The Rainbow Witch — Jennifer Horsman

This is a fun and funny, utterly improbably story that centers on Merry, the Rainbow Witch. Merry recruits three children, Cammie, a thirteen year old, Einstein, a ten year old and little Jaime to the fantastic land of Semit End to help battle the impending Darkness, a well drawn metaphor for the post 9/11 trouble of our times. Semit End is populated by numerous hilarious and heart warming characters: the cynical Cat and the noble Bear Dog, whom Merry gives voices too, Joe, the selfish and childish king, who celebrates his birthday everyday with big parties and lots of presents because he forgot his real birthday and he doesn't want to miss it, his faithful friend, Pip, the poet of Semit End who never speaks because he lives his poetry (saying the most with the least), the astronomer of Semit End who searches the stars for heaven: “We know it's up but where?” and all the other witches of Semit End: Ariel, the Wing Witch and her feathered friends, Tew Pord, the water witch, Esmerelda, the forest witch and Firestone, the bad witch. Along the way the children discover the true nature of love, the fantastic magic in Joe's castle, all about fun, why wise men are often not, the essential difference between bad and evil and most important, how to stop the Darkness.
This hilarious tale is from an award winning, best selling writer. In the happy tradition of Roald Dahl and Phantom of the Tollbooth.