The Power of Five (W.I.T.C.H. Chapter Books, #1) by Elisabetta Gnone

The Power of Five (W.I.T.C.H. Chapter Books, #1) Reviews

• 
  ambsreads

  If you have a young girl (or even boy, but I'm using my personal experience here) this is such an incredible series! I was obsessed as a young girl and have watched the show three times as a young adult. I absolutely adore everything. Such a beautiful tale of friendship and such incredible characters. I would run home after swimming on the weekend so I could get home in time to watch the show. Highly recommended!
  
  I sadly had to give up all my books one move that my family did and it unfortunately included these copies. I'm now on a mission to find copies, but they're out of print? A literal attack. eBay is my new best friend.
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  Ari

  I read the first two of this series in third grade, by complete chance. I love finding hidden gems like this in the library! The WITCH series has inspired me so much!
  
  Since the third grade I've read a few others and my interest / liking of this series has not waned with age. Oh, some day I will read them all! I really recommend them to anyone who likes unique fantasy / adventure books, even though they are short and meant for pre-teens.
  
  Also, a note: The TV series isn't nearly as good.
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  Sophie Crane

  W.i.t.c.h. Is without a doubt an amazing story and I’ve been a fan since little. I saw that they are being republished and I couldn’t resist buying them all over again. The magic in reading the comics is still there. They are fun, filled with action, life lessons and so much other little things that make them so cool.
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  Artemis Crescent

  I read these books during my girl-power-loving schoolgirl days (as yet unchanged, only now I'm thinking about the portrayal of girl power in the media through a more modern feminist lens and perspective).
  
  I deeply dislike the TV series, however I remember the 'W.I.T.C.H' books as being sweet, colourful, dramatic, magical, and above all heartfelt. It's mainly about friendship than anything else, and each of the main characters - who could not be any more different from one another - are flawed, likable and relatable in their own way. It's hard to pick a favourite.
  
  'W.I.T.C.H' is a nice mixture of real life preteen girl anxieties and magical and mysterious worlds, with expressive artwork from the original comics. It explores how five girls - Will Vandom, Irma Lair, Taranee Cook, Cornelia Hale and Hay Lin (hence the acronym W.I.T.C.H.) - who are chosen to be the Guardians of the Veil separating realms - struggle with fighting evil on top of dealing with boys, families and school. They also fight to keep their friendship alive. Their relationships felt real to me, and that's what I remember most fondly about this series.
  
  And whenever they transform into Guardians - with powers of Heart, Water, Fire, Earth and Air - their bodies grow older; I don't remember the artwork making them look particularly sexualized, now that I look back. But nevertheless, I enjoyed all 26 books!
  
  Final Score: 4/5
• 
  Charlene

  this is a unique taken the Westernized magical girl formula, using nature/Tolkenesqe themes. The characters and motifs have some parallel to Sailor Moon, but still keep true to originality in character development
  
  the writing tends to little stale and repetitive at times, and very over descriptive about what the girls wore in every chapter- I remember being younger, I would attempt to mock what the characters wore, Cornelia and Taranee having the cutest outfits - but what I do appreciated about the books is that the writer actually echoes each characters thoughts and feelings on the current situation, whether they're kicking ass in Meridan or hanging out with one another.
  
  EDIT, JUNE 2 2017: As to why this book has three stars, as an adult woman I would suggest ya'll take a look at the original comics rather than the novelizations.
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  Skrivena stranica

  Ah, uspomene... Osnovna škola i sve.
• 
  Kendall

  I first read this book when I was in the third grade and decidedly fell in love with the whole series. A friend recently bought me a bunch of the old copies as a gift because I was reminiscing on how much I had used to love them, and I’m surprised how much I actually remembered (about a decade later). These books are so fun for young kids, even if they are a bit dated now. Underrated and quirky, the WITCH books are their own brand of magical girl story. And I think the comic panels in the beginning and end are perfect to draw little kids in and make the books even more fun.
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  Anja

