What is the story of the witches of Halloween?
“One child a week equals fifty-two a year, squash them and squiggle them and make them disappear.” That is the motto of all witches in Dahl’s world. The book’s witches are a well-connected organization with one goal: the elimination of as many children as possible, ideally all of them; children smell unpleasant to them, which is the only real motive given. Tired of the witches’ habit of concocting elaborate schemes resulting in the removal of perhaps one child at a time, the Grand High Witch comes up with a new plan: to infiltrate England’s confectionery retailers and giving away chocolate made with a magic potion that will turn the children into mice at exactly 9 o’clock in the following morning, when they are at school. The teachers, she hopes, will panic and kill the mice. Unfortunately for her, an old witch expert and her grandson – the unnamed protagonist – are staying at the hotel where the congregation of witches at which she makes the announcement takes place (cleverly disguise
