a conversation with my children about how they thought it was dangerous for Tad to enter the neighbor's house without knowing whether or not she was a safe person. Tad believes he is invincible, while Nora is more cautious with her decisions. Even their mother does not seem concerned about what the kids are doing. We discussed people and whether or not they are more careless today than how they used to be, or the other way around. This was thought-provoking. The characters in this story were interesting, having different personalities, and it was satisfying to see Tad learn his lesson in the end. Even though the story gets serious, it is not too scary, and we thought it was funny after.
Overall, If you have kids who enjoy stories with magic and adventure, I highly recommend Ruth Chew's books. Stories like these are fun to read, but they also remind children to problem-solve and to think before making rash decisions. This is a fun story for all ages.
I noticed online that some of Ruth Chew's books have been reprinted with new fancy covers. I'm unaware if they've been modified or not, but they kept Ruth Chew's original illustrations from the looks of the preview. We might check some of them out later on.
You can see this Shabby Sunday review with pictures @www.readrantrockandroll.com
June 17, 2016
I figure I must have read this when I was about ten. Any book I can remember after three and a half decades must be at least halfway decent, right? Actually I recalled this book and The Witch's Buttons a couple years ago; I looked up some info about Ruth Chew online and was astonished to learn she'd passed away just a few days before. Now that my daughter's four, I tracked a used copy of this title (long since out of print) and we read it over the past week, three chapters a night. It's a sweet tale about two kids in Brooklyn. Their townhouse neighbor just might be a witch. It all revolves around animals and magical fudge. If you're looking for anything even mildly spooky you'll be disappointed, but it's fun for very young kids.
1/2014: My daughter (almost six now) demanded I read this to her again.
6/2016: My daughter (now eight) read this to herself over the past school year. Twice.
1/2014: My daughter (almost six now) demanded I read this to her again.
6/2016: My daughter (now eight) read this to herself over the past school year. Twice.
December 8, 2022
But why is the magic fudge so persuasive? Tad just has no self-control with it... but otherwise seems like he could, if it weren't like Turkish Delight....
Anyway, this is far from perfect, and of course the mom's attitude (insisting that the kids stop bothering "Mrs. Brown" who likes the kids to come over often & doesn't have a husband & wants to be called "Maggie") is dated... but it still charmed me. And I loved Lew, so there's the rounding up to four stars.
Anyway, this is far from perfect, and of course the mom's attitude (insisting that the kids stop bothering "Mrs. Brown" who likes the kids to come over often & doesn't have a husband & wants to be called "Maggie") is dated... but it still charmed me. And I loved Lew, so there's the rounding up to four stars.
March 27, 2016
Yesterday I picked this up along with another Ruth Chew classic at a used bookstore and read it while basking in the afternoon sunshine here in Paradise. It was cute, short, full of kids and animals, and kids turned into animals; and a happy neighborhood witch who lets the kids call her Maggie.
I enjoyed this along with a pint of ale. No seriously, I did just read a wholesome kid's book while drinking a "Back in Black" IPA from 21st Amendment Brewery... That's an example of California decadence I guess.
One thing I noticed while reading was that all the women in this book are called "Mrs" even if they seem to be totally solo and there are no husbands anywhere in sight... Well, except for the woman from the Health Department, who refers to herself as Miss Feldman. I guess this was written in the days before Ms.
I enjoyed this along with a pint of ale. No seriously, I did just read a wholesome kid's book while drinking a "Back in Black" IPA from 21st Amendment Brewery... That's an example of California decadence I guess.
One thing I noticed while reading was that all the women in this book are called "Mrs" even if they seem to be totally solo and there are no husbands anywhere in sight... Well, except for the woman from the Health Department, who refers to herself as Miss Feldman. I guess this was written in the days before Ms.
October 8, 2015
Meh. A harmless, pointless little tale about two siblings who believe their next door neighbour is a witch based on her delicious fudge and its effects on people who otherwise dislike animals. The chaptering of the book was annoying; I know beginning readers like short chapters but they were so short that it disrupted the reading process.
Ms Chew seems to confuse "witch" with "animal hoarder". As other reviewers have noted, the parents in this book, like The Wednesday Witch are totally oblivious to their children's lives and activities. One moment Mom is scolding them for calling the "witch" by her first name, the next she is encouraging them to go to the zoo with her--never mind that Mom has never met her, spoken to her, or seen her house. If mouse-hating Mom had ever gotten a sniff of the "zoo smell" in Maggie's house (let alone seen the plethora of animals and untidiness) you can bet she would have forbidden her kids to come within a mile of it! And forget about eating anything cooked in that house!
