73 pages 2 hours read

Roald Dahl

The Witches

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1983

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Chapters 15-18

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 15 Summary: “The Mouse-Burglar“

In the Grand High Witch’s room, the boy notices a bad smell. It’s the same smell as the ballroom—it stinks like a public bathroom at the local train station. The boy sees a jumping frog and hears his grandma telling him to hurry. He thinks of where the witch might hide the potion. It’s not under the mattress, but the boy feels something hard. With his teeth, the boy rips a hole in the mattress and gets a bottle—the formula.

While dragging the formula, three frogs appear. The boy thinks the frogs were once kids. He asks them to identify themselves. Before the frogs can answer, the Grand High Witch returns, and the boy hides behind a bedpost. The boy hears the witch tell the frogs she intends to throw them out the window tomorrow night and let the seagulls eat them.

The boy also hears his grandma’s voice. The witch goes to the balcony and asks why there’s knitting hanging from above. The grandma says she dropped it. She tells the witch her grandson has been reading in the bathroom for hours. She asks the witch if she has any kids. The witch replies rudely and slams the door to the balcony.

Related Titles

By Roald Dahl

Study Guide

logo

Beware of the Dog

Roald Dahl

Beware of the Dog

Roald Dahl

Study Guide

logo

Billy and the Minpins

Roald Dahl

Billy and the Minpins

Roald Dahl

Study Guide

logo

Boy: Tales of Childhood

Roald Dahl

Boy: Tales of Childhood

Roald Dahl

Study Guide

logo

Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

Roald Dahl

Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

Roald Dahl

Study Guide

logo

Danny, the Champion of the World

Roald Dahl

Danny, the Champion of the World

Roald Dahl

Study Guide

logo

George's Marvelous Medicine

Roald Dahl

George's Marvelous Medicine

Roald Dahl

Study Guide

logo

Lamb To The Slaughter

Roald Dahl

Lamb To The Slaughter

Roald Dahl

Study Guide

logo

The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me

Roald Dahl, Illustr. Quentin Blake

The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me

Roald Dahl, Illustr. Quentin Blake

Study Guide

logo

The Magic Finger

Roald Dahl, Illustr. Quentin Blake

The Magic Finger

Roald Dahl, Illustr. Quentin Blake

Study Guide

logo

The Way Up To Heaven

Roald Dahl

The Way Up To Heaven

Roald Dahl