I'd love to be able to buy ebook versions of all the Ruth Chew titles. If there is any information on when/where/how this might be available, I would be very grateful.

Thank you!

I love Ruth Chew's books and still have a big stack of them from my childhood. Since then my younger brother and my children have enjoyed them. If you love books about everyday children suddenly finding themselves caught up in exciting magical adventures I recommend that you check out E. Nesbit's books. She was a British writer at the turn of the 20th century and her books are a joy to read for both kids and adults. Her books are at a higher reading level than Ruth Chew's books and make a great next step for kids who are looking for a more challenging read along the same lines. Some of her fantasy titles are:

1. Five Children and It
2. The Phoenix and the Carpet
3. The Story of the Amulet
(series of 3)

1. The House of Arden
2. Harding's Luck
(series of 2)

The Enchanted Castle (my personal favorite)
The Magic City
Wet Magic
The Magic World
The Book of Dragons

She also wrote several amusing non-fantasy childrens novels including

1. The Story of the Treasure Seekers
2. The Wouldbegoods
3. New Treasure Seekers
4. Oswald Bastable and Others
(series of 4)

The Railway Children (NOT to be confused with The Boxcar Children!)
Five of us and Madeline

Another great author of Ruth Chew style books is Edward Eager. He was actually a huge E. Nesbit fan and frequently refers to her books in his stories. He wrote

Half Magic
Magic By the Lake
(series of 2)

Knight's Castle
The Time Garden
(series of 2)

Magic or Not
The Well Wishers
(series of 2)

Seven Day Magic

Do any other Ruth Chew fans have other children's authors to recommend?

I just came across this site for the first time
i must say to you
i loved Ruth Chew's Books as an child and now an adult at 35
i was praying to God when i went to some yard sales and a church sale
this past summer to find just 1 of her books
and GOD HEARD ME
I came home and cried I was so happy
and a Beautiful Summer day,
i came home sat on my porch swing and read the Wednesday Witch
i was so happy
she was a wonderful writer, i wish i had an opportunity to meet with her before she went to be with Jesus
God Bless you all
and please REPRINT ALL THESE BOOKS
KIDS NEED THESE BOOKS TODAY
They need the excitement and the wonder and
To use there imagination

thanks Ruth Chew, for the books you wrote and your illustration in other books
and May you be With Jesus
See You someday in Heaven, it will be my pleasure to someday get to meet you
Amanda

The first "chapter book" I read all by myself was the Wednesday Witch when I was in first grade. I was quickly hooked on all Ruth Chew books. I couldn't wait for the monthly Scholastic book order to come. There was always a Ruth Chew title in there. I read all her books through grade school. I remember re-reading so many when I was in 7th and 8th grade and I was amazed at how fast I could re-read them. I just bought a copy of Wednesday Witch online for my daughter who is in 2nd grade. Let's see these books back in print!!!!!!

It was a children's book that I read in the middle 70s, possibly a Scholastic book, with a plot similar to those of other Ruth Chew books: two children (I think they were a brother and sister) meet and befriend a middle-aged neighbor lady who seems to have something unusual about her.

The only details I can remember were:

1. At the lady's direction, or possibly in her kitchen, the children bake cookies with different magical properties, and mark the cookies with candied cherry or candied lime according to what properties they have.

2. Another child invites himself into their games--an older, bigger, very overbearing boy who has some kind of hold on the protagonists--a threat to rat them out about something. At one point, the children are just taking their cookies out of the oven, and they warn this boy (whose name IIRC was Jamie) not to eat the ones with the candied lime. He ignores them--they may have known in advance that he would. Of course, trouble ensues--if only I could remember what kind!

Can anyone help?

I was a friend of Ruth's daughter Helen growing up in Brooklyn and have fond memories of Halloween parties in the living room of the wonderful limestone house on east 5th street as well as visiting their summer place in Hawley, Pa.. There was always an aura of magic and fantasy in their home and now as a grown-up I have vivid memories of the wonderful moments I spent with Helen and her family, memories I will never forget. I am very sad to learn of her mothers passing but I am hoping that her spirit and soul are at in as beautiful a place as I felt I was whenever I visited them in their home.

I read them so long ago, checking them out of the library at my school in 2-4th grades if my memory serves me. I am sorry to hear that Ruth Chew has passed away. I know nothing of her, only that I enjoyed her books so much that reading her books gave me as much enjoyment as reading any other of the popular books at the time: Nancy Drew series, Anne of Green Gables, Beverly Cleary, etc. But when I speak of Ruth Chew, I am always surprised with how few know of these great books. I am now on the hunt to buy her books for my 9 year old niece. I can't remember which were my favorites. I enjoyed so many. The Wednesday Witch, The Magic Buttons, Would Be Witch, What the Witch Left, The Magic Coin. Maybe when my niece is finished, I will ask her to loan them to me for a re-read session. Wonder what they would be like thirty years later! I hope they will be republished someday soon.

