Series of books
Ages: 9 to 99…
I am going to tell you a story. The story of Badfreaky the witch. That’s how it starts:
Once upon a time, in a forest called Bright, Marily, a four-year-old girl, lived happily with her parents; a good witch called Goodypie and her husband, Mr. Goodweather. All the creatures of the forest loved Goodypie because she could always ruin the evil potions of Meanloudmouth, a very bad witch. One day, while Goodypie was boiling some plants and flowers in her big cooking pot, Marily noticed a little house appear in the pot. Suddenly, Marily fell into the pot and by the time she was rescued by her mother, Marily had changed into a mean-spirited and wicked person. Marily ran into the forest and away from home. As her parents were trying desperately to find her, they discovered that their daughter had turned into the notorious Badfreaky, the evilest witch of them all, who could silence any enemy by turning them into stone.
Loved it! 😍
In a world where evil witches and wizards are wreaking havoc, only the most evil witch in the world can right the wrongs of her peers…
Synopsis
Once upon a time, in a forest called Bright, Marily, a four-year-old girl, lived happily with her parents; a good witch called Goodypie and her husband, Mr. Goodweather.
All the creatures of the forest loved Goodypie because she could always ruin the evil potions of Meanloudmouth, a very bad witch.
One day, while Goodypie was boiling some plants and flowers in her big cooking pot, Marily noticed a little house appear in the pot. Suddenly, Marily fell into the pot and by the time she was rescued by her mother, Marily had changed into a mean-spirited and wicked person. Marily ran into the forest and away from home.
As her parents were trying desperately to find her, they discovered that their daughter had turned into the notorious Badfreaky, the evilest witch of them all, who could silence any enemy by turning them into stone.
Marily is only four years old when a curse originally meant for her mother is accidentally cast on her (when she tumbles into a boiling potion pot – don’t worry; she doesn’t get burned).
Running away from home, the spell ages Marily 20 years very rapidly, and pits her against the very witch who transformed her from a lovely young girl into the most evil witch in the world.
Along the way, we follow the life of Meanloudmouth, the witch responsible for Marily’s curse and numerous other wrongs, which Marily (AKA Badfreaky after turning evil) must right before the end of the book.
Allow me to start by saying this is NOT a middle-grade fantasy meant for the lower age of Middle-Grade (usually 8-12 years old). It straddles the line between upper Middle-Grade and the lower YA (ages 12-18), with dark content reminiscent of classic Brother’s Grimm tales. Parents are turned to stone, a bird is illustrated bleeding out upon a table at one point, and Badfreaky kills another character by shrinking them into non-existence. Parental judgement is advised.
With that in mind, Badfreaky – The Meanest Witch is a wonderfully modernized fairytale with classic morals and implications for today’s young readers. Children learn about love, loss, not to take loved ones for granted, the consequences of one’s actions, the responsibility to do what is right even if the outcome appears unfair, and more.
Many of the illustrations are lovely, but a few have a more intermediate illustration style. The bulky paragraphs may make this read unsuited for readers who do not retain details well, and there are several scenes which require the reader to literally re-write portions to understand what is being said (a pro for hands-on readers, a con for readers who are appalled at the idea of writing in a storybook).
It is evident throughout that Adamopoulos put a lot of thought into the readership for his story. There are one or two confusing points that resolve themselves by the end, and ultimately this is a happily-ever-after story with a potential for future works.
Lovers of Grimm’s Fairy-tales and A Series of Unfortunate Events-style darkness may enjoy this book very much.
Review by Reedsy Discovery
My gift to you…
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Second book in the series…
Badfreaky the cherry Snake and the indecisive Dragon
Drinking the same magic potion that made her very bad, Badfreaky suddenly became very good. She begins a big struggle to achieve what she wants most of all. Her trials begin. A humongous monster devours her, a gigantic crab threatens her, ginormous pitch black spiders want to tear her to bits and pieces, despicable cockroaches want to eat her alive, a massive snake which is mad about cherries swallows her and bloodthirsty dragons want to burn her with the fire coming out their mouths! How are the kindliest of witches and her friend Kixy, her favorite magpie, going to deal with all these incredible dangers?
