Rating: 
Summary: Quick, amusing, delightful and thoroughly modern
Review: Pratchett's take on physics, the nature of time, lawyers, country folk, elementary education, The Scots, pop culture and many conventions of the fantasy novel amuse me to no end. This is a thinking person's book, referencing thoroughly modern theories of all of the above. These references are embedded in a fantasy quest story true to the genre - there's a resented infant sibling to be rescued, magics working against the heroine, a cast of insane helpers, inner powers as yet undiscovered, and a handful of lawyer jokes.
Brilliant, with lots to ponder once you've put the book down. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A winner for any Pratchett reader!
Review: Read this over the weekend - even though this is listed as a children's book, Pratchett lovers will find this a must read. The familiar zany characters and bizarre situations abound, along with a softer edge that makes it appropriate for a younger reader. This one should become a classic children's book; its the story of young Tiffany (who "has a way with cheese") and her search to become a witch, defeat Fairyland and bring back her sticky brother, with the help of the wee free men (who have made brief appearances in other Pratchett books). Pratchett doesn't condescend to children in his writing and has truly produced something wonderful here.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect
Review: Some interesting facts before I start my review. First of all, I'm a big fan of reading children's books from the library but it takes a great deal of effort on my part to actually go out and BUY any books. Why bother? Most are perfectly good, but it's the rare book indeed that forces me to remove my wallet from my pocket and give away my well earned dollars and cents. I read "The Wee Free Men" in my local library, expecting something light and interesting. After finishing the book I immediately purchased this book from my local independent bookseller and never regretted my decision."The Wee Free Men" is the story of Tiffany Aching, nine years old and determined to become a witch someday. She's not entirely certain how to do so, but there's a no-nonsense spunk to Tiffany that's going to figure it out somehow. Unfortunately, her little brother Wentworth is stolen by the Queen of the Elves (ala "The Snow Queen") and it's up to Tiffany to grab her frying pan and rescue him (ala "Labyrinth"). Along her way she's joined by a clan of six-inch-high blue fairies, The Wee Free Men, who aid Tiffany along her way. Nothing I've written here is going to necessarily make you want to buy or even read this book. So please read the following selection from the book. In this scene Tiffany has crossed over into the Queen of the Elves' land where dreams become reality. She finds herself in a posh party with the Wee Free Men (known amongst themselves as the Nac Mac Feegle), all dressed in tiny tuxes. They decide to interrogate the guests. Even in a dream, even at a posh ball, the Nac Mac Feegle knew how to behave. You charge in madly, and you screamed . . . politely.
"Lovely weather for the time o' year, is it not, ye wee scunner!"
"Hey, jimmy, ha'ye no got a pommes frites for an ol' pal?"
"The band is playin' divinely, I dinna think!"
"Make my caviar deep fried, wilya?" I love that scene. I love this book. For those of you who read Terry Pratchett's Discworld series relentlessly, this book will not disappoint. For those of you who have never read a single Terry Pratchett book and have had no desire to do so until now, this book stands on its own as a worthy story in its own right. Prior to reading it I had never read a single Discworld book. I recommend this book with all my recommending strength.
Rating:
Summary: A fine unabridged story of Discworld
Review: Stephen Briggs performs The Wee Free Man, a fine unabridged story of Discworld in an engaging audio recommended for young adult and adult listener alike. Armed with only a frying pan and good sense, would-be witch Tiffany is slated to be the defender of her home against the monsters of Fairyland. Her journey into the forbidden kingdom will lead her against the forces of evil - and on the side of the unlikely Wee Free Men, a clan of tiny sheep-stealing six-inch-tall blue men. Briggs adds a powerful narrative voice, here.
Rating: 
Summary: They can't all be winners
Review: Terry Prachett is not a machine, and therefore I understand that he can't be expected to produce one hilarious book after another. Wee Free Men isn't bad. But it isn't great, either. I did laugh and I did enjoy it, but it seemed to me to be kind of a long way to go to introduce a new character. It did, however set the scene for a new book involving the withches-- a book to which I look forward with great anticipation. Wee Free Men is pretty good, but seems to lose track of itself from time to time. Again, not great, but good. You be the judge (but I'd wait to pick it up in paperback and save some $$$).
Rating:
Summary: Definitely NOT "baby - preschool" whtever Amazon says!
Review: Terry Pratchett does not dumb down his books for children, so they are all also great reads for adults. WFM is no exception. OK, the Nac Mac Feegle have had some of their language simplified since Carpe Jugulum but that is about as far as any dumbing down goes. Somehow, rather than thinking of this as a children's Discworld book, I can't help feeling that it is actually just another book in the series which is based in an area of the Disc which hasn't been used before. It must be fairly close to Bad Ass and Lancre because Nanny Ogg and Granny Weatherwax appear at the end but otherwise it is a new bit of the Disc which PTerry hasn't brought to our notice in the past. Tiffany is suitably "witchy" and has proper family values (i.e. she doesn't like her brother but he's *her* brother!). Miss Tick is suitably out of place on the Chalk. Great book, great story, hope the character appear again!
