I didn't really connect with the fact that I have always loved witches until my oldest was finally old enough to sit down and watch some of my favorite childhood movies. My picks were any Harry Potter film, Mary Poppins, The Worst Witch, Teen Witch . . . Seeing a theme here? Huh, I really like witches, I thought to myself. I have never liked any entertainment that is truly horrifying. My active imagination just can't handle an actually scary movie. Instead, I love the kind of characters that are laughably evil - trying their best to do wrong but with enough humor and kindness to make them lovable instead.

Grunhilda comes from hundreds of generations of witches, all of them evil and wicked, but in the modern world, a genuine witch is out of luck. No one seeks out a magical potion to solve their problems. In the modern times of iphones and science, no one believes in spells and magic at all. Grunhilda is out of a job. She gets a job as a lunch lady in an elementary school and tries her best to not reveal her true identity to her coworkers or the kids. This doesn't go so well, and when one little girl discovers who she truly is, things get a little messy.

I loved the tone of this story. Its humor was just the right balance of dark and witty with the consideration that this is written for kids who want things to be funny and friendly. The illustrations are wonderful. Deb Lucke has a real attention to detail that I appreciated. Things like one of her grandmothers was the witch in German story Hansel and Gretel, and in the picture, she is wearing a traditional Black Forest hat. There are a lot of little things that made me smile.