The Worst Witch Strikes Again Pdf

Series of children's novels past Jill Irish potato

The Worst Witch

The covers from the first vii books, shown in publication order
The Worst Witch The Worst Witch Strikes Again A Bad Spell for the Worst Witch The Worst Witch All at Ocean The Worst Witch Saves the Day The Worst Witch to the Rescue The Worst Witch and the Wishing Star Commencement Prize for The Worst Witch
Author	Jill Irish potato
Illustrator	Jill Murphy
Cover artist	Jill Murphy
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Genre	Fantasy, children's books
Publisher	Allison & Busby (original) Puffin Books (current)
Published	1974–2018
No. of books	eight

The Worst Witch is a series of children's books written and illustrated by Jill Spud. The series are primarily about a girl who attends a witch schoolhouse and fantasy stories, with eight books published. The first, The Worst Witch, was published in 1974 by Allison & Busby,^[i] and the well-nigh recent, Outset Prize for the Worst Witch, was published in 2018 by Puffin Books, the current publisher of the series. The books accept get some of the nearly successful titles on the Young Puffin paperback list and take sold more than 5 1000000 copies.^{[ii] [three]}

In 1986, the offset book in the series was made into a television motion-picture show of the same name. A Telly series based on the book aired from 1998 to 2001, and has inspired two spin-offs, Weirdsister College, aired in 2001, and The New Worst Witch, aired in 2005. A new adaptation, co-production of CBBC, ZDF, and Netflix premiered in 2017.^[4]

Background [edit]

The author Jill Murphy began writing The Worst Witch at the historic period of 15, while even so at school, and based many points of the stories on her own school experiences at Ursuline Convent in Wimbledon, England, with Singing condign Chanting, Chemical science becoming Potions and and then on.^[5] Recalling how the story was initially inspired by her own school experiences,^[six] she said in an interview: "My two friends and I used to come up home in our nighttime uniforms, looking very scruffy at the finish of the day – my dark plaits sprouting tufts, with lost pilus ribbons. My Mum used to say 'Look at you all. Yous look similar the three witches!' and it gave me the idea for a witch's school – so that information technology was exactly similar my school, but with a subtle touch of magic. All the characters are based on my school friends (and enemies) and teachers."^[7]

Murphy concluded the first book at the historic period of 18, but it was rejected by many publishers (on the grounds that children would observe a book most a schoolhouse for witches too "scary"),^{[6] [8]} and so she "put it in a drawer" and concentrated on other things, including working equally a nanny and in a children's home, and for a fourth dimension living in West Africa, where her first hubby was studying.^[nine]

Publication of The Worst Witch by finally came most, as Jill Murphy recalled, "thanks to a series of coincidences involving me spending fourth dimension in Ghana, and a friend meeting Margaret Busby (Ghanaian herself, and because starting a children's list for her imprint) at a publishers' party in London".^{[6] [8] [10]} The Worst Witch was finally published in 1974, when Spud was 24, past the minor independent visitor Allison and Busby.

Series overview [edit]

The books in the series all focus on Mildred Hubble, a young witch who attends Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches, a school of magic. Although well-intentioned, Mildred's clumsy personality leads the girl to disastrous situations, and she is thus considered the worst student in the schoolhouse. The benevolent headmistress, Miss Cackle, is generally understanding, whereas Mildred'due south form teacher Miss Hardbroom thinks she but isn't trying hard enough. Mildred's friends include Maud Spellbody, a rotund, sensible girl who is ever trying to avert defoliation, and Enid Nightshade, a practical joker who is more than likely than Mildred to get them all into problem. The three girls have a potent rivalry with Ethel Hallow, a loftier-built-in, snobbish and vindictive classmate.

Each book covers one term at the school. At that place are two terms each twelvemonth: the Winter term, from September to January, and the Summer term, from March to July. In Start Prize for the Worst Witch, the most recent book, Mildred is in the Summertime term of her quaternary year.

