The Worst Witch series has got to be one of the most loved children’s series of the Twenty First Century. With seven books written between 1974 and 2013, these stories have invaded the homes of countless generations of children, with the particular aid of the film and three television series adaptions of the books. I imagine everybody reading has heard of these books and probably loves them as much as I do, but if not, you’ve just discovered a gold mine of reading material. You’re welcome.
The books follow protagonist, Mildred Hubble, in her secondary school years at Miss Cackle’s Academy for Witches. Mildred is a kind young girl, who somehow always manages to get things wrong and get into trouble! She is the eponymous Worst Witch, named so because of her poor performance in witch related things. In her first year of Secondary Schooling, Mildred is somehow the only witch who doesn’t get a black cat, getting instead a tabby one. She fails to train her cat to ride on her broomstick and so has to carry the cat in her satchel! And when her rival, Ethel Hallow, teases her about it, she turns her into a pig!
Mildred and her two best friends, Maud Spellbody and Enid Nightshade, are continuously up to no good throughout all seven books. If they’re not confusing their potion recipes in class, they’re smuggling monkeys into the school or accidentally growing their hair to an exponential length! There is definitely never a dull moment when reading about these three bright, but somewhat mischievous, teenagers. The rivalry between Mildred and Ethel and Ethel’s friend, Drusilla Paddock, is also extremely entertaining as there is always some ploy in tow between the two groups to get the other into trouble!
The teachers also bring a lot of humour to the book, as well as some much needed discipline to the students! Miss Cackle is the headmistress of the Academy, and is very kind and lenient when punishing Mildred for her misdemeanours. However, she does give long lectures that make Mildred feel guilty and want to do better. Miss Hardbroom, on the other hand, couldn’t be more different! She is incredibly strict on all of the girls and has a particular dislike for Mildred. You could definitely liken her to Professor Snape in Harry Potter!
The Worst Witch series will get you hooked with its light-hearted, English boarding school with a twist tone. You will definitely find yourself imagining what it would be like to go to Miss Cackle’s Academy! I often wonder if I would be any good at being a witch, or if I would make as many mistakes as Mildred! I hope I’ve inspired you to pick up this series – even if you’ve read it before!
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