  I'm getting soo nostalgic reading these comics now! I was absolutely obsessed about ten/eleven years ago, when I first read them and I can definitely see myself sliding into this pattern again. :'D
• 
  Marina

  me lo he encontrado en mi estantería y me lo he leído rapidito <3
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  Suvama

  Absolutamente genial. [...] Un ejemplo perfecto de por qué los adultos leen novelas juveniles." Time
• 
  A common reader

  I have such good memories of this saga and I felt so nostalgic that I wanted to read the first book again. I loved W.I.T.C.H. when I was a little girl, there was action, suspense, friendship and magic. Reading this book as an adult didn't feel the same, especially because I didn't like how the book overused stereotypical descriptions of teenagers –teenage girls mainly. Still I hold dear the memories I have from my childhood regarding these books.
• 
  Am

  I loved this series as a kid. I owned every one and all the cool nik-naks that I could get my mother to agree to.
  it's still a great read, even for a chapter book.
• 
  Marie

  Back to childhood by rereading this ! One of my favourite comics when I was child
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  Juli

  4,5/5
  
  Mi adolescencia transcurrió acompañada por esta serie (y otras más)
  
  Me encanta !!
  
  Y me dan muchas ganas de rever la serie animada !
  
• 
  Emilija

  i read a lot of this series when it was coming out in the early 2000s. there was even the availability to sign up for a subscription so you'd get this sent to your home every time a new volume came out and i loved getting these in the post. what a time!
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  Shina Moon

  Vi estos libros en el mercado y no pude evitar agarrarme los 2 primeros, es que es mi infancia 💕 y no me ha decepcionado 💖✨
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  alex

  czarodziejki<3
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  África Muñoz

  MI INFANCIA, HOY ESTOY SOFT, DO NOT INTERACT
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  Camila

  I remember this series of books being my absolute favourite when I was a child. My first approach to it were the books and I have like five of them (1, 3, 8, 6, 18) because those were the ones I could manage to get my hands on back then. Later, I started reading the comics more because it was easier to read. Thus I was really excited with the animated series, which, looking back, wasn't a good adaptation and didn't do justice to the series.

  The bottom of all is that, this books were with me most of my childhood and I treasure them a lot. I can quite remember every aspect of the plot but I'm sure it wont fail to entertain any kid who's in search for adventure, fantasy, school life and a bit of romance in a book.

  I said kids but of course anyone can read it. However it's specially appealing to kids and preteens because the protagonists are in middle school and easy to relate . Other thing I like from the series it's that you don't even have to read them ALL to understand it because they change of arcs and each books works well on it's own if you get the general idea. Although I would recommend reading the first one anyways, cause it's the best one ;)

  At the end, W.I.T.C.H. is a goos series of book for a young bookworm or an older one with young bookworm soul. So I'll guess I'll be posting this review on the first and eighteenth book (My favs). And... C'est fini! :D
• 
  Dana Salman

  I don't think the way the magic was presented was the best way..and I think the author of this book was being a little corny at times. She didn't speak a slang I'm used to hearing in this decade. I think maybe the comics would be alot better to read, if I could find them anywhere. I don't think W.I.T.C.H was made to be a novel series. The storyline flows better when there are illustrations to portray the action. I got a bit confused as to what was happening sometimes whilst reading this. Also, the descriptions of the girls' appearances and clothing can sometimes get in the way. The original comics artist must've been very enthusiastic about their outfits (not that i blame her, I always love what they're wearing) but that's easier seen than explained. Because, in novel-mode, they just don't really matter.
• 
  Siobhan

  Ah, W.I.T.C.H. So much of my childhood was spend obsessing over the series. The books. The comics. The cartoon. The merchandise. You name it I was into it.
  
  So why only the three stars if I loved it so much?
  
  Well as time went by, I grew disinterested in the series. I went along with it mainly to see how it ended. I simply wanted to know what the final outcome was.
  
