Whispering to Witches facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Whispering to Witches

First edition
Author	Anna Dale
Cover artist	Melvyn Grant
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Genre	Children's novel
Publisher	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date	2004
Media type	Print (hardback and paperback)
Pages	280 pp (paperback edition)

Whispering to Witches is an exciting magical mystery adventure. It was written by British author Anna Dale and first published in 2004 by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was Anna Dale's very first novel. It was a big book for Bloomsbury Publishing in 2004 and was released in many countries, including the UK, the United States, and Germany.

The story is about a young boy named Joe Binks. He meets a young witch called Twiggy. Together, they get caught up in amazing magical adventures and mysteries. They are trying to find an evil person who wants to stop magic from spreading. This villain wants to make witches disappear forever!

The Story of Whispering to Witches

Joe's Unexpected Journey

The story begins when Joe Binks learns he won't spend Christmas with his dad, Nicholas. Joe is very upset. His dad needs to visit his Great-aunt Adelaide, who isn't well. So, Joe takes a train from King's Cross Station to Canterbury. He's going to spend the holidays with his mom, Merle, and her new family, which includes his stepdad Gordon and younger sister Esme.

On the train, Joe meets some interesting people. There's a woman with black hair doing a crossword and a man on a phone. Then, a glamorous woman in a black velvet coat sits next to Joe. She has a basket with two rats inside. Suddenly, the lights go out! Joe sees flashes of light and the rats fighting a snake. When the lights come back on, the other two adults are gone. Joe soon gets off the train.

Meeting the Dead-nettle Coven

A rude woman takes Joe's ticket. Then, two train station workers tell Joe he got off at the wrong stop and gave his ticket to a fake. They give him a tricycle to ride home. But this tricycle has a mind of its own! It rushes Joe to a strange building on Weaver's Street with a crooked chimney and a purple door.

Inside, Joe meets several women. First, there's Twiggy, a girl his age with messy brown hair. Then, he meets Rose, a grumpy older woman; Winifred, a tall blonde; and Patsy, an eccentric woman with frizzy grey hair. An older man named Julius is also there. Joe notices they all wear black and have old-fashioned brooms, wands, and witch hats.

Joe soon learns these women are witches! The tricycle was actually a magical broomstick in disguise. Patsy, one of the witches, often transforms objects and then loses them. Her cat, Squib, was transformed into something and is now missing. Patsy changes the tricycle back into her broomstick. During her spell, she mentions something called the "Spillikins of Doom." Twiggy doesn't know what these are, but Patsy says they are in a famous magic book called Mabel's Book.

The witches are part of a group called the Dead-nettle Coven. They explain that witches are becoming rare, and their coven is looking for new members. Twiggy shows Joe an advertisement written with special "witchy ink" on a maple leaf. Tiny winged creatures called windsprites spread these leaves. Twiggy is friends with a windsprite named Cuthbert. Joe realizes how late it is and needs to go home. Twiggy and Winifred walk him back. Before he goes inside, Winifred uses a special funnel called a "fundibule" to wipe Joe's memory of meeting the witches. She replaces it with a memory of him rowing a boat home.

The Mystery Unfolds

The next morning, Joe's half-sister Esme wakes him. After a quick chat with his stepdad, Gordon, his mom Merle announces they're going shopping. While out, Joe notices a girl following him. At the library, the girl reveals herself to be Twiggy. She uses the fundibule to bring back Joe's memory of the witches. Twiggy points out a viper drawn on Joe's luggage in witchy ink. They realize the librarian, Lydia, saw them use magic, so they wipe her memory too. Twiggy gets a message to return to the coven, and she and Joe plan to meet later. Joe also sees the glamorous woman from the train, nicknamed "Slyboots," scolding someone.

That evening, Twiggy comes over, and they examine the viper drawing on Joe's bag. They head back to the Coven to figure things out. Twiggy mentions a book called Which Witch that lists all witches. They decide to investigate Harriet Perkins (the woman in the pink suit) and Aubrey White (the man in the pinstripe suit) from the train.

They find the Coven has been robbed! A re-growing potion Patsy made is gone. A small drop of it made a branch grow from a desk. Joe dips some foil from Gordon into the potion, and a triangular amulet with a garnet stone appears. Julius's chest was also broken into, and a book on graphology (handwriting analysis) was taken. Twiggy thinks Squib, Patsy's missing cat, must have been transformed into something in the room and would have seen the thief. After searching, Joe and Twiggy turn a dead-nettle on Winifred's desk into the petrified Squib. Squib immediately likes Joe. Twiggy realizes they are out of "Lingo Liquorice," which lets witches talk to animals. They decide to go to the Midnight Market to get more.

