If you like: Scottish accents, Harry Potter, Gail Carson Levine, CS Lewis
Annie brought me The Wee Free Men as a gift after spending a summer in England. I spent the entire day after she came home on the couch, wearing the pink scarf she’d gotten for me in Paris, and reading the entirety of my first ever Terry Pratchett book. In every reread I’ve done since then, The Wee Free Men is the kind of story that still inspires awe and love in me.
When I recommend this book, I always cite the main character, Tiffany Aching, as the original frying pan wielding heroine, way before Tangled came into the picture. Tiffany is 9 years old, a witch, and unfailingly practical:
“I’m me! I’m careful and logical and I look up things I don’t understand! When I hear people use the wrong words, I get edgy! I am good with cheese. I read books fast! I think! And I always have a piece of string! That’s the kind of person I am!”
Tiffany’s magic, and the magic in her world, is all about listening, studying, and seeing—not big dazzling displays of sparks and enchantments. Pratchett writes about magic in a quiet way that somehow makes it feel encompassing, accessible, like anyone could experience it if they’d just carry around their own piece of string and pay attention to their Second Thoughts.
The Wee Free Men is also hilarious. Pratchett’s creation of the Nac Mac Feegle pictsies (not to be confused with pixies) is nothing short of genius. The little blue men are good at drinkin’, fightin’, stealin’, and cussin’. Their heavily-accented zaniness is the perfect sidekick to Tiffany’s straight-laced attitude.
“'Whut's the plan, Rob?’ said one of them.
‘Okay, lads, this is what we'll do. As soon as we see somethin', we'll attack it. Right?’
This caused a cheer.
‘Ach, 'tis a good plan,’ said Daft Wullie.”
While Pratchett has a great deal of humor and wit in his books, there’s always an underlying heart of worldly sweetness. For example, Tiffany misses her late grandmother, a tough shepherd who was the glue of their community, and sorts through memories of moments where her grandmother’s actions blurred the lines between practical thoughts, an empathetic heart, and magic. The years since her grandmother’s death have given Tiffany a more grounded, less magic-y perspective, but she realizes that with all of the good her grandmother did, “It doesn’t stop being magic just because you know how it works.”
The Wee Free Men is one of my favorite books of all time, and was written by someone unfathomably intelligent and empathetic. There’s adventure, creepy dream-spider monsters, and an evil fairy looking to take over Tiffany’s world. Also, my favorite piece of life advice comes from the witch who introduces Tiffany to her upcoming adventure, Miss Tick:
“You could say this advice is priceless…Now…if you trust in yourself…and believe in your dreams…and follow your star…you’ll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren’t so lazy. Goodbye.”
"The Wee Free Men" by Terry Pratchett; HarperTrophy; 2004.
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