Author/Illustrator: Jill MurphyFirst Published: 1974Series: Book 1 of 7I love it when it's my turn to choose a book. Being older and so much wiser I obviously have a better judgement on what makes A Good Book than the 7yo.*snort*Okay, in all reality I am more likely to choose a classic or book that has stood The Test of Time and is age appropriate. The 7yo chooses books-her-friends-like or books-her-sister-likes; so either contemporary just released books or books that are too old (her sister is 15).And that matters.So, after reading a couple of so-so new releases, my turn to choose.We read "Worst Witch" in one sitting - about an hour. It's a long novella that could have been comfortably split into multiple evenings. However, we were so engaged (and Dad wasn't frowning too much over it being past bedtime...) we chose to persevere and get to the end.A wonderful ride of a young witch making innocent mistakes that get her in trouble, but coming through with the goods when it counts. A moral of loyalty, practice-makes-perfect, and doing-the-right-thing, played lightly through the narrative for a heart-warming ending.I think I'll grab Book 2 for tonight *grin*.Harry Potter?Yes, it's an awful lot like Harry Potter.In part, it's because of the "school story" tradition, based on a classical British Boarding School, but also the potion class, broomstick riding, meandering staircases, and owls as familiar. A number of tropes are resurrected in Rowling's stories.Personally, I saw as many similarities with Donaldson's Room on the Broom.They make for interesting comparisons. However, IMO, they are being aimed at different reading ages and with different expectations. "Worst Witch" is a gentle tale with a hint of fantasy that will appeal to many generations of young children (particularly girls) as they transition from cutesy fairy tales to real world narratives."Harry Potter" isn't.Series:Book 1 The Worst WitchBook 2 The Worst Witch Strikes AgainBook 3 A Bad Spell for the Worst WitchBook 4 The Worst Witch All at SeaBook 5 The Worst Witch Saves the DayBook 6 Worst Witch to the RescueBook 7 The Worst Witch and The Wishing StarReferences:W'pedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wors...Interview with Jill Murphy: http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/issue/136/...(ISBN 9780141314501)-CR-
Mildred Hubble is starting her first year at Miss Cackle’s Academy for Witches — and making a mess of it! She can’t ride her broomstick without crashing, she’s always getting her spells mixed up, and worst of all, the teacher’s pet, Ethel, has just become her sworn enemy. -- publisherOriginally released in 1974, The Worst Witch is being re-released for a new generation to discover. Young readers are bound to fall in love with little Mildred Hubble. This poor witch-in-training is the student with her heart in the right place, but nothing else. She's the one who will crash into things while learning to fly on her broom, fixing her broken broom with a pile of sticky tape and glue, and is afraid of the dark (ssshhh, if you don't tell, I won't.). In this first installment of this delightful character's series, Mildred is the recipient of a kitten. The time has come for all the first year students to get their assigned kitten who will ride on the brooms with their owners. Instead of getting the typical black one, Mildred is given a tabby one. And worse off, yet, the poor kitty isn't taking to flying on a broomstick too well. Everything comes to a head during her class's formation presentation at the annual Halloween festivities. Mildred's has embarrassed her class by causing a crash landing (not her fault, though). Poor Mildred is so upset, she decides to taker her tabby cat and run away. However, while walking down the mountain, she stumbles across a group of witches. Witches who are plotting to place a spell over everyone at the school so they can control it. Now it's up to Mildred to save the day.This book was fun to read. Mildred is a cute character who is fun to read. I can relate to being that child who had good intentions, but would somehow, someway mess things up. I think fellow readers will enjoy her, as well. I look forward to reading more adventures of Mildred.
What do You think about The Worst Witch (2004)?
Like all my favourite children's literature, this book is squarely on the side of the outcast. Disorganised, accident-prone witch Mildred and her plump, bespectacled friend Maud are smart, kind and generally awesome. My own mild dyspraxia, which vanished when I was about 14, made Mildred an especially helpful role model, and whenever I broke something or failed to achieve the expected result in a science practical I thought of her. I teach science these days so Murphy's message must have done its work = )
—Zanna
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
—Emma
Oh too bad. I just realized I forgot to read this with an English accent. It would have been ever so much fun.This book would have received 5 stars from my 7 & 8 & possibly 9 year old self. I would have also really, really enjoyed it if it had been read to me when I was 5 and 6, helping to read it of course. The story is funny and sweet. It’s about a witch in her first year of boarding school for witches. The plot is predictable but I had no problem with that. Mildred is a clumsy student who seems to be in constant trouble, but of course there’s a very happy ending.I thought the illustrations were lovely and fun. My favorite illustration is on page 73 of this edition and shows Mildred snuggling in bed with her very adorable cat, and there are other details in the picture too, but I enjoyed most of the illustrations.I had to purchase this paperback copy. I’d love to read the rest of this series but only if I can find a way to borrow them. My libraries did not have this first one, but now I’ll be checking for the other books in the series. My thanks go to the Goodreads group A Thrilling Term at Goodreads: The Girls’ School-Story group; I found this book on their bookshelves. It was a delight to read.
—Lisa Vegan
