Author: Jill Murphy
Publisher: Puffin Books
Publication Date: 1974
Genre: Juvenile Fiction, Fantasy
Mildred Hubble attends Miss Cackle’s Academy for Witches and is probably the worst student the school has ever seen. Mildred seems to be always getting into trouble. Whether it’s potions, spells or broomstick riding, she can’t seem to do anything right. When Mildred’s class does a display for this years Halloween celebrations, Mildred finds herself at blame when their presentations turns into a disaster. How will Mildred ever earn her Witches Higher Certificate when she is the worst witch to ever attend Miss Cackle’s Academy? When a group of evil witches conspire to take over the school, Mildred might be the only one able to save the school.
The Worst Witch was a television show when I was younger, and I never had any idea that it was based on a book. I thought this would be a good read for Halloween, which it definitely was. It was a cute, simple story about a clumsy girl who attends a boarding school for witches. It was a quick and entertaining read that I would have loved when I was younger. You can’t help but love disaster prone Mildred, Maude, Miss Cackle and even the strict Miss Hardbroom. The illustrations were very sweet and added a lot to the book as a whole. It’s easy to compare this to another book about a magic boarding school, but I don’t think this would have such a wide appeal as Harry Potter. I think The Worst Witch is mainly for children, and doesn’t have the same complexity as J.K. Rowling’s books. I loved the simplicity of The Worst Witch, and I think it would be a great book for children this Halloween.
4/5