‘Wee Free Men’ is a Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett. Tiffany Aching’s little brother is kidnapped by the Queen of another world – a world where your dreams and nightmares come true. Tiffany sets off on a journey to rescue him with a large pair of boots and a frying pan. She meets up with the Wee Free Men, a band of brothers bent on fighting and drinking who assist her on her journey. Tiffany also wants to become a witch and this factors into her adventures.

I read a lot of Pratchett books when I was younger and really enjoyed them. This book however did not really cut it for me. I find Pratchett to be rather wordy and sometimes unclear. He is a humorous writer, no doubt about that, but I guess I have grown out of his style. It is an interesting plot line, but I wish certain aspects of it were a little bit more developed, for example, Tiffany meets a witch who is briefly involved with the story but then disappears almost completely until the very end of the story. I think if the witch was a little more involved somehow the story line would be more interesting and maybe have held me a little better as a reader. ( )

A raucous read in a land of nightmares and kidnapped little brothers, doors that aren't there unless you look for them, tiny blue men with fiery red hair and a Scottish glee, a young girl who makes cheese as the hero - all which makes you laugh out loud while hoping upon hope that the wee free men might possibly, if I say it's so, live in MY backyard too.

The Nac Mac Feegles Scottish dialect sometimes made my reading of the book tiring and disjointed, but this was still a great read, with adventure, mystery, fantasy, witches, monsters, elves, bees, and sometimes, magic. ( )

Tiffany Aching is a tough cookie. She is identified as a witch, taking after Granny Aching, and suddenly thrust into the responsibility of keeping the world safe from the evil Queen and the other dangers of the fairy world. When her brother is taken by the queen, Tiffany is determined to get him back. The Nac Mac Feegle (the wee free men) brought a lot of comic relief and action to the story. They are famous for their fighting, drinking, and stealing, and certainly demonstrate that reputation. ( )

the book is wonderfully written, but the audio really brings the characters to life. we've listened to this countless times, and enjoy every bit of it. ( )

I was hesitant to being the Tiffany Aching Adventure series by Terry Pratchett. I love his adult Discworld books so much, I was afraid his attempts at young adult fiction would be subpar and spoil his genius for me. After reading The Wee Free Men, I'm now just disappointed that I waited so long to read it.

While the familiar Discworld characters are absent, Pratchett's fabulous writing is not. The new characters rank right up there with the Discworld characters and the plot is not watered down for younger readers. If anything, perhaps it's not sufficiently different to account for younger readers.

The Wee Free Men are wonderful characters, complete with Scottish accents. Tiffany is also a wonderful new addition and has the makings of a wonderful, matter-of-fact, witch. Political and current events satire is missing, but the references to our own world is alive and strong and readers will enjoy making the connections.

Overall, another great book by Pratchett, in which he flaunts his writing range and mastery with ease. ( )

Oh wonderful wonderful wonderful! The nonillustrated version was a fantastic new story by Pratchett, and this illustrated version does the original justice. There are details on every single page, including adorable wee free men trying to steal the letters off the page. Every child should own this! ( )

Miss Perspicacia Tick, a witch finder and witch herself, has spotted a ripple in the walls of the universe. Miss Tiffany Aching of Home Farm on The Chalk, all of 9 years, wants to be a witch too after an incident where a harmless old woman is persecuted and left to die in the winter storms. To top that all off she's just dispatched a big green river monster with a frying pan while using her younger brother as bait. Shortly thereafter, the Queen of the fairies kidnaps her baby brother. With the help of a talking frog, loaned by Miss Tick, and an army of thieving, nippy, boozy wee free men called the Nac Mac Feegle who used to work for the Queen, Tiffany sets off rescue him.

This is a Discworld novel but it didn’t feel like one. It was still entertaining, though; the Feegles are really funny. Tiffany spends a lot of time in the dream world, which is strange. It’s really not much of a ‘Discworld’ book, it’s only loosely based on the world really, but it was an entertaining and fairly quick read all the same. Not my favourite Discworld, though. ( )

Another enjoyable read by Terry Pratchett! Once again, loved the humor and the adventure. It was very easy to get into and hard to put down. ( )

I really, really wish that I had a younger girl cousin to pass this book onto, because I think it's a perfect antidote for some of the books that are enjoying a vogue right now (*cough* Twilight *cough*). Where the latter feature some downright disturbing gender politics, The Wee Free Men has a heroine who's sensible and smart and capable; a realistic, strong relationship between grandmother and granddaughter; a world where women are bounded by preconceptions and gender roles and fears, but a ...more I really, really wish that I had a younger girl cousin to pass this book onto, because I think it's a perfect antidote for some of the books that are enjoying a vogue right now (*cough* Twilight *cough*). Where the latter feature some downright disturbing gender politics, The Wee Free Men has a heroine who's sensible and smart and capable; a realistic, strong relationship between grandmother and granddaughter; a world where women are bounded by preconceptions and gender roles and fears, but a nine-year-old girl is still strong enough to take on the Queen of Fairie armed only with a frying pan. All that, and Pratchett's trademark wry humour and slightly dark take at some of our best-loved assumptions—really well worth the read. ( )

