Students are taught spells that are petty and ill-wishing, and when Mary discovers evidence of a terrible and cruel experiment in transformation, she decides to leave. Before Mary can gather her wits, the broomstick jumps into action, whisking her over the treetops, above the clouds, and to the grounds of Endor College, school of witchcraft.But something is terribly wrong at Endor. Miserable and lonely, she befriends strange black cat Tib who leads her deep into the forest to an ordinary looking broomstick. 'The little broomstick gave a leap, a violent twist, a kick like the kick of a pony.'Mary's been exiled to her great-aunt, deep in the English countryside. The animated film adaptation by the producer of The Tale of The Princess Kaguya - called Mary and the Witch's Flower - will come to cinemas in May 2018. One thing I've never understood, though, is the business of the double entry in the Endor College ledger.First published 45 years ago, this is a beautiful new edition of Mary Stewart's beloved magical classic illustrated by Shirley Hughes. I can only quote the letter I received from Messrs Harrods, Ltd, in reply to my queries about prices of the available range." "It is possible that some readers may not believe in magic broomsticks.
(And that, I think, is enough to prove that Stewart was a superior writer to Rowling.)īe sure to read the Author's Note on the last page. Tib looked back with no expression whatever in his green, green eyes. Then the front door of the College opened, and a tall woman in black came out on to the head of the steps. The archway was barred by a solid slab of studded oak. And as he went back to his stableyard, he had shut the gate behind him. Mary stared, stopped dead, then turned quickly to look behind her. On the right-hand pedestal Mary saw yet another notice. They sat on their stone pedestals, one at each side of the steps. ***(The end of Chapter V of "The Little Broomstick"):Īnd now they were at the foot of the wide flight of steps that led up to the front door. Pre-Harry Potter, there are similar themes, but Mary Stewart writes like no other, and the story unfolds giving just enough details so a young person's imagination can fill in the rest." "A lonely, young girl finds a cat and magic in the English countryside in this book for young readers. It's the kind of book that doesn't get published anymore and that's a shame." Not to mention, of course, the fact that it's mainly about a girl - and you can't always be sure that any boy you're reading aloud to will even listen, in that case! Sadly. (SPOILER: The only way the girl can conquer evil, in the story, is to give up good magic as well.) For another, while you might call it comparing apples and oranges to compare the two writers, there's still the unfortunate fact that kids, once they've read the first HP book, aren't likely to think highly of a book where magic (as practiced by humans, that is) is evil, end of story - or where a kid would really rather sweep leaves than go to a witches' school.
For one thing, Stewart was clearly a superior writer, even on a paragraph-by-paragraph basis. A pity.ītw, for more than one reason, I very much recommend reading Stewart's book to kids before they read/see Harry Potter, if possible.
The little broomstick mary stewart movie#
Unfortunately, it looks as though the movie makers didn't have much respect for Mary Stewart's haunting, low-key style - they seem to be trying to live up to Harry Potter or I don't know what. Here's part of what I wrote, from the above link (with a minor spoiler): (There was an anime version of it last year with a different title - see here.)Īnd (this includes a link to the late Mary Stewart's bibliography and a lot more, on her 90th birthday): I remember reading it decades ago and thinking that her low-key, haunting prose style was just the way I would write if only I could! My copy is illustrated by Shirley Hughes. I know that book and I've always loved it. > Rowling's "own ideas", including a school for witches and many > published in the early 1970s which seems to be a good source of much of There is also the book "The Little Broomstick" by Mary Stewart
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