Rosemary and the Witches of Pendle Hill by Samantha Giles is the perfect witchy MG! This didn't disappoint. I loved everything about it. Thank to you NetGalley for the ARC!

This is such a fun adventure.
The author managed to write about mental health and make it child friendly.
I loved the magic in the book and the adventure
The characters were so cute.

Such a fun book! I love young witch stories, and this one was more about humour than the spooky aspects, which I also appreciate. A good time and a fun read - especially for an older sister.

I wanted to absolutely love this book, I really did, but there's something about the tone of it that didn't hit with me. It feels like it wants to be for an older audience than it's written for; combining a copious amount of fart jokes with a plotline based around depression and mental health. The characters are alright, Rosemary is a protagonist that acts her age and doesn't seem as though she's trying to portray herself as older than she is. Adi was also pretty awesome! I think he was the saving grace for me, having a character with autism portrayed in a realistic manner that wasn't demeaning. I'm still unsure as to how dancing fit into the overarching plot other than to shoehorn in a reason for them to be at the studio the one night, however I'll accept that it was an interesting character trait. This one just didn't click with me, I think, I could never really get a grasp on what it wanted to be.

Rosemary and the Witches of Pendle Hill was such a fun little adventure. I really enjoyed this and thought that the story was really well rounded and perfectly sums up a 9 year old kid!

Rosemary is a typical 9 year old. She thinks everything is about her, she thinks she can fix any problem, and she doesn't like being treated like a "little kid." I felt that the author did an AMAZING job of Rosemary's character. The things she said, thought, and did just put me in the shoes of a child and I loved it.

As for the story line - well done. The magic and mystery the children get themselves involved in was great. I actually was wondering what was going to happen next and did feel worried alongside Rosemary and her family. I loved the aspect of the family members that only "believers" can see and the overall acceptance the kids had for these mysterious people!

I really liked how the author tied in mental illness into the story. It was very kid friendly and makes the concept of depression and other mental health concerns feel normal and okay. The way that Rosemary could SEE how people feel and could see physical rain clouds over peoples heads was great. It made her character show a lot of empathy for others which is a great skill for kids to learn!

Overall, I loved this story. It was fun and cute. I liked the magic and the adventure they went on. I love how it is kid centered and the adults play a side role in this. I enjoyed the characters, especially Rosemary and her sister. They were just so cute. This book was full of imagination and humor. I laughed a few times at the things Rosemary said! Very cute!!

What a beautiful middle gradde story with a bit of witchcraft. I love the story with a great witchy aesthetic.
It's a great book for the spooky season!

Rosemary and the Witches of Pendle Hill was good middle grades novel. I thought the story kept ,my attention and would be a good classroom addition.

The storyline seems very simple, and I didn't think the language always appropriate for the age group for which it is aimed.

A good discovery!

We follow Rosemary, a witch's daughter with a strong character. Everything will change for her the day one of her special family members disappears, causing a lot of commotion.

There are many themes in this book, such as the relationships between the different members of the family or the mental illness like depression. I was surprised to see that subject was approached in-depth and in a very soft and easy to access way for the youngest.

I quickly love Rosemary, her extravagant thinking, and her ability to see the "color" of peoples around her. It's a very "visual" power, which greatly serves the story.
Adi is a lovely friend and Lois brings a touch of comedy that counterbalances the sometimes dark atmosphere of the story.

In short, it's a book that I like, perfect for this early fall! ^^

Rosemary and Lois live in Liverpool with their mum (a usually out-of-work actor and also a witch) and dad (always-at-work, not magical in any way). They also live with four mysterious visitors, but they don't talk about that - not in front of dad anyway. However when one of these visitors goes missing and the dangerous No-Laws begin to cause havoc, Rosemary and her best friend Adi, together with Lois, are needed to save the day.

Samantha Giles weaves a magical tale deftly with the everyday worries of many nine year olds. Depression, grief and special needs are all sensitively portrayed whilst still managing to be laugh out loud funny.

I loved this book; it was absolutely wonderful. So magical and exciting and the characters were really well written and adorable. It has just the right amount of humour to make it hilarious without being too try-hard like some children’s books are, but I also appreciated the child’s view of depression and mental illness. I’d love to take another trip into this magical world!

This was really cute!!

I loved the family themes and the magical elements to the story played out so nicely. I don’t know it was just so light-hearted. I feel like this is a must read for autumn/Halloween time. I loved how nostalgic I felt too? Reading about Rosemary, Lois, and Adi’s adventures makes you feel whimsical but in a good way. I also really liked that there were mentions of some serious topics like depression and hardships that married parents go through.

