Bed-Knob and Broomstick by Mary Norton
"Bed-Knob and Broomstick" by Mary Norton is a children's novel that creatively blends reality with fantasy, centering around the adventures of the Wilson children and their neighbor, Miss Price. The story unfolds during the children's summer spent with their aunt, where they discover that Miss Price is a witch who can fly on a broomstick. The initial excitement leads to a magical encounter that allows the children to travel through time and space using a magically enchanted bedknob that Paul, one of the children, possesses.
As the narrative progresses, the children and Miss Price face various challenges, including encounters with cannibals and a daring rescue during a pivotal moment in history. The book emphasizes themes of friendship, courage, and the importance of facing real-world problems, reflecting the characters' growth and learning experiences. Norton's storytelling is enriched by realistic portrayals of children and a whimsical take on magic, appealing to young readers' imaginations. The novel is notable not only for its engaging plot but also for its balance of fantastical elements and relatable characters.
In 1971, the story was adapted into a musical film by Disney, which reinterpreted many aspects of the original narrative, showcasing the enduring appeal of Norton's work.
Subject Terms
Bed-Knob and Broomstick by Mary Norton
First published:The Magic Bed-Knob, 1943; Bonfires and Broomsticks, 1947; combined edition, 1957; illustrated
Subjects: The supernatural and travel
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Adventure tale and fantasy
Time of work: Two summers after World War I and August, 1666
Recommended Ages: 10-13
Locale: England and an island in the South Seas
Principal Characters:
Miss Price , a respectable and ladylike woman in her middle years who teaches piano, visits the sick, tends her gardens, and practices witchcraft with varying successesCarey Wilson , a proper English girl who keeps her head under unexpected circumstancesCharles Wilson , her brother, a young man who shows courage and resourcefulness when these are requiredPaul Wilson , their brother, a six-year-old who is the recipient of the magic bedknob that starts their adventuresEmelius Jones , a necromancer scraping together a living from the tricks that he learned during an expensive apprenticeship to a charlatan
Form and Content
The parts of Bed-Knob and Broomstick work effectively together as a unified novel. Each section has ten chapters and begins with a connection between the Wilson children and Miss Price, then proceeds through some obstacle to an adventure that leads to more ambitious goals, resulting in a close brush with disaster. The first section closes with the magic connection temporarily broken, while the closing of the second section permanently severs it. The children and Miss Price learn valuable lessons about solving real-world problems.
The Wilson children are spending the summer with their aunt when the first section opens. The carefree days offer no excitement until their neighbor, Miss Price, hurts her ankle. Carey and Charles suspect nothing extraordinary until Paul explains that she has fallen off her broomstick. For several nights, whenever he happens to be awake at the right time, he has seen Miss Price mastering the art of flying a broomstick, and he has even seen her fall once before.
Miss Price is aghast that the children know her secret, especially since she is extremely deficient in the wickedness required to silence them. Carey suggests that, instead of threats or intimidation, Miss Price should give them a magic gift that would cease to function if they reveal her secret. With a powerful spell, Miss Price charms Paul’s bedknob to make the bed fly anywhere that he wishes. A twist in one direction will make it fly through the air to a new place; the other direction will take it through time.
Eventually, the children persuade Miss Price to join them in an excursion to a reportedly uninhabited island in the South Seas. The island, however, turns out to be peopled by cannibals and their witch doctor. Only a magic confrontation can save them, but it cannot save the bed from a rising tide. When the children’s fantastic explanation fails to satisfy Aunt Beatrice upon their wet return, she orders them home. The children learn that Miss Price has decided to give up magic.
Two years later, Aunt Beatrice has died, and the children have no summer retreat. Then Carey notices an advertisement that seizes their attention: Miss Price is seeking boarders for the summer. Soon, they are with her, and they discover that the bed for which Paul still has the magic bedknob is now owned by Miss Price. Since she has kept her promise to give up magic, the children must persuade her to allow them to travel again, this time to the past.
In 1666, the children meet Emelius Jones, a professional sorcerer, and invite him to return with them to meet Miss Price. The two share many interests, but eventually Emelius must return to his own time. Unfortunately, he finds himself accused of using witchcraft to cause the Great Fire of London. On the day that he is to be burned at the stake, the children and Miss Price effect a daring rescue. Miss Price decides to accept Emelius’ subsequent proposal, and she returns with him to his era, taking the bed and its magic knob with her.
Critical Context
Although Mary Norton originally began to write books for young adult readers out of financial motivations, her work demonstrates that her imagination was adequate to the task. She went on to write a series of award-winning classic adventure novels, The Borrowers (1952) and its sequels. Her flair for plotting adventure stories, however, is already apparent in her first novel, The Magic Bed-Knob (1943). This story and Bonfires and Broomsticks (1947) show her ability to mix realistic and admirable characters with fantastic plot elements in which readers would like to believe. The Wilson children in particular are interesting representations of the ways in which real children between the ages of six and twelve might behave, speak, and think in a variety of challenging situations. Carey is particularly skillful in speaking and represents the interests of all of them in their dealings with Miss Price. Charles is unobtrusive and observant, showing his courage at decisive moments. Paul is still under the spell of a carefree and secure childhood. The minor flaws of Miss Price make her a fully rounded character: her insufficient wickedness, her forgetfulness, and her passion to win the rose competition. Only Emelius Jones suffers somewhat as a rather pale and flat character, and his historical era is delineated with only the broadest strokes.
In 1971, Bed-Knob and Broomstick was made by Disney Studios into a musical film employing both live action and animation, but the characters, settings, and plot developments were broadly reinterpreted in the transition from the page to the screen.