I just finished the audio version of this book and really enjoyed it. Tiffany Aching is tired of taking care of her little brother Wentworth. But when he's kidnapped by fairies, Tiffany decides to get him back. Maybe her recent decision to become a witch will help her on this. And then there's the Nac Mac Feegles - pictsies. They just might help. If they can stay sober long enough. And if she explains things in very, very simple terms.

Not a very good summary, but I can tell you that this is one seriously funny book that was a great read. I love Terry Pratchett. If you like fantasy or like to laugh, you should give his books a try. ( )

Warum diese Reihe um Tiffany Weh als "Märchen von der Scheibenwelt" firmiert, habe ich nie verstanden. Immerhin tritt dort Nanny Ogg und Oma Wetterwachs auf - und die gehören defenitiv zum Stammpersonal Pratchetts. Soll das eine clevere Strategie des Verlages sein? Wenn ja - ich finde sie dumm! Das Buch selbst aber finde ich klasse. Was ja auch das wichtigeste ist. ( )

(I'm not actually making a deliberate effort to re-read all of the Discworld, it just... seems that way.)

I'd forgotten the plot of this one, I have to say. The reason, which I discovered on this re-read, is that it... doesn't actually have one. This being a novel by Terry Pratchett, this isn't as much of a problem as one might think. In brief: Tiffany Aching, a shepherd's daughter from the Chalk, a part of the Discworld not entirely unlike Wiltshire, meets a horrible monster in a stream near her family's farm. Being a sensible, careful, logical sort of person, she hauls off and hits it with a frying-pan, using her little brother as bait. And that sets up how this story is going to go, right there. There are going to be magical goings-on, but they're going to be dealt with. Decisively. Tiffany, who is one of my favourite of the Discworld characters, is intelligent, sardonic, logical to the point of coldness, and a beautifully-observed, whole character who is perfectly capable of carrying the whole novel. Her story is told in bits and pieces throughout, and it is very much her story, despite the title of the novel.

Which isn't to say that the Nac Mac Feegle don't have their place. They're wonderful - and I much prefer them in this friendlier, slightly-easier-to-understand version (the "adult novel" versions of them in Carpe Jugulum are much less fun), complete with shouts of "Crivens!" and "waily, waily, waily" and tendency to get pished. And more than that, they are a wonderful change from the usual sorts of little helpers that accompany young female heroines in kids' books about magic.

Of course, once the story has all been set up, and the landscape of the Chalk, Tiffany and her family, and the Feegles' existence and slightly crazed theology have been given the attention they need, there isn't a lot of room left for plot, and the "rescuing brother from evil snow Queen" is far too The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe for words. But once it all has been set up, it's there for Wintersmith and A Hat Full of Sky, and those have all the good points of this novel, plus wonders of their own. ( )

The first in the Tiffany Aching series. Where to begin. I continue to enjoy the children's works by Pratchett. With Tiffany he continues to give complex flawed characters that are often absent from the target audience of this literature. What I love most about Tiffany is that while she is smart, self reliant and ready to think on her feet she is annoyed by her kid brother, doesn't enjoy her chores, thinks petty thoughts and in general is a real person. Also how do you resist any story with the nac mac feegle ( )

expected more from this... guess im too adult to appreciate it tho i do like how theyre called botasbigasbigjockbutsmallerthanmiddlesizejockjock ( )

My introduction to Terry Pratchett's work began here. Who can beat reading about tough little blue men in kilts and a funny heroine who defeats foes with a frying pan?! I had to have more after this one. ( )

Of all the Discworld books I've read, and admittedly there haven't been that many, this has got to be my favorite. I knew it was going to be a great book as soon as the protagonist walloped Jenny Green Teeth in the face with a frying pan. And I'm not sure it's possible to read this book and not love the Nac Mac Feegle.

I don't actually have anything bad to say about this book, so I think I'll stop the gushing there. Suffice it to say, it was fantastic and I highly recommend it. ( )

I discounted Terry Pratchett's The Wee Free Men when it first hit bookshelves. The reviews said it was aimed at teens. I may love almost all the novels based in The Disc World, but I didn't much feel like reading something that would likely make me feel patronized. Hat Full of Sky, the sequel, received the same treatment from me.