The protagonist in this book is Rosemary and the book is told from her perspective. I really liked Rosemary, she is a very intuitive, intelligent, caring and adventurous young girl, that can see people’s moods or auras. I really liked the variety of characters chosen for the book, all the characters are very unusual and unique personalities. The adults are messy, strange, depressed, and that gave the book great vibes. 🙂 Rosemary’s parents did annoy me sometimes, especially the mother, she felt like a true artist, free soul kind of person, and I sometimes felt upset that Rosemary and her sister was kind of left to fend for themselves. 😦

I really enjoyed the narrative of this book, it combined many different topics and aspects such as mental health issues, child’s perspective of arguing or unfaithful parents, magic and mysterious creatures, friendships and love for crazy sibling, and lots of adventures! The combination of family life and the magical world was very well written and delivered. This book has plenty of interesting discoveries and funny moments that I absolutely loved. The author has a great passion for spells and magic potions, and it was very nice to see her knowledge used in this book as well.

The writing style was different from what I am used to when it comes to children’s books. It felt like a cross between YA matureness and children’s book simplicity, or something in between these two genres, and I really liked the way it was written. Even the characters felt childish, but kind of mature for their age, and I liked that. I liked the changes in the setting of this book as well. The chapters are medium length, but the book didn’t drag or left me bored. I think the ending of the book rounded up this story very nicely, and I hope there will be more adventures in the sequels to come.

So, to conclude, I really enjoyed this novel filled with the family’s life and its problems, as well as magical adventures in a different world. There is an amazing variety of characters to choose from, that are unique, strange but very intriguing to read about. I think this book can be enjoyed by all children, no matter what age they are, it has young characters, but they do feel pretty mature.

Rosemary and the Witches of Pendle Hill by Samantha Giles is a middle grade novel which follows the story of Rosemary, her little sister Lois, and her friend Adi as they attempt to unravel the mystery of her missing Aunt Phyllis. Phyllis is not really her aunt, you see, she's one of the four extra people who come and go from Rosemary's house. And she's a witch. They all are. The four guests AND Rosemary's mom. Witches, all. It turns out Rosemary's house holds a special, secret, very important portal to a magical realm. And it's a good thing Rosemary has a few tricks of her own, because some pretty bad people are out to destroy all that is good in the world, and Rosemary's family is the last defense.

While it is a fun story full of magic, giant talking owls, wormholes, and hopping through mirrors, it is also a story about family, love, and being brave when you're scared. Rosemary's father is depressed and this is causing difficulties in her parents' marriage, so mental illness is a large presence in this story. However, it is handled beautifully and with hope.

While there are some very slightly intense moments in the main storyline, I think the most disturbing and troubling parts of the story are the parts that deal with Rosemary's father and the shadow that clings to him, so this might be a bit much for some young readers. Then again, for kids whose own parents deal with depression, it might make them feel like they're not alone.

All in all, a great story with magic and love,  spells and friendship, and redemption in the end.

I received a free electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It's a great book that can be appreciated by adult and children.
It mixes history, fantasy and it's engrossing, poignant and heartwarming.
It made laugh and it made me root for the characters. The world building and the character development are excellent and plot flows keeping you hooked.
It's strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This was a magical children's book and something I would have loved to have read as a child.

Rosemary knows her mum is a witch and has witches that pop by that only her mum and sister can see. One day Rosemary hears that Phyllis has disappeared and notices that mum and some of her witch friends go off to search for her, through the wall. Intrigued Rosemary asks her friend Adi to help her enter the wall and find Phyllis. With the addition of her little sister Lois, the threesome step into the magical world, through the mirror, to help bring Phyllis back and stop the the mayhem that is happening around them.

This book really captured my imagination and had a 'Narnia' feel to it when the children stepped through the mirror. The characters were interesting and brought a uniqueness to the novel. I could picture each character in turn and especially loved the names given to them. The different rooms that the children found themselves in added to the magical feel and gave the book an air of mystery as you never knew where they would end up next.

I particularly loved Rosemary's gift of being able to see a coloured aura around people which beautifully helped illustrate the depression her dad was going through. I thought this was very cleverly explained and would help with children's own understanding surrounding depression. Despite the serious issues that are explored there is also a lot of humour which will definitely appeal to the reader. At the heart of this story is the concept of love, friendship and trust. There were some poignant moments in the novel where these themes shined through provoking moments of reflection and thought which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Overall a great fantasy adventure story with some fantastic characters. I can see this being the start to a great sequel and would love to read more about Rosemary and her magical journeys. Many thanks to Agora books for providing me with an ARC in return for my honest review.