Books [edit]

The Worst Witch [edit]

The Worst Witch was first published in 1974 past Allison & Busby, and proved to exist an immediate success, selling out inside two months.^{[9] [10]}

Plot

The novel begins with Mildred Hubble and the upcoming traditional assembly where all of the get-go-years are given their ain black cats that they will teach to ride on their broomsticks with them. Different the other girls, who receive black kittens, Mildred receives a tabby cat, which she merely calls Tabby. The kitten is unable to sit on a broomstick, so Mildred carries Tabby in her purse. Miss Hardbroom disapproves and Mildred has to cease. Afterwards, another witch called Ethel Hallow teases Mildred virtually it, and dares her to turn her into a frog. Mildred loses her temper and turns Ethel into a squealer instead.

In the adjacent chapter, Mildred and Maud inadvertently brand an invisibility potion instead of a laughing potion in their form test.

In the following chapter, the girls are practising for a broomstick display for Halloween. Ethel lends Mildred her spare broom, on which she has secretly put a spell. During the Halloween festival, Mildred's broom starts bucking, causing all the girls to fall from their broomsticks. The Chief Magician denounces the academy, and Mildred is summoned to a meeting with Miss Cackle and Miss Hardbroom the adjacent morning. Mildred, fearing expulsion, decides to run abroad with Tabby.

When walking through the forests virtually the university, Mildred hears voices through the copse and comes across a group of witches, headed past i who looks like Miss Chortle. Afterward hearing their plot to turn every instructor and educatee witch in the university into frogs, Mildred turns the group into snails, packs them into paper-thin boxes and takes them back to the academy. At commencement, Miss Chortle and Miss Hardbroom refuse to believe her, but when Mildred describes the leader, Miss Cackle realises she sounds similar her identical twin sister, Agatha. They plough Agatha and the rest of the group back into humans, and for saving the school, Mildred's interview is cancelled. Afterward that morning time, Ethel is exposed as the cause of Mildred's broomstick mishap, and Mildred is vindicated and praised as a hero to the balance of the academy.

The Worst Witch Strikes Again [edit]

The Worst Witch Strikes Again was kickoff published in 1980 past Allison & Busby and features a new character, Enid Nightshade.

Plot

Mildred Hubble returns to Miss Chortle's Academy for Witches for the Summer Term of her first year. Miss Cackle has trusted Mildred to look subsequently new girl Enid Nightshade and assist her settle in. Because Mildred has to spend a lot of time with Enid, Maud becomes angry and jealous and breaks off their friendship, siding with Ethel in retaliation.

Mildred starts showing Enid around the university, but to discover that Enid has smuggled a monkey into school with her. During the associates that follows, Miss Cackle announces her altogether celebration. During a chanting lesson with Miss Bat subsequently assembly, Enid deliberately sings awkwardly and out of melody, causing Mildred to burst into hysterical laughter. Mildred is sent to Miss Cackle'south office. When going upward to her room, Mildred checks on Enid's monkey, causing it to escape. Mildred chases it down the stairs and bumps into Miss Hardbroom, who sends her to the library to study.

After spotting the monkey on top of 1 of the castle towers Mildred jumps onto her broomstick. Miss Hardbroom turns the monkey into its original grade, a normal regulation black true cat. Enid secretly reveals to Mildred that she turned the cat into a monkey for fun.

On Sports Solar day, Mildred and Enid become partners. Enid places a spell on Mildred'southward pole, and so in the pole-vaulting competition, Mildred springs high into the air and lands into Miss Hardbroom's study via the window. Moments later, Miss Chortle, Miss Hardbroom, and Miss Drill make it and Miss Cackle angrily says that if there is any more than carp from Mildred that term, she will be expelled.

Determined to avoid expulsion for the rest of the term, Mildred refuses every daring proposition Enid makes. Enid decides to skip Miss Cackle's dull altogether commemoration and hides in a store closet, pulling Mildred in with her. Seeing an opportunity to get Mildred expelled, Ethel Hallow spitefully locks the door backside them.

Inside the closet, the two girls find an one-time broomstick that they use to fly out of a slit-window leading into the associates hall. As luck has it, Maud is on phase, having been chosen to recite the first years' contribution to the recital. Having long regretted her jealous behaviour, Maud introduces Mildred and Enid as a surprise broomstick display item. The display doesn't go peculiarly well, but Miss Chortle decides it is the idea and effort that counts, and praises them highly. The 3 girls go friends, and are delighted when the end-of-term bell rings with Mildred still a pupil at the university.

