After the death of Archibald’s grandmother, he, his parents and sister move into his grandmother’s old quirky house. Finding an unusual items Archibald goes missing and wakes up in another world that’s set in the Middle Ages during a war and full of mystery and magic. Meanwhile his sister finds him missing and goes seeking answers then just as a sudden Archibald is returned home, ends in a slight cliffhanger. A great story for pre-early teenagers who love to read stories of the magic and supernatural world.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Andrews McMeel Audio via NetGalley for my honest review of the book Archibald Finch and the lost witches by Michel Guyon. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own thoughts, feelings and viewpoints of the book.
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This is a story that is perfect for middle grade readers. So adventurous and perfect for the spooky season. It also has a very relatable sibling story.

Mr. Steve Hendrickson 👏👏👏👏👏! The best voice narration I have heard in an audiobook so far! The story is quite quirky and interesting and I am sure will be enjoyed as well if simply read but the narration by Steve Hendrickson takes it to a high new level. Loved listening to it and I will definitely recommend this audiobook version!

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Andrews McMeel Audio/Publishing and the author Michel Guyon for the audio ARC of this book.

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 (narration)
⭐⭐⭐⭐ (book)

(Audiobook - via NetGalley)
Be ready for witchcraft, a special ancient globe, quests, fabulous teens, and even genius historical references….

Following the adventures of Archibald has been my daily audiobook treat. Walking to school to pick up our son, I found myself deeply immersed in this dual-world beautifully crafted story, often laughing out loud, very often left in such suspense that I could not wait for the next day to find out what happened. I loved the fact that there are both male and female lead characters, that Archibald is not a 'super' hero, and enjoyed the underlying themes: friendship, courage, family, kindness, tolerance..., all wrapped up in quests bordered by runes and spells. It is such a great book to lose yourself into! Also, what a gorgeously mysterious front cover!
I am very much looking forward to discovering the illustrations, in the paper version and will be on the lookout for the 2nd tome (audio and book). I will definitely follow this author, also for anything else he may wish to share, in the future.

Merci, Mr. Guyon!

This book is the EPITOME of what I want to read on a chilly fall day with a cup of warm apple cider, a cozy blanket, and my cat.

Archibald Finch has that middle grade magic that I find can be hard to get 100% right. It was smart without being pretentious, and approachable without feeling like the author was “writing down” to the audience.

I’m so happy to have another book to add to my Arsenal of what I can get my young cousins, since they’re the perfect ages right now. (Even though I think everyone should read it!)

My thanks to Andrew McMeel Publishing Audio for a review copy via NetGalley of the unabridged audiobook edition of ‘Archibald Finch and the Lost Witches’ by Michel Guyon in exchange for an honest review. It was performed by Steve Hendrickson and has a running time of 9 hours, 1 minute at 1x speed.

This is a Middle Grade fantasy in which an unusual boy unlocks an ancient relic that transports him to a hidden world where he is befriended by a band of young witches.

Eleven-year-old Archibald Finch is remarkably intelligent and rather quirky, which earns him plenty of eye-rolls from others including his older sister, Hailee. Following the death of his grandmother, the family moves from London to take up residence in her creepy manor in the English countryside. Archibald is jumpy as there are so many things there to make him nervous, including weird dolls, gargoyles on the roof, and a spooky forest nearby.

Yet these turn out to be the least of Archibald's problems . . . as he explores the cavernous house he discovers a curious globe. Zap! He finds himself whisked away to a secret world. While Archibald is away having adventures, Hailee, who had witnessed her brother’s disappearance, embarks on a quest to find him. 

The perspective shifts between the siblings.Along the way they meet both allies and adversaries. I found it full of adventure, mystery, magic, and humour.

This is Book 1 in a series and ends with a ‘to be continued’, so something to look forward to. It was certainly enjoyable and bound to have a broad appeal, not only for young readers but for those who wish to revisit the innocent, gentle fantasies of their childhoods.

I certainly felt that Steve Hendrickson was a superb narrator for the audiobook. He put a great deal of energy into his reading and has the kind of warm, rich voice that draws the listener in and is well suited to the role of storyteller.