Again, the action has possibilities but remains undeveloped, given the author's penchant for extremely short and superficial books. I remember being given a copy of The Witch's Buttons as a child; the cover picture intrigued me but I found the story insipid and silly. I don't remember that I actually finished that book, which for me at that time would be damning enough.
I don't think I'll bother to find any more of Chew's output. I would not recommend this book to any thinking child, still less to a thinking adult.
Ms Chew seems to confuse "witch" with "animal hoarder". As other reviewers have noted, the parents in this book, like The Wednesday Witch are totally oblivious to their children's lives and activities. One moment Mom is scolding them for calling the "witch" by her first name, the next she is encouraging them to go to the zoo with her--never mind that Mom has never met her, spoken to her, or seen her house. If mouse-hating Mom had ever gotten a sniff of the "zoo smell" in Maggie's house (let alone seen the plethora of animals and untidiness) you can bet she would have forbidden her kids to come within a mile of it! And forget about eating anything cooked in that house!
Again, the action has possibilities but remains undeveloped, given the author's penchant for extremely short and superficial books. I remember being given a copy of The Witch's Buttons as a child; the cover picture intrigued me but I found the story insipid and silly. I don't remember that I actually finished that book, which for me at that time would be damning enough.
I don't think I'll bother to find any more of Chew's output. I would not recommend this book to any thinking child, still less to a thinking adult.
July 5, 2014
My daughter struggled to read in first grade and wasn't doing so well in second grade either until she discovered Ruth Chew's books. Like magic, my child suddenly loved reading, and by the time she'd read every Ruth Chew book that existed, she was "a reader."
Now I'm tutoring a second grader who has found the same sort of magic in Chew's work. In this particular story, Nora and her brother Ted, are told by their mother -- over and over -- that there's "no such thing as a witch." The two children know better. They are certain that their new next door neighbor is a witch but it takes them a while (and a few adventures such as turning into a cat or a mouse) to determine if she is a good witch or a bad witch. Great fun!
Now I'm tutoring a second grader who has found the same sort of magic in Chew's work. In this particular story, Nora and her brother Ted, are told by their mother -- over and over -- that there's "no such thing as a witch." The two children know better. They are certain that their new next door neighbor is a witch but it takes them a while (and a few adventures such as turning into a cat or a mouse) to determine if she is a good witch or a bad witch. Great fun!
December 19, 2019
Usual children books. For no more than 7 years old.
December 29, 2023
I love that the premise of this book is a witch that bakes fudge causing people to like/talk to animals. That's what I daydream about! Also, a lot of the secondary characters in this book suck! Well-written characters but they just suck.😂
December 8, 2024
This is a cute, little book from my childhood. I always liked it.
October 7, 2013
When I was a child I had most, if not all, of Ruth Chew's books. I must have really enjoyed them as I kept buying them. But at some point, unlike many of my favorite children's books, I got rid of all the Chew books so I must have recognized they weren't quite on the same level as some of the classics and they weren't ageless. That recollection about matches my experience with this reread. Its a pleasant book and I can see why at age 8 I might have enjoyed it. But it doesn't hold up ultimately for me as adult. I can't enjoy it the way I did at 8 the way I can rereading the Little House series or the Betsy Tacy series.
I reread this one because I was looking for some books for Halloween presents for some friend's children. All of Chew's books that I am familiar with have something to do with witches. They aren't dark scary stories. They generally involve non scary neighborhood witches as is the case in this story. There is a brother and sister and their new neighbor upstairs is a witch who is essentially talented with cooking brownies that enable them to talk with animals. The children learn some lessons from their experiences and help out the witch in a difficult situation.
All in all a pleasant simple story but not anything exceptional about it. I think I will end up gifting it to my friend's children because I did enjoy rereading it at their age and I'm running out of books to give them for Halloween that are appropriate for this age.
I was torn between giving it 2 or 3 stars. My reading experience today is a 2 but my experience at 8 would have been a 3. Since its aimed for 8 year olds more than adults, I'll go with my childhood grade.
