Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite

Giselda is going to Wigmore’s School for Witches and not regular school like her other friends in the storybook Giselda The Witch by J.S. Rumble. She reaches there a week earlier than expected. Over the next week, Giselda has a great time collecting supplies from the school shop, picking up the bag her mother has sent, wandering the corridors, and exploring outside. Giselda realizes that the school is going to be different from what she had imagined. She makes friends with Tom across the fence and she is glad that she has Tom to talk to about her day and classes. Her classmate, Beatrice, decides that Giselda has to go up the mountain and bring back some dragon hair to prove that she is better than them. Will Giselda accept the challenge?

The story tackles many themes – that of friendship, teamwork, bullying, having fun, and adventure. The author weaves them together seamlessly, giving the story a good pace and movement. Beatrice and Emma have been portrayed well and children will find them real and relatable. The friendship between Tom and Giselda is tangible. It is a good book for bedtime story-telling and can be used for read aloud sessions in classrooms because of the good messages it conveys. Witches at Wigmore’s School are taught to be good and not bad. The story is an excellent way to help children understand about bullying, friendship, and teamwork. It is heartwarming to note how Tom, Giselda, Beatrice, and Emma become friends in the end.