Then I saw mister Pratchett in person during his tour for the third Tiffany Aching book, Wintersmith. Forget that the coldest season is practically my deity. Leave aside that I cry when I see snow for the first time each year. I sat in an audience while a man with a frail, nervous body; big, brown hat; very little ego; and scalpel wit effortlessly made me laugh over and over again. He talked of the book, his process of writing, reached up the aisle, and liberally applied a flamethrower to my muse. She has been all but unstoppable since.

Wintersmith was such a joy that I read it four times in as many months. I read the other two books in the series. I ordered hardback copies.

I'm reading The Wee Free Men again this week. I can see that it really is meant for young readers. Yet, just because the book's setting is a fantasy world, most words are easily read, and the more complex phrases are explained doesn't mean that the book is simple. Not by a long shot.

She leaned down, and centuries bent with her.

"The secret is not to dream," she whispered. "The secret is to wake up. Waking up is harder. I have woken up and I am real. I know where I come from and I know where I'm going. You cannot fool me anymore. Or touch me. Or anything that is mine."

I'll never be like this again, she thought, as she saw the terror in the Queen's face. I'll never again feel as tall as the sky and as old as the hills and as strong as the sea. I've been given something for a while, and the price of it is that I have to give it back.

Those few paragraphs in particular ram a spear through my chest every time, and they are not alone in their potency. Each of the three books, especially Wintersmith, make me laugh very often and fight back tears at least once or twice per read. I find a few of mister Pratchett's books to be funnier. Many of his plots are less obvious. However, nothing of his that I have read is more powerful. I love this series. ( )

Nine year old Tiffany has a knack for seeing what's really there: river demons, elves and small blue men who love to fight. Mixing the scariest bits of fairy tales with a fondly reminiscent view of farming life on the chalky downs, Terry Pratchett has produced an exciting adventure for younger readers with plenty of wisdom and humor to keep an adult audience entertained as well. He's also adept at portraying a world seen through female (though not necessarily feminine) eyes. ( )

Wee Free Men has got to be one of my all time favorite books to read AND listen to! Like many YA books, this one is perfectly suitable for adults and in fact, offers many subtle jokes, messages, and allusions that many kids may not even see. Most everything Pratchett writes is laugh-out-loud funny, but those little blue men are right up there for all-time great characters. If you're not a regular YA reader, take and chance and read this! ( )

http://eor.livejournal.com/251831.htm... ( )

A young witch-to-be named Tiffany Aching teams up with the Wee Free Men, a clan of six-inch-high blue men, to rescue her baby brother and ward off a sinister invasion from Fairyland.

Young witch in the chalk hills hooks up with a bunch of Scottish leprechauns to save the world from its dreams

Summary: Nine-year-old Tiffany Aching is a shepherd's daughter who has never left the grassy turf of the Chalk that is her home, reads the dictionary, makes cheese, is generally overlooked by her busy parents, and is forced to watch her sticky younger brother who can do nothing but yell for sweeties. Tiffany has also decided that she wants to be a witch. When her brother is kidnapped by the evil Queen of Fairyland, Tiffany must get him back, despite the fact that she doesn't know any magic, and is armed only with her wits, a frying pan, and her grandmother's copy of Diseases of the Sheep. But Granny Aching was more than she appeared, and Tiffany will not be going alone - she'll have the help of the Nac Mac Feegle, the Wee Free Men, a band of rowdy, thieving, drunken, six-inch tall blue Scotsmen.

Review: Before this, I'd only read two of Pratchett's books (three if you count Good Omens): The Light Fantastic and The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, and while I didn't hate them, I found them to be pretty much "mildly amusing fantasy lite." There are tons of slavering Pratchett-o-philes out there, so I figured there had to be something I was missing. I think I found that something in The Wee Free Men - I don't think I've made the conversion to Prachett-o-philia, but at least now I kind of get it. The Wee Free Men was charming, funny (laugh-out-loud at times), and had some real heart and emotional depth to it. Tiffany is not only a real heroine, but also a very relatable character, and had I read this when I was younger, I would have recognized myself in her instantly (still did, to be honest). There are parts when the writing slips a little bit - either trying too hard to be witty or trying to hard to impart its moral lesson. I also felt like the tone of the later chapters was a little out of keeping with most of the rest of the book (plus I missed the Feegles, even though I get why Tiffany had to face the Queen alone). Overall, though, I really enjoyed listening to this book - Stephen Briggs did an excellent job with the narration, giving perfect voice to the Feegle's heavy Scottish dialect. 4 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: A funny, enjoyable read for young adults and adults alike, and a good starting place if you are unfamiliar with (or unenchanted by) the rest of Pratchett's books. ( )

I started this book yesterday and am almost finished. It is fun, exciting and a wonderful change of pace from the last book I read. The Wee Free men have the largest, bravest hearts. I can't wait to finish the series! ( )