Midnight Market and New Clues

At the Midnight Market, Joe and Twiggy admire a beautiful Amber-eyed Silver-tip cat. Twiggy wishes she had a cat. They go to the Lingo Liquorice stand, where Twiggy trades some handmade dead-nettle tea. Joe makes fun of her tea, upsetting Twiggy, and she runs off crying.

Joe wanders into a bookshop. He learns that Mabel's Book was translated by a magical linguist named Fleur Fortescue. He also finds out that page 513 was ripped out during the translation. To apologize, Joe buys Twiggy the Amber-eyed Silver-tip cat, paying with the amulet. After giving Twiggy the cat, they realize it's not a real Silver-tip; it had powder on its ears and tail to look like one. Twiggy doesn't care because she loves the cat anyway.

Back at the Coven, they eat the liquorice and question Squib. Squib tells them the thief was not a witch and was looking for the Spillikins of Doom. The thief also stole the graphology book. The other witches return, and Joe slips away as they question Twiggy about the mess.

The Villains Revealed

On his way home, Joe overhears two animals, Dunkel and Fleck, talking about their evening. They are the rats the glamorous witch carried on the train. They are upset their mistress won't be pleased they couldn't find a secret document. Joe notes where they ran into the forest and goes home.

The next morning, Joe and Twiggy walk in the direction the rats went. They find an eerie cottage called Two Hoots. As they explore, they are captured by a witch from a rival group, the Pipistrelle Coven. At their headquarters, Joe recognizes the leader, Dora Bailey, as the woman who took his ticket at the train station. Dora explains that Aubrey White and Harriet Perkins were from the Viper Coven. They were carrying page 513 from Mabel's Book to their Head Office. When Logan Dritch, the glamorous woman, boarded the train, Harriet gave Joe the spell on what looked like a ticket. When Joe gave his ticket to Dora, he actually gave her his real ticket, not page 513. The witches demand the page, but Joe says he doesn't have it. A message arrives from Head Office saying Mabel's Book has been stolen from the National Museum of Witchcraft. As the Pipistrelle Coven cries, Twiggy and Joe escape on Dora's broom. They decide to go to the museum for clues.

While having lunch, Joe realizes he saw Mabel's Book at Two Hoots cottage. He figures Logan Dritch must be trying to use Patsy's re-growing potion on page 513. They fly to Two Hoots and see Logan Dritch in a rage. The potion can regrow the physical page, but not the writing on it. Logan almost catches them, but Joe throws snowballs, and Twiggy flies them away. They wonder if they are being followed but decide they are safe and head home.

The Final Confrontation

At home, Joe learns his father is missing in Scotland. Desperate, Joe makes a deal with Twiggy: he'll give her the missing page of Mabel's Book if she lets him use her broom and makes a thawing potion to save his dad.

Joe searches everywhere for the page but can't find it. Then he realizes his sister, Esme, was using it as a bookmark! She says she must have left it in her book when they returned it to the library. Joe and Twiggy meet in his backyard to plan their trip to the library. When they arrive, someone has already found the page. They have to fight Dunkel and Fleck, who bite Joe, leaving a bad cut on his leg. Joe takes Twiggy's broom to search for his father.

Twiggy's broom starts to fail. Joe wonders if he should find his dad or help the witches find the page. He tells the broom to take him to Two Hoots cottage, where he believes Twiggy will be.

Joe arrives at Two Hoots and sees Twiggy and Esme held captive. He crashes through the window and is shocked to find Lydia the librarian is their captor! She threatens Esme if Joe doesn't cooperate. Lydia explains she isn't a witch but is Logan Dritch's twin sister. She's been trying to understand the page using the graphology book stolen from Julius. Logan Dritch arrives and wants to talk to Twiggy alone. Lydia takes Joe and Esme to the study. She shows Joe her collection of over 300 windsprites in a fish tank. Lydia reveals Two Hoots cottage is hers. She explains that Logan fought Aubrey and Harriet, turning them into slugs. Lydia kidnapped Esme to make sure Joe would come back. Joe asks what the spell on page 513 does, and Lydia says he'll find out soon. Logan enters and announces it's time for Twiggy and her to play the "Spillikins of Doom."