So sorry she's gone.

I LOVE "Baked Beans for Breakfast," aka "Secret Summer," in part because of its portrait of the polite old woman vs. the mean babysitter who only likes children under a certain age.

On page 6:

"Joe wondered if it had been a mistake to bring Kathleen. She was two years younger than he was, and she could be such a nuisance. But Kathleen had begged to come along.

"She pointed out that she had much more money than he - saved up for years in her enormous china pig."

Since the book was published in 1970, I can't help but wonder, after reading that, if Chew wasn't doing a gender twist on a very famous book, from three years earlier, about two runaways. Especially considering that they meet an old woman in a big old house, later!

I wish she'd written one more non-fantasy book, but the fantasies are fine too, of course. My favorite is "What the Witch Left" because of her description of the Mexican marketplace and her subtle portrait of Pilar's bargaining tactics - she speaks fast and loudly to the boy vendor who's her age, quietly to the young Mexican man, and she plays dumb with the American customer.

The fast-paced "No Such Thing as a Witch" is fun too, though the description on the back scared me away from reading it for a while!

"Watch out for Maggie Brown—the new next-door neighbor! And beware of
Maggie's homemade fudge!
Maggie is NOT an ordinary person. Her fudge is NOT ordinary fudge.
One piece of the fudge makes you love animals.
If you eat two pieces of fudge you will understand animal language.
Three pieces make you act like an animal.
And if you eat four pieces… HELP!"

I am APPALLED there is only one entry for Chew (in 1975?) in over 190 volumes of the "Something About the Author" encyclopedia series. Especially since she wrote about two-thirds of her books after that! Writers more obscure than she have received two entries, and I think Maurice Sendak has four to date.

When you read her work, you can't help but groan: "She makes it look so EASY to write chapter books for 8-year-olds!" (grin)

I am so happy to find this web site, yet saddened to learn that one of my most favourite author of children's books has passed away. I was a child in the 1970s and I loved her books when I was little! I found "The Wednesday Witch" in my class library in 2nd grade and became a fan right there. I voraciously read whatever books I could find or buy through the Scholastic Book Club. She wrote about everything I loved...magic, witches, cats, children on adventures and Brooklyn. I was born and grew up in Brooklyn and so enjoyed reading about children who lived where I lived. I could relate and was completely engaged in her stories!

I wish she was more widely known and that her books could be introduced to young readers of today because I'm sure they would be enjoyed by children today as much as they were by me when I was in grammar school. I am so glad there is a web site now about her and her books. I have spent years trying to find information on the internet about her life and was always disappointed that there was little to no information about the author of so many wonderful books. Hopefully, children will learn of her books now and treasure them as much as I did in the 1970s. Her stories were timeless!

I have been a long-time fan of Ruth Chew's books since I was a child (in the 70s) and I was sad to hear that Ruth had just passed away, but what a long life she had! It's amazing how little information is out there for fans of her books, so this website is very welcome.

My favorite book is "What the Witch Left." I can remember buying it at school through a scholastic book sale, and I still have that same copy now, almost 30 years later. I enjoyed the different magic items Katy found in the dresser drawer and her adventures with Louise. I can remember it being an unusual book, and it stood out in my mind many years later, when I decided to track down more of Ruth's books.

It's sad that they are out of print, as I thought that her books were always a good read, and always held my interest. Thankfully, fans can easily find books on ebay or Half.com. If the Ruth's books were reprinted, I would hope they would use her artwork. I didn't like the "updated" cover art on many of the paperback titles reprinted in the late 80s or early 90s.

My favorite book is still "What the Witch Left". It was my first and purchased at a yard sale. I have several packed away for when my son is old enough to share them with him.

Did you own any Ruth Chew books when you were younger? Do you have them still?

Did you check the books out at a school or public library, maybe as part of a summer reading program?

Which story was your favorite one? Why?

I recently found The Wednesday Witch in an old trunk where I keep my favorite children's books. I read it again %26 remembered how much I loved it. I was in the scholastic book club at school %26 my mom bought it for me. My copy has to be around 33 years old. I did a search for Ruth Chew on Amazon %26 purchased 5 more of her books. I'm a certified Librarian and I can't wait to read her whole collection! Thanks for this site.

My favorite Ruth Chew book is still "What the Witch Left". I got it at a yard sale when I was young. I still have several of her books to share with my son when he gets older.

Ruth Chew was one of my favorite authors when I was young. My favorite stories were The Witch's Buttons and What the Witch left. I have started collecting more of her books so that my children can read them.