Note: I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley. ( )

When Fran the Fairy shows up at Tiga Whicabim’s shed (not house, that’s where her mean old guardian, Miss Heks, lives) to tell Tiga she’s a witch, the nine-year-old doesn’t believe her. Then Fran takes her down the pipes and into fabulous Ritzy City to prepare her for Witch Wars. Nine little witches compete to solve riddles and the winner becomes Top Witch and rules over Ritzy City. But, for Tiga, losing means returning up the pipes and back into the hands of the evil Miss Heks. With her new best friend Peggy at her side, a determined Tiga sets off to solve the riddles, win Witch Wars, and remain in Ritzy City forever.

Such a fun little read. Meant for girls around 8-10 years old, Witch Wars has a wonderful variety of characters. Tiga and her best friend Peggy are definitely the underdogs that you want to root for, but all nine witches have distinct personalities, both good and bad, that make the story flow and keep the reader interested in the story. The illustrations are remarkable and help bring the characters and the setting to life. All-in-all, a fun and quick read.

5 out of 5 stars ( )

This is the first in a series (currently 4 books) about a nine year old girl names Tiga Whicabim. She lives with her guardian, mean and nasty Miss Heks. She spends most of her time in the shed to get away from her. Meals consist of cheese soup, yes a small bit a mouldy cheese in boiling water. Get the picture, a pretty nasty home for poor Tiga.

When Fran the Fairy shows up at Tiga’s shed to tell Tiga that she’s a witch, she doesn’t believe her. Fran tells her that she will take her to Ritzy City via the pipes and jumps down, Tiga sticks her finger in the drain and BOOM, she is sucked in. The adventure begins. Tiga has been nominated to participate in Witch Wars. The winner rules Ritzy City, but if she loses, it is back to the shed and Miss Heks. Tiga is a wonderful little witch and quickly makes friends to help her solve the riddles and win. With Peggy at her side, Tiga sets off determined to solve the riddles, win Witch Wars, and remain in Ritzy City forever.

This is a great story for young girls (8 to 10). It has everything: best friends, mean girls, friendly and not so friendly competition, quirky characters, great settings and names for places like Clutterbucks, Sinkville, Brollywood, and depicts loyalty, perseverence, smart girls, and more. The characters in the story are fun. Each of the nine witches in the wars are different and have different characteristics. For a short book, there was a lot packed in. The story flows easily and the plot is developed so the young reading the book will be able to follow it. The illustrations are amazing. The bring the characters and the setting to life. A great beginning chapter book for young girls. I recommend this book to public, school and classroom libraries. I can see this series becoming a favourite of young girl. The publisher generously provided me a copy of this book via Netgalley. ( )

When Tiga Whicabim, who leads a miserable life with her cruel guardian Miss Heks, suddenly finds herself confronted by a fairy named Fran, who insists that she (Tiga) is a witch, the young girl isn't sure what to believe. But then she is sucked down a drainpipe to Ritzy City, a vast underground settlement populated by witches, and discovers that she has been entered into the Witch Wars contest. A televised competition, in which nine nine-year-old witches vie for the right to rule Ritzy City for nine years, Witch Wars introduces Tiga to a whole new world. Here, in this beautiful city where everything is black and white, she makes her first true friends - fellow competitors Peggy Pigwiggle and Fluffanora Brew - and gets a glimpse of a happier life. But will she be allowed to stay, if she doesn't win...? And how did she come to be nominated for Witch Wars at all, when she knows no one in Ritzy City...?

The first in a series of lighthearted fantasy novels featuring Tiga and the witches of Ritzy City, Witch Wars reminded me in turn of the Harry Potter books, the Hunger Games trilogy, and a certain kind of very girlish fantasy. The revelation that Tiga is actually a witch - her full name is an acronym for "I Am a Big Witch" - recalls similar developments in Rowling's initial Harry Potter novel, with fairy Fran taking Hagrid's place as the messenger who reveals the heroine's true destiny. The actual Witch Wars competition, with its televised orchestration by Brollywood (the entertainment sector of Ritzy City) put me in mind of the Hunger Games that Katnis and Peeta must enter in Suzanne Collins' dystopian future, although Pounder's competition is far more benign, with no lives threatened. This felt like a very feminine fantasy to me, not just because all of the characters are women and girls - are there no men in Ritzy City, or do they simply appear 'off-screen?' Have witches learned how to procreate without both sexes, if not, how do they have children..? none of this is addressed in the book - but also because there is great emphasis on elegant dress and appearance, with Tiga's introduction to the joys of high fashion feeling like nothing so much as wish-fulfillment of the middle-grade girl variety.

Despite the many parallels and similarities that struck me, while reading Witch Wars, I also found Sibéal Pounder's debut novel original, quirky, and often entertaining in its own right. The accompanying artwork by Laura Ellen Anderson really captures the madcap sense of fun here, and the enchantment of Tiga's adventures. Although not destined to become a personal favorite, I do think this is a fantasy novel that young girls in particular will enjoy. ( )