A Bad Spell for the Worst Witch [edit]

A Bad Spell for the Worst Witch (ISBN 978-0-7226-5763-eight) was published in 1982. It features Ethel Hallow's niggling sis, Sybil Hallow, and her friend Clarice Crow.

Plot

Mildred Hubble returns to Miss Chortle'southward University for Witches for her second yr, adamant to lose her embarrassing reputation every bit "the worst witch in the school". After Maud Spellbody and Enid Nightshade arrive, the three bump into two starting time-years (one of whom reminds Mildred very strongly of someone, the other with ginger frizzy pilus in bunches). The ane who seems familiar bursts into tears and clings onto Mildred when she hears that many of the teachers (including Miss Hardbroom) are quite strict. Mildred also accidentally slips a made-up story nearly Miss Hardbroom turning a student into a frog when she was just two seconds late for a lesson. To the girls' horror, they also larn that they have Miss Hardbroom for another yr.

The next morning, a fire bell rings. Mildred scrambles into her clothes but notices outside her window Miss Hardbroom standing in the playground surrounded past hazy purple fume. Thinking she is in a state of stupor, Mildred tries to dunk her in freezing cold water just the bucket slips off her broomstick and lands with a clang on Miss Hardbroom's head. Later on witnessing the incident, Ethel Hallow confronts Mildred at lunchtime, proverb that the girl she told the frog story to was her younger sister, Sybil. After much provocation, Mildred loses her temper and insults Ethel's family ("All yous Hallows are weeds, weeds, weeds!").

Afterward an unfortunate flight lesson, where Tabby makes another terrified attempt to avoid sitting on the end of the broomstick, Miss Hardbroom sends Mildred to her room to at-home down. When sitting in her bed, withal, Mildred accidentally falls asleep and does not hear Ethel creeping into her room.

Mildred is awoken past her bedroom door shutting, only to find that everything looks behemothic-sized, even Tabby. Peeking in the mirror, she finds that somebody has turned her into a frog. When jumping onto her bed, the frog-Mildred notices a tatty handful of weeds on her pillow, no doubt left past Ethel as a reference to her family's insult and why she turned her into the frog.

Panicking, Mildred squeezes under the gap under her bedroom door and hops off to a potions lesson, where everyone has noticed her disappearance. Miss Hardbroom, however, discovers her and puts her in a jar. During the lesson, Mildred manages to escape from the jar and hops over to Ethel's desk, where she drinks an invisibility potion. Taking advantage of her invisibility, the frog-Mildred hops out of the academy and lands in the lily pond on the castle grounds.

There, Mildred meets another frog who also was once a human, called Algernon Rowan-Webb (though he has been a frog for and so long he can barely remember his surname). Algernon reveals that, rather like Mildred, he was turned into a frog past a fellow magician afterward an argument, and tin only be turned dorsum into a human past another sorcerer. Algernon besides reveals that the ane thing he craves is to have a proper humans' tea again, with buttered toast and crumpets with honey.

Promising to return for him, Mildred hops support to the academy. Maud and Enid, who have been worrying well-nigh their friends' disappearance, all of a sudden realise what has happened when Tabby shows affection towards the frog-Mildred, and take her to Ethel, who reluctantly turns her back into a homo. Miss Hardbroom comes by and Ethel tells her that she caught Maud, Enid, and Mildred sneaking effectually the school. Mildred furiously attempts to tell the truth, and the disbelieving Miss Hardbroom is about to give her a penalty, when she notices that Mildred's feet are still invisible. Mildred realises that this proves her story, and tells Miss Hardbroom what happened in the potion lab. Miss Hardbroom tells Mildred and Ethel to report to her office the side by side solar day.

In the morning, Miss Hardbroom reprimands both Mildred and Ethel for their ongoing feud, and they are both punished with lines – Ethel for turning Mildred into a frog and attempting to lie her style out of trouble, and Mildred for upsetting Ethel's sister. The 2 girls are also banned from attending the Halloween ceremonies – the merely risk Mildred would accept had to observe a magician who could turn Algernon dorsum into a human. Mildred feels she has no choice but to kidnap somebody who is going to the Halloween festival. She 2d a 3rd-yr witch, DrusillaPaddock, into looking under her bed for an imaginary beetle before tying her up and taking her cat.

