Badfreaky – The Meanest Witch by Konstantinos V.E. Adamopoulos is simply an adorable story with imaginative characters and story line. There are some very valuable life lessons cleverly weaved into the plot such as the importance of kindness, manners, and caring for the environment.There are also scenes of peer pressure, disrespect of elders and a harsh lesson on the consequences of misjudged action. The illustrations are vivid and filled with beautiful details that enhance the story and really bring the characters and scenery to life. I loved the names of the characters, especially Badfreaky, Meanloudmouth, and Goodwhitebeard. There are some comical moments but mostly this is an action-packed,magical adventure story filled with tension with some very clever plot twists. I thought the addition of questions and puzzles for the reader was an excellent idea. A great read for any child in middle school. Readers’ Favorite ★★★★★
Enchanting and enthralling…
Adamopoulos’s middle grade debut installment in The life of Badfreaky the witch series woos readers with it fantastic blend of magic and mayhem. Four-year-old Marily lives in the Bright Forest with her family. Her life changes forever after she accidentally falls into a cauldron boiling with a magic potion, transforming into Badfreaky, the meanest witch. Expertly woven narrative and an escalating plot filled with deeply realized, entertaining characters and atmospheric setting keep readers turning pages. Tension stays ripe with suspense in the background, and twists and surprises are in plenty. Engrossing and layered, Marily’s story brings a modern feel to long-lasting fairy tale tropes, and the brightly colored, eye-catching illustrations add to the fun. Messages about caution, good versus evil are infused effortlessly into the narrative. An age-old theme with a fresh twist, expert pacing,and shocking revelations make this a winning choice for lovers of middle grade fantasy. Prairies Book Review
“A whimsical and wickedly fun read that leaps off the page in vivid and detailed illustrations, Badfreaky: The Meanest Witch is a wildly creative children’s book. The images are mesmerizing and this smile-inducing story is an unpredictable delight.”
Self-Publishing Review
5.0 out of 5 stars The Meanest Witch Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2021
Badfreaky – The meanest witch is the first book in the book series called, “The life of Badfreaky the witch” by Konstantinos Adamopoulos. This book is classified as a children’s folk tales/faire tale/ fantasy/ myth type of book. I would say that this book is most likely at the middle school age reading group. It is a pretty short book, and it is definitely a very entertaining story. I think young children will really enjoy the imaginative aspect of this story. The illustrations in this book are a nice touch. They are more mature illustrations in that the drawings are more detailed than super little kid books. I think they are appropriate for the target age group. The story is about a four year old girl who is transformed into the “meanest witch” who is called “Badfreaky.” There is some frightening aspects that may be too much for younger children than middle school.
4.0 out of 5 stars A good story for younger readers
Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2022
In this book with good witches and bad witches, we learn about Badfreaky, the meanest witch of all the bad witches. How did she become the meanest witch? What did she do as the meanest witch? How was she stopped?
According to Amazon, this book is rated for 8-15-year-old children. It is probably best for 8-10-year-olds, or slightly older children if they are struggling readers. The writing is very simplistic, which lends the story well to younger readers, as do the illustrations. There are some language issues that I would assume are a result of the translation, but they aren’t so bad as to get in the way of reading. As a way to help young readers interact with the book, there are some scenes in which the people are speaking backward, and there are blank lines provided for the reader to write out the words the right way around to make them easier to read.
Most of the book focuses on an ongoing battle between good witches and bad witches, and also includes how regular people get caught in the crossfire. The names of the different characters are strange, as they are a mashup of multiple words (e.g., Badfreaky, Goodwhitebeard, Hardtosee, etc.). The convention made it difficult to read the names at first, but since there aren’t that many named characters, it got easier as the names were encountered more often.
The illustrations included in the book are also really pretty, and they provide beautiful pictures of what’s going on in the book for younger readers. My favorite illustration was the one of Goodwhitebeard’s house. You’ll know why when you see it.
My only complaints are that the story jumps around quite a bit in the beginning, and there is a lot of telling and not much showing. But, this is also a book for young readers, so it’s going to be more simple for the sake of those young readers.
Overall, I would give the story 3 stars; the illustrations are what brought it up to 4 stars for me.
5.0 out of 5 stars A good girl that turns into the meanest witch
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2021
Once in a while, a well-written Middle Grade fiction comes along and shakes the entire literary scene with a bang! Such is the case with this book, “Badfreaky—the Meanest Witch”.
