The Wee Free Men

Nine-year-old Tiffany Aching lives on a farm in The Chalk, a remote area of Discworld. One day, she sees strange figures around her, starting with two small blue men in kilts who approach her when she is playing near the river. They tell her to watch out for a “green heid” in the water, and immediately after, the green monster Jenny Greenteeth surfaces.

Jenny Greenteeth has huge eyes, so Tiffany defeats her by using her little brother Wentworth as bait and then hitting her in the eyes with a frying pan. Wentworth doesn’t care, since he can’t see any of the magical creatures. Tiffany heads into town to seek out the colony of traveling teachers there. She visits Miss Tick, a witch, and asks her about the creatures she has been seeing.



Miss Tick tells Tiffany that the little men were Nac Mac Feegles, rowdy creatures with Scottish accents. She says she senses a big change coming, that two worlds are about to meet, and she thinks that Tiffany might be a witch, as was her grandmother. She gives Tiffany her toad to act as a guide and disappears.

Tiffany returns home. That night, she discovers the Nac Mac Feegles stealing her family’s sheep and eggs. They are very fast and agile, but they also seem scared of her. When caught, they apologize and leave. The next morning, Tiffany is about to go find Miss Tick to ask her about what happened when her mother appears in a panic, asking where Wentworth is.

Tiffany tries to find Miss Tick but she is gone, along with the other teachers. She then tries to get help from the Nac Mac Feegles. She realizes that they fear and respect her because they think she is a witch, and because she knows how to read and write. She learns the Nac Mac Feegles’ names, Rob Anybody, Big Yan, and Daft Wullie. They knew her grandmother, and as a result, they agree to take her to their leader, the Kelda.



The Kelda explains that the Queen of the Fairies has captured Wentworth, and Tiffany must go into Fairyland to rescue him, taking the Nac Mac Feegles with her. She appoints Tiffany as the new Kelda, since she herself is dying. As the Kelda, she should marry Rob Anybody, but she avoids this responsibility.

Tiffany and the Feegles reach Fairyland using her newfound powers, as well as a trail of candy that Wentworth has left behind. They encounter a pack of wolves, which the Feegles easily defeat. Then, they come across creatures called dromes, which create dream traps for people. If you eat food in one of the dreams, you can never leave. In a dream, Tiffany finds Roland, the son of a Baron who had famously disappeared the year before.

The two join forces, making their way through several dreams before finding one where Wentworth and the Queen of the Fairies are. The Queen attacks Tiffany, almost defeating her, but Roland releases the Feegles (which had been trapped in a large walnut), and they all escape with Wentworth.



After escaping more nightmares from the Queen, they enter a drome and find themselves in a dream of Tiffany’s making. They are in the sea scene from the wrapper of Tiffany’s grandmother’s favorite brand of tobacco. Only Tiffany and Roland remain; Wentworth and the Feegles are presumed dead or captured. Roland is unconscious, and the Queen chases Tiffany in the shape of a storm. Tiffany escapes through an exit door that leads to the real world, carrying Roland with her.

The Queen taunts Tiffany for failing to save her friends, and a dream version of Tiffany’s grandmother comes down from the sky to defeat her, causing Tiffany to realize that she is strong enough to defeat the Queen. She turns the Queen into a little monkey-like creature and sends her back to Fairyland. Suddenly, Wentworth, Roland, and the Nac Mac Feegles reappear unharmed.

Back home, Miss Tick tells Tiffany that she will help her develop her witch powers. Everyone praises Roland for getting the children back to safety. Tiffany is initially annoyed but realizes that her job as a protector does not include taking credit. The Nac Mac Feegles come to ask if they can ask another one of their kind to be the Kelda, and Tiffany agrees, returning to her normal life.



Film rights for The Wee Free Men were bought in 2006, but the project was halted due to Pratchett’s disappointment with the direction it had taken. His estate succeeded in buying back the rights, and Pratchett’s daughter announced in 2013 that she intended to make the film adaptation herself.