We’ve all heard of witches, but do you really know them as well as you think? The Witches is children’s dark fantasy written by British writer Roald Dahl that tells the story of how a courageous little British boy pairs up with his Norwegian grandmother to defeat deceiving and child-hating witches.

In the story, witches tend to disguise themselves by wearing gloves or hats. What is the significance of these special qualities, and what moral value does it reveal to the readers?

The little boy transformed into a mouse in the story, and claimed that being a mouse is much better than being human. Do you agree with him, and what are your reasons? What are some of the important rights or abilities we can gain and lose when becoming an animal? 

The Witches has received much criticism and was even banned before due to its stereotyping and negative portrayal of females in the story. Do you side with this accusation, and why or why not? What are some of the evidence that supports your opinion?

Even though all the English witches were successfully defeated at the end of the story, the boy’s grandmother reminded readers on the reduced life-span of the boy as well as the fact that evil witches still exist elsewhere. What is the effect of this bittersweet ending, and what truth regarding evil does this reveal to the readers?