Many eventful happenings take place in this tale. It is all about good versus evil, and it is also about a little girl named Marily, a four-year-old who, by preternatural means, turns into the most wicked witch of them all.
Marily’s father, Mr. Goodweather and her mother, Goodypie (a witch) are good people using all their supernatural powers to fight evil in Bright—the forest where they are living in. As her mother is boiling some plants and flower in a pot one day Marily accidentally falls into the big pot. Rescued out of it, she disappears into the forest and turns into the meanest witch ever, named Badfreaky! She decimates her enemies by turning them into stones.
Full of lively characters and a plot that thickens towards the end of the story. It is an exciting read!
4.0 out of 5 stars Creative science-fiction.
Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2021
“Badfreaky” is a cute, very creative science-fiction adventure book about the life of Marily, a four-year-old sweet girl, who becomes a wicked person after an awful and terrible accident.
The story has bright, beautiful and colorful pictures in a format like a graphic novel, but shorter for younger kids. The text printed on its pages is minimal, making this piece of work really appropriate for them.
I really enjoyed the cast of characters, the plot, and story development. It is of moderate length with interesting words and the language is simple with a few complex words. Overall, a great book to present to tiny tots before bedtime and to encourage kids to read.
I really loved everything about it and I strongly recommend it to EVERYONE!
5.0 out of 5 stars Badfreaky Book 1
Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2022
This is a wonderful science-fiction book about Marily, a young girl, who has an accident and becomes evil. As an adult I enjoyed reading this book as much as the the children enjoyed hearing it read. Would recommend for ages 8-12 as an easy reader of action and adventures. We really enjoyed the authors creative naming of both people and objects. Loved the illustrations as did the littles I read it to.
Adamopoulos’s middle grade debut installment in The life of Badfreaky the witch series woos readers with it fantastic blend of magic and mayhem.
Four-year-old Marily lives in the Bright Forest with her family. Her life changes forever after she accidently falls into a cauldron boiling with a magic potion, transforming into Badfreaky, the meanest witch.
Expertly woven narrative and an escalating plot filled with deeply realized, entertaining characters and atmospheric setting keep readers turning pages. Tension stays ripe with suspense in the background, and twists and surprises are in plenty.
Engrossing and layered, Marily’s story brings a modern feel to long-lasting fairy tale tropes, and the brightly colored, eye-catching illustrations add to the fun. Messages about caution, good versus evil are infused effortlessly into the narrative.
An age-old theme with a fresh twist, expert pacing, and shocking revelations make this a winning choice for lovers of middle grade fantasy.
“Badfreaky: The Meanest Witch” is a fun story for the young and the old. As soon as I started reading it, it transported me to my childhood and the fairy tales my mother used to read to me at bedtime. They were stories full of charms, potions, witches and enchanted forests inhabited by all kinds of magic creatures.
This book tells the story of the little daughter of a couple of a good witch and A good wizard who, one day, falls in the cauldron where her mother is concocting a potion to deactivate an evil spell. Because of this, she becomes evil and escapes to the forest without allowing her parents to help her. Following the story, the reader soon discovers that she has become Badfreaky, the mean witch who has a very particular method of silencing her enemies.
I am glad I found this book since I enjoyed a book of a genre I hadn’t read for a long time.
Badfreaky the cherry snake and the indecisive dragon tells the story of Badfreaky, a girl who copes
with different kinds of creatures meticulously described by author Adamopoulos.
This is an intriguing fantasy read for anyone that has the slightest interest in this type of book and even though children are the main target audience here, adults could equally enjoy it and it is a perfect book to be enjoyed with family members.
I enjoyed reading it because I felt connected to the main characters: Badfreaky and her beloved friend. I expected this to be an ordinary fantasy, with a general plot, but I was pleasantly surprised to find interesting and engaging personalities and elements that I had trouble pulling myself away from.
This is a well-thought tale which I recommend!
I read this book with my 11-year old. He’s a fan of fantasy/paranormal type stories so he enjoyed it. The characters had funny names, so it was always fun to come across a new one. He did seem to lose interest here and there, but overall we both had fun reading this one. The stores were just scary enough to seem “edgy” for kids, but not scary enough to be concerning for parents. The illustrations were lovely, and probably my favorite part of the whole book. We’re looking forward to reading Book 2 of the series.
Badfreaky 