Escape to Witch Mountain

A Gift of Kindness 2008-11-11

Reviewer: Kevin Killian

All the children wanted was to fit in, but fate had another plan for them. They knew they were not like other earthlings, and they even looked different with their ash blonde hair, deeply tanned skin, and bright cat's eyes. Plus, they could talk to each other with their minds alone, and when Tony played his harmonica, wild animals came out of the woods to watch and tingle. Tia, his younger sister, had a pair of dolls she could make dance with each other; that amused them when things got tough in the New York City orphanage in which they were now lodged, wretched wards of the state whose grandmother has died without making better provisions for them. It's a horrible, hard knocks life they lead, but they have each other, and they share a persistent memory of something from the distant past that seems to grow closer every day.

One of my angelic students gave me a copy of Alexander Key's book for a Halloween present, and it has something genuinely spooky to it. As in THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER, an evil man tracks down an innocent, blond brother and sister through the backwoods and mountainous regions of the American south--but the twist here is that little Tia and Tony have "Firestarter"-type tricks to confound their enemies, and it might have been John Irving himself who gave them a pack of bears to use as familiars.

Finally, they have a true friend, a Catholic priest, Father O'Day, modeled on Dorothy Day of the Catholic Worker movement. Nowadays this book wouldn't be so vehemently anticommunist, I don't think, nor would it be able to paint the entire population of the state (North Carolina I guess) in which Witch Mountain lies as prehensile, mindless, mobthinking lynchers with guns continually cocked ready to kill strange children. But that does add to the suspense! I guess also if this book was written today, Tony and Tia would be more on guard for so-called child molesters, and Father O'Day would probably be one.

great! 2008-02-25

Reviewer: Ruth E. Coltrin

the book was obviously old and battered, however this caused no problems with the story in the book.

Loved the movie, and now love the book! 2008-02-07

Reviewer: Amazon Shopper

When I was a kid I loved the movies Escape to Witch Mountain and Return to Witch Mountain. I just came across the book Escape to Witch Mountain at the library and decided to read it. The book was great. I didn't want to put it down. It's hard to find "science fiction" books today that are not scary. My 9 yr old doesn't like books like Harry Potter or Spiderwick because of the scary details in the story. Escape to Witch Mountain was a nice change. As Tony & Tia go on their journey you want to keep reading to find out if they will get away. Pick up a copy today, I don't think you will be disappointed.

Super Reader 2007-08-26

Reviewer: Blue Tyson

Fun persecuted superhumans on the run story. Two kids, a boy and a girl, are most definitely more than human, and when people find out about that, they usually don't want you roaming around free. So they bolt, looking for a safe haven, and have the usual sort of adventures on the way. Not too bad, will be a bit dated-American now.

So-So- To be read while young or not at all 2006-06-01

Reviewer: Jaana

Return from Witch Mountain is vastly inferior to Escape to Witch Mountain. It reads like a movie sequel; the characters are less personally rendered and the plot is more grandiose. As an eleven-year-old, I was excited to meet Tia and Tony now that they have refined their skills at Witch Mountain, but even at that young age I recognized that Return lacked the intimate character and plot that made Escape (and The Forgotten Door) so magical. I enjoyed the story somewhat, but it was a letdown as a sequel and now, years later, I have no interest in rereading it, unlike Escape, which I will treasure repeatedly.