The Eye of the Warlock: A Further Tales Adventure

By P.W. Catanese

When a stranger knocks on his door and promises to lead him to hidden treasure, twelve-year-old Rudi is skeptical. And he's even more suspicious when the stranger proclaims that the jewels belonged to the legendary Hansel. Sure, Rudi's heard stories: the witch, the oven, the sister named Gretel. But he never fully believed they were real. Until now... Life has been unkind to Rudi -- and to Lucie and Elsebeth, the two little girls he looks after. So when this stranger announces he needs Rudi's help to uncover Hansel's treasure, Rudi sees a way out. And so an incredible journey -- one filled with mist-covered castles, a treehouse-dwelling outsider, and creatures called murglins -- begins. But as Rudi, the girls, and the stranger weave their way through the rambling woods, Rudi notices the clouds blackening and a thick fog descending. He wonders, Has the forest always been this...creepy? And those shadows between the trees -- is their tiny group being followed? Then the unthinkable happens: Lucie and Elsebeth are stolen Who would take them? Rudi gets his answer in the shape of a warlock. And his ransom price is steep: Bring me Hansel and the children will be returned. Is a simple woodcutter like Rudi any match for a thousand-year-old villain?

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0689871759
• ISBN13: 9780689871757
• Release Date: November 2005
• Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 7.7"
• Age Range: 9 to 13 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 8

Customer Reviews

Adventure, Danger, and an Expanding of the Original Hansel & Gretel Story...Absolutely FUN!

This is our third in Catanese's A Further Adventure Tale series and I have to say, I'm pretty tickled with the idea of not necessarily rewriting the tale of the Brothers Grimm over from scratch, rather Catanese has extended them, taken them in to the future...sometimes the distant future and other time in the near future (as is the case with The Eye of the Warlock). These are fun tales meant to expand (and play with) some of the most popular Grimm Fairy Tales...in the case of The Eye of the Warlock, we are talking about extending the story of Hansel & Gretel. As this story begins we find Rudi and his family (complete with a bumbling uncle and wicked step-mother) living on the edge of a vast, dark forest...the very forest of the original tale...nay, the VERY house that Hansel & Gretel once dwelled within. From this humble beginning, we discover that Rudi's two adopted sisters have suffered the same fate as his distant relatives, long ago. Thus starts Rudi's trials and tribulations in trying to over come what seems to be a case of history repeating itself (with slight variations, since the original witch is quite dead). It is the introduction of a stranger promising Rude the remaining spoils of the old Witch Hansel & Gretel bested many years before that sets the rest of the tale in motion and puts Rudi, Luci, and Elsebeth in danger and seeking desperately to discover the plot of the diabolical warlock who seems desperate to get his hands on the very same treasure...and will stop at nothing to do so! Overall, it's a good read, plenty of suspense and lots of danger, devious villains, unexpected allies, bullies, friendships in the making, and a grand adventure that might well cost them their lives before all is said and done. I imagine this book (and the series in general) would be popular with boys (approximately age 8-12) as all of the "heroes" of the stories in this series are young or adolescent boys, however, having said that, my 10 year old daughter got a real kick out of this one (and the other 2 we've read also) so the appeal does cross gender lines. I also believe that The Eye of the Warlock would make a fine read aloud for younger readers as the action and adventure would lend itself to a romping

Fun bedtime reading with our first grade son

Our first grade son really enjoyed this story. We both looked forward to reading it together. It is too advanced for a first grader on his own. We plan to read more by this author.