I reread this one because I was looking for some books for Halloween presents for some friend's children. All of Chew's books that I am familiar with have something to do with witches. They aren't dark scary stories. They generally involve non scary neighborhood witches as is the case in this story. There is a brother and sister and their new neighbor upstairs is a witch who is essentially talented with cooking brownies that enable them to talk with animals. The children learn some lessons from their experiences and help out the witch in a difficult situation.
All in all a pleasant simple story but not anything exceptional about it. I think I will end up gifting it to my friend's children because I did enjoy rereading it at their age and I'm running out of books to give them for Halloween that are appropriate for this age.
I was torn between giving it 2 or 3 stars. My reading experience today is a 2 but my experience at 8 would have been a 3. Since its aimed for 8 year olds more than adults, I'll go with my childhood grade.
January 5, 2020
A simple, cute, and creative take about a woman who makes magical fudge and the children she befriends. I enjoyed the plot and think this might be a fun story for beginning readers. As a read aloud, though, I thought that it lacked the colorful storytelling and rich vocabulary that I look for as a teacher. I may check out another of Ruth Chew's books and this one is likely headed straight for the 2nd grader's bookshelf.
October 9, 2011
I'm not sure if I read this as a kid. I'm waiting for What the Witch Left because I fondly remember the seven league boots. Anyway, this is a wonderful story. It's definitely something I would have loved as a child and I love it now. Fudge to get people to like animals! A little mystery and adventure! So cute. Written for mid readers I'd guess, but without the annoying repetitiveness.
December 2, 2013
No Such Thing as a Witch contains just enough magic to ignite readers’ imagination. Reminiscent of Mrs. Piggle Wiggle stories and Daniel Pinkwater’s new Mrs. Noodlekugel series, this easy to read magical fantasy with black and white spare black and white illustrations, will be a sure hit with early chapter book Magic Tree House fans.
October 11, 2017
My favorite Ruth Chew book is still The Witch's Buttons. Chew wrote this book earlier in her writing career (her sophomore book); the characters and plot aren't very well developed. Neither is the magic.
October 16, 2013
Children will love Chew's magic added to an everyday life, and this one will appeal to animal loves especially. I can honestly say finding that these were finally back in print was the best news I'd heard in quite some time. Perfect chapter books for 7 and 8 year olds, or read aloud as early as 5.
August 4, 2016
I read this when I was a child and loved it. I read it again, some 20 years later and found that it lost none of the magic. It didn't feel dated, nor did it feel to childish, nor too scary for a small child (I didn't find it scary at all). I will read this to my children some day.
July 18, 2018
One of my favorite books as a child. Eating fudge and talking to animals??? My two favorite things! I'm so glad that through Goodreads I was able to figure out the name of this book. After 40 years, I still remember how much I loved it.
August 16, 2019
I think this was one of the first chapter books I ever read as a child. I remembered a story about a witch and fudge, and was able to find a copy in my library! I'm glad it's still around after 48 years!
October 5, 2021
Cute story about an animal loving witch next door and her magical fudge. One piece, you love animals, 2 pieces, you can talk to animals, the 3rd piece..lol. Fell in love with the lizard, he was darling. Good one for elementary age children.
April 4, 2007
Two kids think their neighbor is a witch. They befriend her, and she gives them enchanted fudge that brings about some interesting changes.
February 16, 2008
I read this as a child and loved it. The next door neighbor Maggie, is she a witch or not?
Loved the enchanted fudge and the fun story.
Loved the enchanted fudge and the fun story.
October 21, 2014
One of my favorite Ruth Chew books.
July 30, 2011
Ruth Chew was one of my favorite authors as a kid - I still enjoy the magic woven in her stories!
August 23, 2011
How can you go wrong with magic fudge that let's you talk to animals or even be one? I read this book as a child and it stuck with me, so I thought it was time to read it again.
October 20, 2011
One of my most favorite books. A quick read.
April 16, 2012
One of my early reads. I think about 5th grade. Loved it. Bought a new copy of.
May 12, 2022
Just reread the book and yeah still an amazingly fun read. Very old school.
August 14, 2013
Ruth Chew was one of my favorite authors during my childhood. I have fond memories of reading her Witch books. They fostered my love for children's literature.
September 13, 2013
A very fun children's book that combines a witch, delicious fudge, and children who with a little sweet treat can talk to animals or even become one! But just for a while, as the magic wears off.
October 24, 2013
I loved the Wednesday Witch by Ruth Chew as a child, and picked it up along with this one at a rummage sale. I wasn't charmed by this one.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews