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.

This was a really cute read! I really enjoyed it and I can see where it would be great for 8-10 year olds. It's a great read for the spooky season and autumn. I loved the witchy aesthetic. I would definitely purchased this read. I do want to say thank you to the publisher and also netgalley for an e arc for my honest review.

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.

This is the first children’s novel from Emmerdale actor Samantha Giles. I had high hopes for this story and it is indeed a fun, magical adventure that explores the world of magic as much as it does the everyday worries of lots of families but I also found it a little hard to get through just because I’m an adult and it is a story for younger children.

It has everything a 9-12 year old would want in a tale including an exciting mission and smelly farts but I also found it had some small problems. Rosemary’s language is sometimes exactly that of a 9 year old and at other times it is way above that age and understanding.

I absolutely loved the approach to talking about mental health and Samantha got it just right as to how a child of Rosemary’s age might see problems like these and try to deal with them. I also liked that the adults in the story were totally human and trying their best to juggle their messy lives and everything in them.

I think children of the right age group will absolutely love Rosemary and the Witches of Pendle Hill.

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.

Rosemary and the Witches of Pendle Hill is a thrilling story for younger readers which effectively tackles many themes including family dynamics, mental health, and of course, saving the world from dark forces that prey on the love of others. While this sounds pretty heavy, I really feel that Samantha has done a fantastic job of balancing the weightier themes with quirky comedic moments and reassuring the audience through the strength of character relationships.

I love a witchy tale, and this one really didn't disappoint. The focalisation delivered through Rosemary feels genuine and appropriate for the age range of 9-12. As a character, she feels authentic and doesn't fall victim to the 'perfect child' syndrome many child characters exhibit. She is learning as she experiences the world and as she interacts with people. I really enjoyed the fantastical elements of the book and the delivery is always equal parts description, comedy and magic, a perfect potion for engaging young minds.

In many instances, Rosemary is unsure of what to make of certain situations and as such attempts to connect the dots, causing herself some distress in doing so. I think this is a really important message for children and their respective caregivers, in the absence of facts and communication, grand leaps of imagination can cause feelings of fear and trepidation in children. Identifying this in the narrative really lends itself to the sense of authenticity the book delivers.

I normally enjoy reading MG books about magic and witches but unfortunately I find it hard to go through this book.

Rosemary knew her mom is a witch and yet she never questioned about all the strange things in her house until one of her witch aunt, which she never cared before, went missing. That was weird. And it gets weirder because her mum seems doesn’t care about it at all and somehow Rosemary and her nerd friend Adi were assigned to find the missing witch, without some explaining why it has to be them. I also feel disturbed by some issues presented in this book that I think is not suitable for younger readers. And I feel like some of the terms used in the dialog and the narration are too old and sometimes inappropriate for a kid Rosemary’s age.

I love the main idea of the story, it could be a fun and magical adventure but the plot is dragging too much it bores me and sometimes I feel like it’s pointless and getting nowhere to the main story. I love the worldbuilding and a little touch of history in it, and I do love how the author presented mental ilness issues from the perspective of a 9 year old, how the kids perceive it and deal with it.

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.

I was excited to request this book as it was a nexus of a few things I love. First, witches- I love witches. Second, it was written by and actor and the main character's mother is an actor. Third, a mystery element.
Unfortunately, I didn't really jive with most of this. My first thought was that it was just written a little younger than I have been used to, but I realized that it seemed a bit all over the place on that front and that's why I was having trouble getting into it. Some of the writing and dialogue were correct for the Rosemary's age and other times seemed too old. Both Adi and Rosemary said things that I honestly don't think they would have at their age.
I will say, I did actually enjoy the magic in this world and some of the characters were interesting and lovable, but many of the adults blended together.

Now, recently I have discovered a pet peeve when it comes to books that include theatre. There are certain ways actors are portrayed on page, especially women, that I've grown really tired of. It seems there are two categories:
-Clueless, flighty, head-above-the-clouds, too empathetic or emotional
-Rude, arrogant, narcissistic, self-indulging, apathetic
To be honest, I'm tired of it because it's just not true. I thought this book having been written by an actor, would be a breath of fresh air, but I'm disappointed to say both of the actors in this were written to fall directly into these categories. It's incredibly disheartening that this is what the author wants kids to think about theatre people.
Now, the mystery started off interesting and had me wanting to discover where it would go, but in the end many overarching problems were solved off-screen and too easily, while much of the rest of the book felt like filler.

A SPOILERY NOTE!!!!
Much of the plot is bouyed by the possibility of the mother cheating with the costar of her show. Cheating isn't a very good plot point, and every actor I know is tired this conversation. Just because people act in love does not mean they are or could be.