  Surely that is not enough to merit three stars? You loved it!
  
  I did, but that was because I was a pre-teen with very low expectations. This came before my vampire-loving period, so you can imagine what my standard was like. Don’t get me wrong, they’re not bad books – they’re simply not something I can go back to now that I’m older.
  
  Thoroughly enjoyable at the time, but not quite so much now.
• 
  Despair Speaking

  Ohhhh! I missed the W.I.T.C.H. series! I was such a fan of the comic series back when I was still in elementary! I was really sad when it ended. I suppose it's an example of the saying that states good things must come to an end!
  
  Will has just recently moved in and is the new girl in town. She's worried of how things will turn out for her but luckily she managed to make friends with a few girls around her age and even find someone to crush over! But the real fun (well, probably not for her, just me!) starts when she discovers that she has magical powers along with the girls she befriended!
  
  W - Will
  I - Irma
  T - Taranee
  C - Cornelia
  H - Hay Lin
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  Natalya

  I LOVE W.I.T.C.H. so much! This first started out as a comic which turned in to books, then magazines then a TV series. Let me tell u - the books are DIFFERENT to the TV series. For example Blunk was never in the original W>I>T>C>H> .. You have to read the whole series (though there are a lot) to get to know w.i.t.c.h. properly.
  
  It is quite old so rare to find these days. You can probably get the book s from the library though and merchandise from Ebay.
  
  In case you hadnt noticed - I LOVE W.I.T.C.H.!
  And if you love it too, I would ove to have conversations with you about it!
• 
  Camille

  Will is new to Sheffield Institute, but quickly befriends Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, and Hay Lin, four girls with whom Will learns to share her mysterious supernatural abilities. Together they discover that they need to protect Earth from the evil of Metamoor. But things go seriously wrong for the girls at the school's Halloween dance when Metamoor henchmen crash the party and attempt to capture them. The girls have to command their newly discovered powers in their first battle against evil.
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  Sarah

  These books were a huge part of my childhood. I adore them, they're so much fun and have such a unique plot. It actually shows some pretty complex different kinds of relationships between the girls and the people around them, too. I got the boxed set of 4 in third grade, so if you're looking for a gift for a bookish third grader, consider this for sure. Obviously not literary masterpieces, but a lot of fun.
• 
  Paige [Redacted]

  I read this series until like #20 when I was in Elementary School (HS now) I luved sooo much! I stopped reading them cusmy rents thought it was like evil witch craft or something... ):
  THAT IS NOT HOW THIS SERIES IS!!!
  I ttly recommend this to anyone like... 3-6th grade
• 
  Akahayla

  I used to watch the TV show when I was a kid and I used to love it! (I still love it)
  I knew that it was based on a comic book but when I found this book I just had to read it. It brings back so many memories and the book is so great!
• 
  Paramjot

  3 Stars.
  
  Okay yes I am like 10 years older than the target audience for this book but I LOVED W.I.T.C.H when I was younger - so much that I stole my personality from the show and it shaped my entire teenage years and was the inspiration for the first novel I wrote. I bought all the books for the pure nostalgia because I can't afford the comics right now.
  
  This book is a 5 star for the nostalgia.
  But truthfully, it's a 3 star. It's a novelisation of the first episode of the show (and the comics) and yes, it was published in 2004. Instead of reading the book, go for the options as it's visually more fun.
  
  W.I.T.C.H is a great westernised version of the magical girl genre and one of things I love about the characters is how well they get along with each other. It's so very easy to pit female characters against each other - especially in books aimed at young girls and teenagers. But despite each character having their own distinguished personality, they get along together so well.
  
  Honestly, my only complaint is how the characters talk about their body shapes. On page 4, Taranee notes that Will has 'a flat chest' and there's other points where they talk about how curvy Irma is. Which makes me a little uncomfortable because these are characters are 12 years old and this book is also aimed at 10-12 year olds. This is definitely a choice the author made to include because these comments aren't made in the comics or shows.