Rosemary and the Witches of Pendle Hill was such a fun little adventure. I really enjoyed this and thought that the story was really well rounded and perfectly sums up a 9 year old kid!

Rosemary is a typical 9 year old. She thinks everything is about her, she thinks she can fix any problem, and she doesn't like being treated like a "little kid." I felt that the author did an AMAZING job of Rosemary's character. The things she said, thought, and did just put me in the shoes of a child and I loved it.

As for the story line - well done. The magic and mystery the children get themselves involved in was great. I actually was wondering what was going to happen next and did feel worried alongside Rosemary and her family. I loved the aspect of the family members that only "believers" can see and the overall acceptance the kids had for these mysterious people!

I really liked how the author tied in mental illness into the story. It was very kid friendly and makes the concept of depression and other mental health concerns feel normal and okay. The way that Rosemary could SEE how people feel and could see physical rain clouds over peoples heads was great. It made her character show a lot of empathy for others which is a great skill for kids to learn!

Overall, I loved this story. It was fun and cute. I liked the magic and the adventure they went on. I love how it is kid centered and the adults play a side role in this. I enjoyed the characters, especially Rosemary and her sister. They were just so cute. This book was full of imagination and humor. I laughed a few times at the things Rosemary said! Very cute!!

Rosemary and the Witches of Pendle is fabulous.

I absolutely loved this book and would happily read any more if this is going to be in a series.

Samantha Giles has created some wonderful three-dimensional characters and Rosemary who is the main character in the book is adorable.

I loved seeing the world through her eyes and it's incredible how insightful she is in regards to friends and family. The relationship between Rosemary and Louis is incredibly realistic and her irritation at how she behaves reminds me of my own children when they were younger.

The portrayal of mental health illness is thoughtfully written and shows how children can be incredibly perceptive to things that adults often do not see. You see Rosemary and Louis’s father struggling with depression as well as the Mother of a school friend of Rosemary is receiving in-patient care for a form of mental illness. This was a first for me and I thought it was incredible to see two issues that children do have to face and have an impact upon their family. I do hope that other children’s authors acknowledge that sadly children do have to experience and live with others who struggle daily with what is deemed invisible illnesses.

The fantasy side of the story is enthraling and I was drawn into the adventures of Rosie, Louis and Rosie’s best friend Adi as they discover that there is a portal to a magical world in Rosie’s front room. I loved how Rosie’s adventure to help the descendants of the famous Witches of Pendle in Lancashire will impact on the problems that are affecting her family. (I don’t want to spoil the story for anyone)

The book is fantastic and I’m so glad I read it, I only wish my children were younger to read it to!

Rosemary and her sister Lois live with their parents and four witches. Everyone in the family can see the witches except for their dad. Rosemary thinks it's because he doesn't believe in magic.
Life has been going good until their mom finally lands an acting job. She's away from home a lot, their dad is always at work. When he isn't at work, there is a cloud hanging over his head. To make matters worse, one of the witches has disappeared and Rosemary thinks it's somehow making her dad worse.
Things have gotten so out of control that when Rosemary sees her mom and the witches pass right through the wall, she knows she has to figure out a way to get through so she can help her family get back to normal. She enlists the help of her sister and her friend Adi and they set off on an adventure to set things right.

I really enjoyed this story. It's a lot of fun. The characters are great. I laughed out loud a few times at Lois' "problem". You'll have to read it to see what I mean.

Rosemary’s mum is a witch and her house is filled with a range of characters that non-believers (such as her dad) cannot see. A group called the No-Laws are causing chaos and it’s up to the narrator, her friend Adi and her sister Lois to sort it out. They embark on a magical adventure and venture into the unknown to save a family friend.

There were lots of positives about this story. I felt that it was very original and I liked the mixture of fantasy and humour. I thought the idea of Rosemary seeing colours, or auras, around the other characters to reflect their feelings was a great power to have and offered valuable insight into the underlying emotions of other characters. I also was impressed by how issues such as depression and mental health were included and described in a child-friendly manners There are a diverse range of characters in the story, which will allow lots of readers to identify with.

Although there were lots of positives, this book didn’t quite hit the mark for me, unfortunately. The story line felt a little crammed and I didn’t feel that enough time was spent really developing the central character, or sharing her emotions on these magical occurrences. It felt somewhat rushed. Although I couldn’t predict what would happen next, I wasn’t gripped. Having said that, I know some of my Year 5 readers would enjoy this story if they were to read it. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to preview this book.