Afterward, Ethel discovers Drusilla being held captive in Mildred's room and the two fly off to the festival to plough Mildred in. When exposed, Mildred takes the plunge and strides upwardly to primary sorcerer Mr Hellibore, handing him the box that contains Algernon. As luck would have it, Mr Hellibore was ane of Algernon'south fellow magicians at the time of his transformation, and he immediately turns him back to his human form.

Equally a last asking from Mildred, Mr Hellibore magics up a pot of tea and a plate of toast, crumpets and butter. Algernon himself and then conjures a pot of beloved for the crumpets, and the three head off to enjoy the supper.

The Worst Witch All at Sea [edit]

The Worst Witch All at Body of water (ISBN 978-0-670-83253-viii) was published in 1993. Information technology is the simply volume in the serial not set in Miss Cackle'southward Academy for Witches, but by the sea instead.

Plot

Mildred Hubble returns to Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches for the Summer Term of her second year. Instead of the usual blackness-and-grey-checked dresses, Miss Hardbroom persuaded Miss Cackle to change them to patently blackness. After crash-landing in a pile of snow and meeting up with her best friends, Maud Spellbody and Enid Nightshade, Ethel Hallow appears and tells Mildred that Miss Chortle wants to see her.

Miss Chortle suggests to Mildred that she replaces Tabby. Final term, a third-twelvemonth witch, Fenella Feverfew, transferred to Miss Pentangle'south Academy several mountaintops away and left behind her sleek black cat, Ebony, since they have owls at Miss Pentangle's instead of black cats. Downwardly in the kitchens, Mildred reluctantly hands over Tabby to Miss Tapioca (to catch mice), who gives her Ebony in return. Mildred is besides upset to tell either Maud or Enid about information technology until after assembly.

Miss Hardbroom announces that Mr Rowan-Webb, the frog-magician whom Mildred saved from the lily pond the previous term, has invited all the 2nd-years to spend a week's holiday at his castle, Gloom Castle at Grim Cove.

On the morning time of divergence, unable to carry the thought of a calendar week without Tabby, Mildred sneaks downwards into the school kitchens, lets Ebony out of his cage and instead hides Tabby inside.

When they reach Gloom Castle, they find that information technology is falling apart: the armchairs have springs and stuffing sticking out and there are no proper beds (apart from ane, which Ethel Hallow immediately claims) other than onetime sleeping-numberless, piles of pillows, and what appear to be hospital trolleys. Mildred gets an old sleeping-pocketbook nether the window, and realises she must divert attention away from Tabby.

Mildred spots a boat attached to a breakwater and decides to hide Tabby in the cabin of the boat. After a wonderful day on the beach, Mildred tries to sneak some kippers to Tabby, but Ethel catches Mildred, who pretends to be looking for some mythical treasure on Cat'due south Head Rock in front end of the cove in the boat on the breakwater. As the two caput dorsum up the cliff stairs, they witness Miss Hardbroom flying down to the embankment on her broomstick with her own black true cat, Morgana. Morgana runs to the gunkhole and feeds on the kippers that were meant for Tabby. Miss Hardbroom spots both Tabby in the cabin and Morgana eating the fish. Stepping on board to investigate, she slips on a kipper, hits her head and falls unconscious.

Sneaking out to feed Tabby again, Mildred is confronted by Ethel, who snidely tells her that she has untied the boat and let information technology drift out to sea. Mildred uses a broomstick that she finds on the beach (not realising it is Miss Hardbroom'south) to fly out to the drifting boat, where she discovers not simply Tabby, but the comatose Miss Hardbroom. Minutes after, they bump into Cat'southward Head Rock. Mildred ties the boat onto an odd-looking chunk of rock and falls asleep.

When she awakens, she finds that Maud and Enid have discovered them. Mildred tells them that there is something strange about the rock the boat is tied to. They pull at it and find that information technology is the mythical treasure chest.

When they get back, Miss Hardbroom has revived and her injured caput is bandaged. The contents of the treasure chest are used both to repair Gloom Castle and to refurbish Cackle's Academy, and Mildred is permitted to keep Tabby again every bit a reward.