Rating:
Summary: terry pratchett is a genius
Review: terry pratchett is a genius....amazingly funny, extraordinarily insightful. to use laugh out loud hilarity to see the real of things not merely in discworld but as extensions to our world is a most unusual, rare and wonderful talent. i started with his and neil gaiman's "good omens," as fabulous and funny an apocalypse book as anyone could wish for and have since read all his discworld books and loved each and every one. "the wee free men" though written ostensibly for children/teens is certainly to be enjoyed by all. tiffany, the young heroine "hag" (or witch,) is engaging, knowable, and human. the wee free men, the nac mac feegles, are very small "pictsies"...blue men with red hair and tattoos, always ready for a fight or a pint. picture 6 inch blue and red scots soccer hooligans and you've about got it. the adventure they and tiffany go on is just that, adventurous and fun and i laughed till i cried at some bits. but there is a bigger message, a deeper meaning to it, that does make one want to sit up a little straighter, do a little better, take time to see the world as it truly is...there is a joy to be found in the smallest and largest deeds, people, rocks, stars, grass, ocean and so on in our universe. terry pratchett's gift is that he lets us see all that and laugh along the way. and isn't that the way life should be?
Rating:
Summary: They won't be fooled again! (Er, the Nac Mac Feegle that is)
Review: Terry Pratchett is one of the funniest writers alive. Who else could leave their readers laughing so hard that their guts are spilling out of their sides over the actions of a piece of luggage? (Earlier Discworld novel.)
It's been many years since I've read a Discworld novel, and I'm disappointed that I allowed so much time to elapse. I thought that Pratchett, like Piers Anthony, would have lost the freshness of his work. Boy was I wrong. NEVER make assumptions. As he did many years ago, Pratchett has told an engaging, interesting story, and filled it with sensational humor.
The story, centers around nine year old Tiffany, a "witch-to-be". Another world is colliding with hers, and all of the monsters are coming back. A witch from yet a different world is concerned that Tiffany can't handle the defense herself, and leaves to get help. But Tiffany is headstrong (a good quality for a witch) and insists on defending HER world on HER terms.
She also has the help of the Nac Mac Feegle - otherwise known as The Wee Free Men, blue skinned leprechaun-like fairy creatures whose priorities are stealing, drinking, and fighting - not necessarily in that order, and they're more than happy to have a good row to determine the order. They stand roughly six inches tall, but are so strong that trolls (we assume here that a troll is much, much larger than a Nac Mac Feegle) run away from them. There is only one thing they fear: lawyers.
As usual, Pratchett is a satirist here, and he spoofs what are becoming clichés in the post Harry Potter world. His observations on that account are both funny and enlightening, without being insulting.
The ending seems to be a "homage-montage" of sorts, offering nods to Alice in Wonderland, The Chronicles of Amber, and other works. Tiffany finds herself beset with challenges that the brute strength of the Nac Mac Feegle can't solve, so she must struggle and face them with what she possesses most: common sense.
I have only one problem with this novel, and it is that there isn't a nine year old girl alive that's capable of what Tiffany is capable of - and that's no insult to nine year old girls, believe me! I wonder if, perhaps, Pratchett should have assigned her age at thirteen or fourteen - but even then I'm hard pressed to accept her remarkable resiliency and maturity under pressure.
But that's the only problem. It's an ingenious book, from beginning to end, and will entertain several different lobes of your brain at once - something most of Pratchett's books do quite well.
Rating:
Summary: Crivens! A Very Good Book
Review: Terry Pratchett won a Carnegie Medal for his first children's book set in his Discworld, "The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents." He has a good shot at a second award for "Wee Free Men." It's that good. Nine year old Tiffany Aching was born on The Chalk. The Achings have lived on The Chalk and tended their sheep for centuries. Tiffany's grandmother was the matriarch of the Aching clan, and while she never called herself a witch, she never denied it, either. Tiffany is still trying to adjust to the death of her grandmother, and to the birth of her sticky little brother, Wentworth, when she is attacked by a monster out of Faerie. One thing leads to another, and before long she must rescue her brother from Faerie, be the kelda of the Nac Mac Feegle, the Wee Free Men of the title, and save the world from the terrors of Faerie. Because there is no one else. One of Pratchett's many skills is inversion. In "Amazing Maurice," he inverted the Pied Piper of Hamlin. In "Wee Free Men," he inverts children's fairy tales in general. Instead of a magic sword, Tiffany has a plain old iron frying pan. Instead of a wise mentor, she has a toad who used to be a lawyer. Instead of an army, she has the Nac Mac Feegle. The Queen of Faerie, Tiffany's antagonist, is about as far from a noble Tolkien elf as you can get. Because the Queen of Faery has the power to steal your dreams, your worst nightmares, and trap you inside them. And Tiffany must confront the Queen on her own ground, in the land of nightmares, where the monsters are terrifying and real. You don't have to reflect very long to understand Pratchett is working at several levels. The themes are meaningful and accessible to children without the slightest condescension. Some of the characters - the Queen herself, the Nac Mac Feegle, and wonderful cameos at the end of the story - are familiar from other stories. But as was the case with "Amazing Maurice," you don't have to know the other Pratchett stories to relish "Wee Free Men." This is masterful story-telling, hysterically funny and very scary by turn. Pratchett is very, very good, and this story is one of his best. Highly recommended to both children and adults.
Rating:
Summary: Kudos For Tiffany Aching
Review: The walls of the worlds are coming together and monster will soon walk the land. But the event is happening in a region without a witch. One witch journeys to teach a possible hopeful to hold things together while she goes for more serious help. But nine-year-old Tiffany Aching is made of better stuff than suspected. Right from the start Tiffany shows her promise as she manages to befriend the nastiest elves around and even gets them to help with her chores. But then Tiffany's brother goes missing so she and the Mac Nac Feegle (the six-inch, blue tattooed Pictsies of Scottish relation) set off to hunt him down and steal him back. The story is fast moving, well told and an absolute must for fans of Granny Weatherwax. This is the first book of Tiffany and the Mac Nac Feegle and I hope there will be plenty more. The Scottish allusions and brogues are done to a T. The "logic" of Pratchett's Diskworld and magic system never waver. Very well done.
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