They all go to the attic. As Twiggy and Logan prepare to play, Esme throws a tantrum. When Logan threatens her, Dunkel bites Logan's hand. Logan throws Dunkel through a window, and Fleck runs downstairs to help her. Twiggy and Logan start the game, and Twiggy wins! Logan turns into a lump of coal. Lydia takes the coal and locks Twiggy, Esme, and Joe in the attic. They realize Lydia lied about the game rules so Logan would lose.

The group escapes the attic and finds Lydia in her study. She's trying to force a strange liquid, the "Flabbergast Potion," into the windsprites. This potion makes the drinker mute. Windsprites give witches their power by whispering a secret word to babies. By muting them, they can't pass on the word that turns babies into witches. While most witches looked for the Spillikins of Doom on page 513, they missed the recipe for the dangerous Flabbergast potion on page 514. Joe smashes the fish tank, freeing the windsprites, who bother Lydia. The door bursts open, and the Dead-nettle Coven witches appear! Dunkel brings in the almost-dead Fleck, and Joe revives her with his last bit of thawing potion.

They turn the two slugs back into Aubrey and Harriet. Dunkel and Fleck are turned back into wolves. Aubrey thanks the Dead-nettle witches and tells them they will receive the "Coven of the Year Award." Twiggy realizes Dunkel and Fleck want to go home. Joe and Twiggy put flying ointment on their paws. Before they fly away, Twiggy whispers something to them, and Joe thanks them. With Mabel's Book and page 513 recovered, Julius uses the fundibule on Lydia to wipe her memory of everything.

Winifred walks Joe and Esme home, but she doesn't wipe their memories. The next day, Twiggy meets Joe in the park and asks about his dad. Joe says there's no news. Twiggy tells him he's now an honorary member of the Dead-nettle Coven, which is a huge witchy honor! Cuthbert the windsprite flies in with a newspaper for Joe. It says his father, Nick, has been found alive! Two wolves found him and howled until he was rescued: Dunkel and Fleck. Joe realizes Twiggy sent them to find his dad and thanks her very much. They exchange Christmas wishes, and their story ends.

Main Characters

• Prunella 'Twiggy' Brushwood: Twiggy is a young witch, about Joe's age. She has messy brown hair and usually wears black, like most witches. Twiggy and Joe quickly become good friends. She teaches him about the amazing world of witchcraft. Twiggy sometimes feels like she's just doing chores for the Coven instead of learning real magic. But she cares deeply about the Coven and Joe. She is a very loyal friend.

• Joe Binks: Joe has honey-colored hair and often wears a blue jumper. He's a teenager dealing with his parents' divorce. He's not happy about spending Christmas with his mom. Joe can be a bit childish, like when he made fun of Twiggy's teas. But he is also very caring. He helps the magical community even when his own dad is missing. He also saves Fleck with his last bit of thawing potion.

• Nicholas Binks: Nicholas is Joe's father. They seem very close, and Joe is sad they can't spend Christmas together. Nicholas goes missing when his taxi breaks down during a storm in Scotland.

• Merle: Merle is Joe's mother. Joe seems a bit distant from her. She has honey-colored hair and seems to like new-age things, like a store selling books about chakras and candles. She often seems annoyed by her children and rushes off to be with friends.

• Gordon: Gordon is Joe's stepdad and Esme's father. He always tries to make Joe feel welcome and comfortable in his new family.

• Esme: Esme is Joe's younger half-sister. Joe finds her a bit spooky. She has sleek hair, large grey eyes, and glowing skin. She is often reading a book and really wants a pet, especially a cat.

• Winifred Whirlbat: Winifred is the leader of the Dead-nettle Coven. She is tall with short blonde hair and wears all black. She is a respected leader for her Coven and the magical community.

• Rosemary 'Rose' Threep: Rose is a grumpy old witch. She is short with her hair in a tight bun and wears black. She used to be part of an evil group called The Monsters of Much Marcle. But she has changed and is now on the side of good witches.

• Patsy Bogbean: Patsy is an eccentric older witch with frizzy grey hair in a bun. She wears tattered black dresses. She often transforms her belongings, like her broomstick and cat Squib, into other objects and then loses them. She invented the re-growing potion that Logan and Lydia Dritch try to use.

• Julius: Julius is an older male witch in the Dead-nettle Coven. He has a "fluffy mass of white hair."

• Lydia Dritch: Lydia is Logan Dritch's jealous twin sister. She is a librarian who wears sweaters, pearls, and has her hair in a tight bun. She plans to destroy all witches by muting the windsprites that give them power.

• Logan Dritch: Logan is the evil witch who has been searching for page 513 for over twenty years. She is very glamorous, always dressed up with red nails and lips. She looks down on humans, which makes her sister Lydia bitter.