Mildred enjoys the rest of her holiday, feeling like "the luckiest daughter in the world instead of the worst witch in the school".

The Worst Witch Saves the Mean solar day [edit]

The Worst Witch Saves the Day (ISBN 978-0-xiv-138218-0) was published in 2005. It features Agatha Chortle disguised as new teacher Miss Granite.

Plot

Mildred Hubble is returning to Miss Chortle's Academy for Witches on the first twenty-four hour period of her tertiary yr. After meeting up with her friends, Maud Spellbody and Enid Nightshade, Mildred sees that Maud's hair is curly (she borrowed a hairstyling brush from her aunt) and they too acquire that they volition have a new form-instructor this twelvemonth other than Miss Hardbroom.

They run into in assembly that their new course-teacher will be Miss Granite (who was hired by Miss Cackle afterwards Miss Gribble failed to show discipline and against Miss Hardbroom's advice). Miss Granite is described every bit being very strange-looking and having "a huge cloud of orange curls" and also wearing "enormous purple-tinted glasses and a short greatcoat with a collar turned up so high that you couldn't see much of her confront at all". Miss Granite speaks in a very high-pitched, squeaky voice that shocks anybody including Ethel Hallow.

Mildred unravels her pigtails to attempt out Maud's styling brush. Maud and Enid find her with her hair loose and a chunk of her pilus tangled up with the brush in a huge mess. Ethel comes in and volunteers to help. All the same, the "help" amounts to taking a pair of pair of scissors and chopping off both the styling castor and the messy hair.

Ethel after offers to help Mildred again in her pilus predicament. She formulates a potion that she claims will restore Mildred's hair to its rightful length. Mildred applies the potion that night and just when she is dropping off to slumber, her hair starts growing longer and longer by the infinitesimal, engulfing the whole school. Miss Hardbroom comes to investigate, states that Mildred is having "a bad hair twenty-four hours", manages to end the hair growing and cuts information technology to its rightful length and vapourises the swathes of hair that had engulfed the whole schoolhouse.

In a flying lesson, Ethel steals Tabby (who has been suffering a nervous breakdown as a result of the pilus incident) and hides him on the roof in front of Miss Granite's report's window.

That night, when trying to recover Tabby, Mildred is locked in a closet past someone who seems to be Miss Chortle but is actually Miss Chortle'southward identical twin Agatha Cackle, who sneaked into the school disguised as Miss Granite. Agatha is trying to turn all the teachers and pupils into snails. Mildred manages to turn herself into an ant, sneaks out of the closet and goes to Maud's room, where she tries unsuccessfully to wake her. Fortunately, she is able to attract Maud and Enid's attending by using ink-blots to write two notes – "HELP Non ANT" attracting their attending to her and "FORGOT SPEL" clarifying her dilemma – and Maud and Enid turn her dorsum into a human. Mildred tells them what is going on and, just every bit Agatha is well-nigh to plow Miss Chortle into a snail, Mildred turns her into a snail herself. They also crash-land into Miss Hardbroom, who had been away.

Miss Hardbroom suggests that Miss Cackle poses as Agatha and invites Agatha'due south rebellious coven in, whereupon Mildred and the others will turn them all into snails, which happens. As Mildred, Maud, and Enid go dorsum to bed, they realise that they miss Miss Hardbroom as their grade-instructor. She of a sudden appears in front end of them and is friendly for a cursory moment, admitting she has missed them too, before strictly telling them to get back to bed with no candles on.

The Worst Witch to the Rescue [edit]

The Worst Witch to the Rescue (ISBN 978-0-fourteen-138301-nine) was published in 2007 and features Ethel Hallow'due south only friend, Drusilla Paddock, in a largely increased role since her brief cameo in The Worst Witch All at Sea.

