The Ragwitch

by Garth Nix

Book Overview

From the creator of the Abhorsen trilogy comes his classic first novel of magic and coming of age, now available in a package designed for fantasy lovers of all ages. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060508078
• ISBN13: 9780060508074
• Release Date: March 2004
• Publisher: Harperteen
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 4.3" x 6.8"
• Age Range: 12 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 12

Customer Reviews

The Ragwitch

Paul had always wondered why that sand dune on the beach was red. When his sister, Julia, finds an unusual rag and mysterious doll in the dune, both of their lives will never be the same. The doll happens to have an evil spirit that takes control of Julia's actions. The spirit, known as the Ragwitch, vanishes after walking into a wall of flames. Paul, overwhelmed by what has happened, walks into the flames to try and save his sister. Paul soon finds himself in a place other than Australia. He turns out to be on another world, where people are in constant fear of creatures such as Gwarulch, Meepers, and Agnarling; creatures who do the Ragwitch's evil bidding. When Paul finds out that Julia has become part of the Ragwitch's body, and that she feels what the Ragwitch feels, Paul knows he has to find her, before it's too late. Early in his travels, Paul meets an old man, known to be one of the wise. He tells Paul that the only way to defeat the Ragwitch is to gather the four Elemental items:air, water, fire, and earth. As Paul leaves he notices an older boy traveling in a balloon. The boy, named Quigin, was sent to take Paul to wherever he wanted to go to, and is also able to talk to animals. Meanwhile, Julia is becoming more and more of the Ragwitch, and is losing her thoughts, which are being replaced by the Ragwitch's memories. This changes when Julia finds another person imprisoned in the witch's mind. This spirit named Lyssa brings Julia out of her imprisonment and into one of the witch's memories. As Julia tries to bring the witch down one way, Paul does the same by going on a journey to collect the Elemental items. Throughout the pages, Paul collects the feather of Air, the blood of Water, the coal of Fire, and the vegetable of Earth. As he is pursued, Paul awakens to find himself next to the Patchwork King, who takes the ingredients and makes a spear that can kill the Ragwitch. In the climatic final battle, Paul goes to the Ragwitch, stabs her in the arm, and kills her. The Ragwitch, by Garth Nix, is an exceptional fantasy novel that should be read because of its action, fantasy, and because of its intense suspense. The Ragwitch, by Garth Nix, had a great amount of action. Throughout the novel, there are frequent battles in which the Ragwitch's army devastates anyone in her path. When Paul and Quigin arrive in the fishing village of Dombreye, Quigin finds that the Gwarulch are close by, with armies of Meepers accompanying them. When the battle for the village does take place, the Gwarulch fight viciously, and easily defeat the town, after Paul and Quigin escape under the sea. The last battle is also important, as many humans are killed. This novel is also a prime example of a fantasy story. When the Ragwitch escapes to her world, Paul follows her by constructing a pyramid of twigs and walks through flames. In this world, Paul finds himself captured by a race of tree-like creatures known as the May-dancers. After he is released, Paul finds

The Ragwitch

Garth Nix is an excellent author. His books are well written and Ragwitch is no exception. I liked it so much my daughter has decided to read it.

A Light Fantasy Novel, but don't get me wrong

As Nix's first novel, this book is astounding. The story is new and creative and takes the readers through a magnificent journey through the mind of The Ragwitch, the villain of this story. The characters are fun and inventive, and the land is created with clear imagination and thought. Each page provides readers with magic and mystery, as they unravel the secrets of the Ragwitch's realm, while striving to stop her from her evil intentions. I would suggest this book mostly to a younger audience, from around 8-13, though I was 15 when I read it and I love the story, along with all of Nix's other books. He is definately a new author to discover.

Hansel and Gretel on steroids

Julia and her brother, Paul are two perfectly ordinary children who happen to discover a ragdoll in a midden heap. Julia is sucked up into the mind of the ragdoll who is really a powerful and evil witch. When Julia and the ragwitch disappear through a ring of fire, Paul bravely follows them. From then on, "Ragwitch" follows the ancient fairy-tale structure of children versus evil---a `Hansel and Gretel' story where the witch actually devours one of the children. Garth Nix adds a ferocious edge to Paul and Julia's adventure. I never knew what was going to happen next.Both children actively oppose the ragwitch, although Julia's situation is far more horrific. She is wired into the ragwitch's nervous system while the evil, old sorceress shambles from atrocity to atrocity.(Actually, I grew fond of some of her minions, called the Stone Knights. If you've ever seen the movie, `Monolith Monsters' you'll be able to figure how the Knights pounded into combat).Once Paul is transferred to ragwitch's original world through the ring of fire, he suffers more than his share of perils, including a battle or two. He finally finds friends and sets out on a quest to locate each of the four Elementals, Wind, Water, Fire, and Earth. If he can talk a good line, they might help him defeat the ragwitch and her destructive minions.This is my favorite part of `Ragwitch.' The Elementals are not the usual clichéd characters found in other fantasies I could mention. The author expends lots of imagination on them---I was never certain whether Paul was going to succeed in his quest, or die trying.It isn't every boy who gets to meet Mother Earth, while digging for potatoes.I can't remember how I would have handled this horror-fantasy mixture when I was under the drinking age. The book certainly veers toward the gruesome edge of Young Adult fantasy ---think of it as `Hansel and Gretel' on steroids.

I read the back of the book and got intrigued!

This is one of my favorite books! It has style and imagination! I am 13. I recommended it to all of my friends and they loved it, too! It's truly unique!!! Please read this remarkable book