The world’s most powerful and meanest witch is gone. Badfreaky now uses her powers for good when she is transformed into the “kindest witch in all the world and stars”. First on her to-do list is to fix her own handiwork so she can reunite with her parents. But she soon discovers some mistakes are difficult to undo, and she sets off on a quest with her beloved friend Kixy, a pitch-black magpie, to find the cure she needs.
However, obstacles soon appear. First, a gigantic beast swallows them. When they escape, an enormous crab threatens them. And their situation gets worse. They encounter spiders, cockroaches, and a cherry-eating snake who sees them as tasty meals, and an indecisive dragon confronts them. On the whole, Badfreaky stays calm, and uses her powers to help everyone along the way, even when her companion advises otherwise.
At the end of the book, young readers get the chance to complete multiple-choice questions. And that’s not all. They also get the chance to ponder over where Badfreaky should go next and can send the author their answers. What a great way to contribute to the story!
As for the writing, the author tells his story in a very engaging style. In fact, there never is a dull moment. The story hurtles from one crazy situation to the next. He mixes references to modern life in with Badfreaky’s trials and imparts life-lessons along the way. The beautiful illustrations bring her magical world to life.
You can enjoy this adventure without reading the first book. But you’ll miss out on Badfreaky’s origin story. I enjoyed immersing myself in this world of fantastic creatures. But I sometimes found it hard to keep up with all the characters. Not to mention the in-depth explanations of how they and their surroundings operate.
Overall, this story offers young readers a great escape into a fantasy world, and is highly recommended.
Review by Reedsy Discovery
The battle between Badfreaky and Badblackluckgiver is about to start…
Third book in the series…
Why is it that Dinosaurs have disappeared?
Who’s really to blame for their extinction?
Are there extra-terrestrials?
Who are they and what do they want?
Dinosaurs! They excite us, and at the same time, they scare us! Once, they were unquestionably rulers of our planet. Until they disappeared, and another animal species prevailed and prevails to this day. Humans! With logic and ingenuity, we partially tamed nature and protected ourselves from its extreme elements. As social and rational beings, we created societies, evolved technologically, and developed civilization! It is an absolute necessity, however, for us to continue the triumphant course, to approach mother nature which brought us into this world and sustains us, with heartfelt respect and humbleness with a solid disposition to protect and preserve all living and inanimate beings which surround us and compose this masterpiece of the universe that we name planet Earth!
The book you are holding is dedicated to my niece’s thirty-day-old Dutch-Greek daughter Anna Hermina Evangelia Ripson; hoping she will eventually stop crying and collaborate with her mother.
Badfreaky magically transfers into a world where brute violence and the law of the powerful dominate, in a world where an agonizing, endless battle for survival is the sole purpose of every living being. Uninvited, she visits the world of the awesome and fearful dinosaurs and finds herself in deadly danger! She then goes on to a completely different world. The world where wisdom, art, beauty and intellect flourished, as they first did in Ancient Athens.
Worth reading 😎
Beautifully illustrated and informative book for young readers, making ancient Greece and dinosaurs even more fun to learn about.
I love the concept for this book because it is so quirky and bizzare than it makes you so intrigued so quickly. Dinosaurs? Athens? How could they possible connect? With a bit of fantastical magic, that’s how! Or at least that is the case in this adventurous tale. The whole thing is eye-catching with fun illustrations and giddy dialogue. The writing style is fun and engaging, making the reader excited to learn about Badfreaky’s adventures. The imagery is descriptive and the fantastic illustrations compliment the exciting story, so I immediately felt like this book would make a kid and parent bedtime reading moment into something quite talkative.
My only real issue with this book is how it is formatted aesthetically. The text could be featured in a less heavy format to make the pages look less clustered and sometimes the font choice doesn’t match. For example, the last page is in a completely different font and size to the style used previously in the book. I feel as though consistency would work better here. This is just my personal opinion though. I also feel as though it could read better if the paragraphs had a greater space between them.
Other than that, I think this is a fab book for children with a love for reading fantasy and historical fiction. It is a magical adventure book featuring famous historical moments (a must for kids with an interest in ancient Greece, for sure!) and I can see it being perfect for readers with a love for all things quirky. If you have a wild imagination too, this book is most likely going to be your cup of tea! Enjoy the crazy journey!
Coming next…
Badfreaky 