Plot

Ethel Hallow is returning to Miss Cackle's University for Witches for the Summertime Term of her third year. Miss Hardbroom had previously set them a vacation projection, but Ethel is doing exactly what Miss Hardbroom told them not to do: trying to think upwards a projection in 5 minutes flat on the fashion back to schoolhouse. Ethel spots Mildred Hubble crash-landed in a tree and manages to assist her steady herself. Mildred explains to Ethel her project: a spell that can make animals talk, though it tin can only piece of work on animals that fit into 25 centimetres and only lasts for two weeks. When helping Mildred out of the tree, Ethel knocks Mildred's luggage out of the tree. While Mildred tries to get Tabby, who had scampered upwards the tree, Ethel scoops upward Mildred'south project folder and art bag and her 30 coloured pencils. On the way in that location, Mildred finds her friends Maud Spellbody and Enid Nightshade. When Mildred tells them about Ethel being dainty for a change, Enid suggests she may have taken a "niceness grade" during the holidays. Maud and Enid become suspicious when they catch Mildred talking to someone or something in her true cat basket.

The girls find that their new form mistress is called Miss Mould, who has a "soft and kindly" vox and "short mousy hair parted in the middle and pulled into a ponytail at her neck". She is a keen relief from the horrifically strict Miss Hardbroom and the extremely weird Miss Granite whom they had had the previous term. Mildred sits adjacent to Drusilla Paddock, who swaps places with Ethel after Miss Mould tells Ethel her coils are besides brusk. Minutes later, a maraca-like dissonance echoes through the classroom. Mildred finds that her coils have turned into v rattlesnakes. Miss Mould gets the whole course outside while Ethel stays inside and evaporates the rattlesnakes. Just then, Miss Hardbroom appears and Miss Mould explains what happened. Miss Hardbroom sends Mildred to her room and bans her from fine art lessons for the residual of the term. Mildred runs to her room where she figures out it must have been Ethel who turned her pot and coils into the snakes out of jealousy. The next solar day, in a lesson with Miss Hardbroom, the girls are presenting their projects to the class. Ethel goes first simply her project is the same as Mildred's. Mildred shouts to Miss Hardbroom that Ethel had stolen her project. Miss Hardbroom opens Mildred's projection folder but finds but many sheets of paper with smiley faces drawn on them in different colours. Miss Hardbroom "transfers" Mildred to her room.

Later, Mildred finds that the creature inside her cat basket, a tortoise called Speedy whom she had used her spell on, can still speak. She renames him Einstein, and he tells her nearly overhearing her conversation with Ethel inside the tree. After Mildred runs to tell Maud and Enid the good news, Mildred accidentally leaves her bedroom door open and Einstein escapes. While plodding along the corridor he is discovered by Drusilla Paddock, who takes him to Ethel's room. While Ethel and Drusilla talk, it is revealed that Ethel did indeed accept Mildred'southward project and had as well "tried out" a snake spell on Mildred'south pot and coils in art. Einstein overhears everything.

When they are taking Einstein back to Mildred, Ethel eavesdrops on what Mildred is telling Maud and Enid. After discovering that Einstein can all the same speak and had overheard the conversation between Ethel and Mildred about the project, and that Einstein only has one more day before the spell wears off and he becomes mute forever, Ethel orders Drusilla to hide Einstein in the hollow pine tree outside the school gates. Einstein is put into a cardboard box that likewise contains a pocket-sized light-green frog called Cyril, the beast whom Ethel had used in her demonstration. Cyril escapes and hops to Mildred'southward room. Cyril tells Mildred that Drusilla hid Einstein in the hollow pino tree outside the schoolhouse gates and that he overheard several conversations about stealing projects and turning pots into snakes.

Subsequently releasing Cyril into the woods, Mildred gets on her broomstick and, during a violent thunderstorm, finds and rescues Einstein. On landing she is confronted by Miss Hardbroom, who takes Mildred and Einstein within and, later hearing function of the incidents from Mildred, sets an interview with Mildred and Ethel the side by side morning.

The next morning, Mildred goes to Miss Chortle'due south role where Einstein, resting in Miss Chortle'due south overflowing in-tray, awakes and tells Miss Chortle and Miss Hardbroom that he overheard the chat between Ethel and Mildred in the tree. He likewise says that he heard Ethel telling Drusilla that she had tried out a serpent spell on Mildred's coils and had taken Mildred's project, copied it out in her ain writing, and then thrown it in the kitchen bins. Ethel sifts through the rubbish and eventually finds Mildred's tea-stained project. Miss Hardbroom makes Ethel apologise to Mildred in assembly in front of the whole twelvemonth as an alternative to being expelled for cheating every bit well as for her actions that put herself and Mildred in smashing danger.

