The Wee Free Men

by Terry Pratchett

A review by Sara Froehlich

Although the target audience for this book is young readers ages 9-12, this charming fable will be enjoyed by anyone who knows the Discworld series. We have new characters and new locations, and of course in pure Pratchett style, humor galore.

We meet up again with the Nac Mac Feegle, which we met in Carpe Jugulum, a race of Pictsies. The pictsies are a blue, red-haired, fierce, thieving, warrior tribe that happen to be, well, short. We also meet Tiffany, a little girl who lives on the Chalk which doesn't make good witches (but Tiffany may prove that old theory wrong!) and is good at making cheese.

When the evil Queen of the Elves is dead set on bringing back the monsters into this world, there is no one to stop her. She has released monsters that have already kidnapped Wentworth, Tiffany's sticky little brother Wentworth (of course if she hadn't used him for monster bait the Queen may not have been able to take him...) and the Baron's son Roland.

It is up to the fledgling witch Tiffany and the Nac Mac Feegle to go to Fairyland save Wentworth, Roland and the Chalk and give us some chuckles along the way! Does Tiffany have what it takes to save them? Does she have what it takes to be a witch, the Chalk notwithstanding?

This book is just one more reason why Terry Pratchett is one of the best selling authors today. No matter what age of Discworld fan you are, this is a winner!