- Anthologies
- Ages 7–11
- Comedy
The Witch's Vacuum Cleaner: And Other Stories
Book 2 of 3 in And Other StoriesView the full series
Part of the Terry Pratchett universeOpen the collection
A brisk, silly collection of early Terry Pratchett stories with witches, jokes, magical mishaps, and newspaper-serial energy. It works well as a light gateway into Pratchett's humour before Discworld becomes age-appropriate.
- Best for7–11
- FormatAnthology
- Length336 pp
- Read aloud~4 hr45 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Comedic
- Conversational
Tone
- Funny
- Silly
- Absurdist
- Whimsical
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
The Witch's Vacuum Cleaner gathers a set of funny, fantastical short stories written by Terry Pratchett early in his career. The collection is full of odd inventions, ridiculous predicaments, magical misunderstandings, strange machines, cheeky twists, and comic fantasy logic. These are not deep Discworld novels, but they do show many of the ingredients that later made Pratchett so loved: wordplay, absurd premises, affection for eccentrics, and the pleasure of taking a silly idea seriously enough to make it fly. Mark Beech's illustrations add extra comic bounce and help the stories feel approachable for younger readers. It is a good fit for children who like short bursts of fantasy comedy rather than one long plot, especially if they enjoy Roald Dahl-style mischief without wanting anything too dark.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 7–11
- Read aloud · 6–11
- Independent · 7–11
Prose load
Moderate
Visual support
Low
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Bedtime
- Gift-buying
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
4 / 5 · Bedtime-friendly
Sensitive-child
5 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Short story collection
- Funny fantasy
- Early pratchett
- Read aloud comedy
- Discworld gateway
Avoid if
- Needs single long plot
- Wants serious fantasy
- Prefers realistic school story
Particularly good for children who are…
- Reluctant reader
- Struggling with reading
In the classroom
How it works in school.
Funny, inventive Terry Pratchett story collections — a great independent read and classroom-library pick for fans of clever comedy.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific delight is the short bursts — odd inventions, ridiculous predicaments, witches and magical machines and cheeky twists, the affection-for-eccentrics that became his trademark already on the page. The early-Pratchett collection for a kid who likes Roald Dahl mischief and wants the comedy without the dark.
- Magic powers
- Breaking the rules safely
- Adventure and freedom
- Trickery and cleverness
Why parents love it
The early-Pratchett anthology — newspaper-serial energy, the ingredients of later Pratchett already visible in miniature, Mark Beech's illustrations adding comic bounce. Useful gateway for readers not yet ready for Discworld.
- Shared humour
- Nostalgia
- Quick to read
In the series
And Other Stories.
3 books · open the series →
About the creators
About the creators.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
More like this…
Books that share themes and topics with this one.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
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