Illustrated by Dotty Sutton.

Published by Chicken House, 2025.

Melanda’s monstrous aunts, The Notwitches, treat her more like a servant than a niece. Her life seems hopeless until an older girl, Mitch, knocks at her door offering her the chance of freedom. Mitch knows a thing or two about magic and, for this special spell which will free Melanda of her aunts, all they need is one magical ingredient… Melanda decides to risk it and so she sneaks out of the house and embarks upon a madcap adventure with Mitch and her sometimes-talking cat, Rolo. The three of them venture up perilous mountains, enlist the help of mermaids, lift a goblin curse, and join a biker gang.

I absolutely loved The Notwitches. It’s brilliantly funny and had me laughing out loud. The hideous aunts with their cruel demands and ridiculous appearances reminded me of Roald Dahl’s villains. The whole colourful cast of characters is wonderfully entertaining, especially the vegan biker gang/dance troupe.

The illustrations are absolutely fantastic too and really capture all the book’s craziness and fun. You’ll never think of mermaids in the same way again.

Kids will love this story of a plucky eleven-year old outwitting her nasty aunts. It’s an engaging and accessible read for newly confident readers, where silliness and laughter abounds. The Notwitches is the first book in the series and I’ll certainly be joining Melanda and Mitch on their next adventure.

Rating: 💙💙💙💙💙

Suitable for children aged 7+

Thank you to Chicken House for sending me this book to review. I reviewed it as part of The Notwitches blog tour. Check out all the other posts on the tour for more exclusive content.