The Brixen Witch

By Stacy DeKeyser, John Nickle (Illustrator)

A boy's mistake unleashes a curse, rats, and a terrible price.

3.8/5 Goodreads · 230 ratings

208 pages· 37,667 words· Est. 5 hour read

$6.99Save 7%

In stock. Also at Amazon or Bookshop.

Bookroo's summary

Rudi Bauer's accidental theft of a witch's coin brings a curse upon his village, unleashing a plague of rats. As a mysterious stranger offers a solution for the coin's return, the stakes rise when the villagers can't pay. With his grandmother's wisdom and a brave girl's help, Rudi must confront the curse and the stranger's demands. Can he find the courage to save his village from a fate worse than rats? Dive into this thrilling adventure where magic, mystery, and bravery collide.

From the publisher

An enchanted coin. A witch’s curse. And rats, rats everywhere! What’s a boy to do? “Fresh and satisfying for middle grade readers” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review).

When Rudi Bauer accidentally takes a witch’s coin, he unleashes her curse. Accident or not, he knows he’s got to fix things, so he tries to return the coin, only to lose it on the witch’s magic mountain just as the snows come. Plagued all winter by terrible dreams, Rudi tries to find the coin again in the spring, but it has vanished—and a plague of rats has descended on his village.

Then a stranger arrives and promises to rid the village of rats…for the price of the missing coin. Desperate to get rid of the rats, the villagers agree; but when they cannot pay, the stranger exacts a price too terrible for anyone to bear. Now Rudi is going to need all his courage—and some help from his savvy grandmother and a bold young girl—to set things right in this fast and funny adventure.

At a glance