I definitely will be looking out for the next book in the series.

In a Nutshell: A decent middle-grade fantasy but I am disgruntled! I wasn’t expecting a cliff-hanger ending.

Story:
Archibald Finch is a smart (like, really smart!) boy who hates vegetables and hates his name even more. After his grandmother’s recent death, his entire family—comprising his parents and elder sister Hailey—has shifted into her old mansion. While exploring this spooky manor house, he stumbles upon an old terrestrial globe, with some fantastical creatures drawn on it. He accidentally unlocks this globe and finds himself in the strange medieval land of Lemurea. How will he ever get back home?
Hailee, Archibald’s older sister, is traumatized by the sudden disappearance of her brother right before her eyes. She tries to investigate the mysteries of the globe, but encounters some sinister characters on her journey. Will she succeed in bringing her brother back safely?

On the positive side:
Children are bound to enjoy the various creatures and adventures mentioned in the book.
Archibald is a strange lead character because he is pompous and over-smart and considers sweets “real food”. Children will certainly enjoy his antics and laugh at his overconfidence. He is irritating at the start but he grows on you as you keep reading. Hailee is a typical teen at the beginning of the story, more engrossed in her phone than in her family. But she soon proves to be the most sensible. I liked both the lead characters. There are some other interesting characters in Lemurea.
The vocabulary level of the book is pretty good. Of course, there are quite a few make-believe words also, à la “The BFG”. But this is no Roald Dahl.
There are many funny scenes and witty remarks in the book, sure to make kids burst out laughing.
The print version has some really fabulous illustrations.

On the “could be better” side;
I hate it when a book leaves the central conflict point incomplete because it's to be continued in the next volume. I hate it even more if this is not indicated beforehand. I'm the kind of reader who picks up a series only after the last book is published. So to read a book assuming it's a standalone only to find out at the end that not only is it the first in series but it also leaves many things unresolved for the next book is a huge, huge disappointment. This is a major reason for the dip in my rating.
I was absolutely hooked on to the story at the start but at about the halfway mark, things started getting monotonous. The adventures felt like a rehash of the same things over and over. Only the ending sprung a minor surprise. (Minor because I had guessed this supposed big reveal ages back.)
There seem to be some elements taken from other children’s books. Like the nonsense words from Roald Dahl. Then there are some magical spells akin to Harry Potter. But these don’t stand out on their own.
I can’t pinpoint how exactly, but the book felt like it was overstretching its reach. Too many ideas included and not enough settled. (This could be because the author plans to settle them in the next instalment.)


I had access to the audiobook also, as narrated by Steve Hendrickson. He was marvellous in bringing the story to life. I enjoyed his narration. (In fact, I think I completed the book only because of his narration.)

Overall, this is a decent middle-grade fantasy. Not exceptional, not bad. If your kids and you don’t mind staying in the dark about a few plot points until the next book is out you could surely try this out.
2.5 stars from me, rounding up to 3.

Thank you to Andrews McMeel Audio, Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of the ebook and the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Very creative and fun to read. I liked Archibald’s character ark. I would have liked to get to know some of the other characters better (like the queen). Her character felt flat to me. I always guessed she was the queen from the beginning, but there wasn’t anything included about her personality until the very end.

The world building was excellent and the portal to get from one world to the next was creative. It ends in a major cliffhanger, which I find super annoying, but I still enjoyed the ride.

Only by writing in that classic cheeky Brittish way is it possible for an author to include bullying, school drama, new house, orphans, haunted mansions, inter-dimensional travel, magical warfare, secret cults, gangster empires, kidnapping, Christmas shopping, time warps, good vs evil, deceptions unraveled and young romance all into 350 pages and make it both exciting and charming. This book starts like many an adventure, as a teacher's pet with anxiety is uprooted into a new home--but things get much weirder from there as Archibald is warped to another dimension where he must face monsters and lies in order to try to not only survive but help the young witches trapped in the dark. Meanwhile, his sister can't help but feel there's something suspicious about the globe Arch was toying with the night he disappeared, and instead of selling it to the first creepy antiques dealer who offers her a vast sum for it, she goes on a dangerous quest to discover its meaning and use.

