''The Magic Bedknob; or, How to Become a Witch in Ten Easy Lessons'' is a 1944 children's book by Mary Norton. The book was later adapted into the Disney movie ''

Bedknobs and Broomsticks ''Bedknobs and Broomsticks'' is a 1971 American live-action animated musical fantasy film directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Bill Walsh for Walt Disney Productions. It is loosely based upon the books '' The Magic Bedknob; or, How t ...

''.

Synopsis

While spending the summer in

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, Carey, Charles, and Paul, meet Miss Price, the old

spinster ''Spinster'' is a term referring to an unmarried woman who is older than what is perceived as the prime age range during which women usually marry. It can also indicate that a woman is considered unlikely to ever marry. The term originally den ...

next door. When Paul sees Miss Price riding a broomstick, the children realize she is a

witch Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...

. In return for their silence, Miss Price casts a spell on a knob from the bed so that when the knob is turned, the bed will fly wherever they wish to go. The children take the bed on various magical adventures.

Omnibus

The book and its 1947 sequel ''

Bonfires and Broomsticks Bonfires and Broomsticks is a 1947 children's book by Mary Norton. Parts of the book were adapted into the 1971 Disney movie ''Bedknobs and Broomsticks''. Synopsis Two years after the events of ''The Magic Bedknob'', Carey, Charles, and Paul co ...

'' were combined into the omnibus ''Bedknob and Broomstick'' in 1957, illustrated by Erik Blegvad.

References

1944 children's books 1944 British novels 1944 fantasy novels British children's novels British novels adapted into films Fiction about alchemy Fiction set in 1942 1944 debut novels Children's fantasy novels J. M. Dent books G. P. Putnam's Sons books Novels set in Bedfordshire {{1940s-child-fantasy-novel-stub