It's hard to write a summary for a book in which so much happens. In this case, the style stands out the more eloquently than the plot. I've always loved books with cheeky narrators, like Alex and the Ironic Gentleman and even Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, whose narrators who are proud to offer persistent opinions that never fail to make me smile as I attempt to wade through the facts of the matter. After 250 pages, I was naturally horrified to discover that there were only 2 hours left in the audiobook and nothing had been quite resolved yet, and sure enough, the story ends on a dismal "to be continued" while raising more questions than it answered. I hope that the sequel comes out soon. I normally hate cliffhanger endings, but the writing was so charming that I'll forgive it this once.

Archibald Finch and the Lost Witches had an excellent premise and started strong, but as the story progressed the story felt muddled with many fantastical elements that had good promise but became entangled within the plot. I believe that if the elements had been separated into different books the pace would have quickened and been easier to read.

What a great world the author created.
My favorite character is the sister she seems to grow more as a character.
But the world Archobald is in is very interesting with witches and strange creatures.

Somethings felt very obvious to me but since it is a children's book I didn't mind that.
The ending is a bit of a cliffhanger so if you don't like that, wait till the next book is out.
I didn't know it was a series so this was a bit of a surprise to me.
Looking at other reviews I wish I had a paper copy of this book instead of the audio, it has wonderful illustrations.

⚠️ warning: extreme cliff hanger.

This book was very interesting and cute but I was extremely disappointed in the end. The story builds very slowly. I understand the lure of a cliff hanger but this was ridiculous I thought my download had errored out. I enjoyed the story enough and if the second book was out I might reccomend it but as it stands I do not. I do not reccomend a book that ends on what feels like the climax in the middle. Too many threads were left loose. With that being said the narration was well done and the story was creative . It had all the pieces to be great but cut itself off at the knees. I don't know whose decision it was to leave some many line of the story open like that but I disagree with them whole heartedly. It might have been the goal to sell more book if the end was a cliffhanger but it worked the opposite for me and just turned me completely off to the series.

If you want to be picked up and put deep into a fantasy world, This is your book. TO me this book held my interest as into the divide of fantasy and real worlds. The cliffhanger left me wanting to read more.

Unfortunately I decided to not finish this audiobook when I was almost halfway through. The story wasn't grasping me and a lot of elements in this reminded me of other books I've already read before. I found the main character to be a bit unlikeable but I did enjoy the bits about the sister visiting the antique shops in London.
(I received a free digital copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

I have seen this book has a lot of nice comments, I am happy about it!
I am Italian and I followed the audio version of the book. I have to say that the person reading the book did a really amazing job! It was entertaining, really entertaining. I was knitting while listening and I found myself immobile a lot of the time to follow the story! Great job!
The story is about a 11 years old boy, Archibald, teased and left out at school because knowing a lot, basically everything.
When his grandmother passed away she left Archibald's family her house: a huge scary mansion where they moved the story starts after they moved. It is near Christmas and they are setting the house with a Christmas three and presents; because Archibald does not see his present he thinks that, as previous years, his parents hid it somewhere and so he makes a treasure hunt in the mansion; he actually finds something after he thinks is his present.
The object is a globe with creatures designed, strange things written on it but it seems to be broken or locked. Here starts a funny adventure with Archibald deciding that the globe is locked and trying to steal the key to the domestic having them.
He manages to unlock the globe; one day when Archibald forgets to close his window, the globe starts to spin and Archibald is transported into another place.
On the other hand in London, his sister Hailee tries to make him come back.
The book jumps from Archibald’s and Hailee’s adventures.
As for the part related to Archibald I really loved the aspect about definitions: everything is different from how Archibald and we are used to.
As for the part related to Hailee, there is no great highlight about her, but she changes too, all the efforts she makes to make her brother come back are a great sign. There is a funny character in the Hailee adventures and is the professor. I liked him, and there is something to learn from his point of view too (I think he needs to know what happened with the globe).
Please pin me in for the second book! Can’t wait!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
I didn't care for the narrator's voice. It was grating and made the book difficult to listen to. On top of that I thought the plot line was similar to other books I've read recently, but not done as well. Top it all off with an unlikeable main character and this was a loss for me.

This story is about 11-year-old Archibald and his sister Hailey. When their grandmother dies, their parents inherit a scary, insanely large manor. In search of a Christmas gift, Archibald finds an old artifact, and after trying to open it for a while, it opens and transports him to another place in time, leaving Hailey behind and sending them on two different journeys, both with the same goal—to get Archibald home.
Now, it's a very charming book, but it tends to try a bit too much for my taste. The story sets up more questions than it ultimately answers, and though one of the main goals completes, in a way, the story ends leaving a feeling it shouldn't have, not just yet. It's one of those endings that just snaps off, instead of slowly getting back and allowing for the characters and readers to land after an adventure.
The story is richly detailed, and in most cases, provided very fun imagery. But some of it could have been taken out for better focus on the story. One I remember in particular is an antique store and its owner getting a lot of attention while the character only speaks a few lines with him, and then we don't see the weird store or owner again.
I mentioned the story trying too much, and that weaves into the imagery explained above, but in a different way. Throughout the story, there are characters saying a lot of bullocks words, and after 5 or 6 tries, they go back to a word the audience would understand, probably to point out that a different culture has developed, and that's fine if it happens once or twice, but leaving it out wouldn't have harmed the story at all, in my opinion.
The monsters described were also creative, but I was surprised to hear that the wimpy Archibald wasn't too concerned about their grotesque appearances even though the stone gargoyles on the mansion scared him. Also, something about the magic system doesn't really make sense to me, if the fantasy world actually is part of the "normal" world and not its own.

Except for the sometimes excessive word count (which I'm also prone to), the questions I had about Archibald's reaction and magic, and the rushed end of the first part of the story, I truly enjoyed following the siblings around, even though Archibald can sometimes grate on the nerves of those who can't stand know-it-alls for an extended period of time.
The narrator was very engaging and made it into a very enjoyable journey, and I'd love to see more (although maybe more sparsely worded) books in the series.

I think this book could be explained as a mix between Narnia and maybe Percy Jackson, with hints of Harry Potter. A good fantasy for middle grade children.

Hi everyone! Today I’m going to review Archibald Finch and the Lost Witches, the amazing first book of a middle-grade fantasy series written by Michel Guyon.
Holy Bejabbles! This book is very different from any middle-grade I’ve read, mainly because it has a truly original story. There are witches in this book, yes, but they aren’t old ladies with flying broomsticks who wear old black suits with pointy hats —they are young girls who use golems and runes as their source of magic! There are also dragons in this book, but not the winged beasts we are used to see… here, the dragons are called Marodors, and they look like giant combined parts of other animals, and yes, like dragons, they spit fire.
This book has great characters, and they surely have a great development. I think my favorites are Archibald, Hailee and Faerydae.
I actually listened to the audiobook, and the narrator did a great job giving voice to the characters, and although it has no sound effects or music, it is an amazing experience.
I would recommend you this book if you like middle-grade, fantasy and medieval books.
I can’t wait to read the second book when it comes out!
I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. Lots of creativity and fun for the imagination. Loved the balance of the two worlds. Michel Guyon has established the beginning of a great series with wonderful storytelling. Lots of positive messages tucked inside about being a good person and being respectful of all living things. Young readers (and parents) will love this book.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Archibald Finch and the Lost Witches is an amazing middle grade read that turned out to be so much fun!
In this book we follow Archibald who falls into a world different to our own. I thoroughly enjoyed his adventure and the creativity of the story and the monsters brought to life through it.
I wasn't very keen on Archibald at first but he soon began to grow on me.
This book was so hard to pull myself away from and the narrator was fantastic throughout.
I also found so much humour within the pages of this book which the target audience will absolutely love!
What a great all rounder book this was!!