During a broomstick-flying lesson, Mildred reveals to Maud and Enid that Miss Cackle had provided Miss Mould's classroom with a proper kiln and craft room and she likewise got to go along Einstein every bit a pet. As the clock strikes midday, Mildred sprints into her room and hears Einstein speak for the last time in his raspy lilliputian vocalism ("I'grand glad I belong to you"), before munching on his carrot and going silent forever.

The Worst Witch and the Wishing Star [edit]

The Worst Witch and the Wishing Star (Scholastic Uk, ISBN 978-0-141351995; another(?), ISBN 978-0-141383996) was released by Scholastic UK on three Oct 2013.^[11]

Returning from the holidays in stormy weather condition Mildred, Maud and Enid make it to be told by Miss Drill that there volition exist a talent-displaying competition between Miss Cackle's University, Moonridge and Pentangle's school to win a swimming-pool as the laurels for the best talent.

Mildred, much to her thwarting, has been called to work lantern monitor along with Drusilla and Ethel. On that first dark Maud spots a falling star and Mildred makes a wish followed by Miss Hardbroom who does the same reluctantly. On the showtime lantern monitor shift Mildred is given a holdall containing prophylactic objects in it. When she reaches the gates to finish the job Mildred spots a devious domestic dog, who she names Star, she takes him to her bedroom as a secret pet, much to the disapproval of Tabby.

During the weeks that follow Mildred, realising that Star is well behaved and at-home on a broomstick, trains him to practice various tricks with her. Maud and Enid, who realise Mildred isn't spending much time with them, soon detect well-nigh Star and are amazed by the tricks Mildred has taught him. Ethel, suspicious most Mildred hiding something in her holdall, reaches into it to detect Star was hidden in information technology and the both of them collapse into the lanterns igniting the costumes Class V accept made for the talent competition.

Miss Hardbroom, furious, sends Ethel and Mildred along with Star on a lead to Miss Cackle'south office for what they had done. Maud and Enid then explain about Star'due south tricks on the broom. Miss Cackle accepts the replacing talent and the next twenty-four hour period the competition took place with the schools showing their talents. When it's Mildred's turn she amazes the judges with Star'south tricks and wins the competition and the pond-pool. When the pupils go back to their school Miss Cackle allows Mildred to keep Star as her broomstick companion equally a special privilege. Mildred later explains to Miss Hardbroom that she wished for Star on the falling star at the beginning of term which doesn't badger her every bit she wished on the star for them to win the competition. The story concludes with the teachers jubilant their victory and at the aforementioned time Miss Hardbroom'due south birthday.

Get-go Prize for the Worst Witch [edit]

First Prize for the Worst Witch (ISBN 9780141355092) was published in 2018.

The book is set up in the summer term of 4th year, where Mildred is competing with Ethel for who volition be Head Girl in fifth year. Its writing was delayed when Murphy underwent cancer treatment.^[9]

Setting [edit]

The stories mainly have place inside the walls of Miss Chortle's University for Witches, a girls-only boarding magic schoolhouse that is described in the books as a stone castle on top of a mount, surrounded by pino forest.

The schoolhouse year is divided into two terms: the Wintertime term (September–January) and the Summertime term (March–July), with a month's holiday between them. Students starts at Chortle's at the age of 12, and finish at the age of 17, for a total of five school years. The students arrive at the beginning of the term by flying broomsticks, except for the new outset years, who walk through walker's gate as they can't wing yet. Halfway through the get-go term, the first years are each presented with a black kitten – Mildred receives a gray-and-black tabby true cat every bit they apparently ran out of purely black cats – which they teach to ride the broomstick. The commencement book postulates that the cats weren't for whatever practical purpose except to proceed tradition going, and in Wishing Star, a grouping of elder witches annotation that there is no brake on what brute a witch must have equally her flight companion, with cats simply beingness traditional equally they are discreet and easy to intendance for, which leads to Mildred being permitted to fly with her dog, Star, after he shows greater broom aptitude than her cat Tabby. At the end of the first year, each educatee receives a copy of The Pop Book of Spells, a three-inch thick volume bound in blackness leather. This was not actually to be used, as they already had paperback editions for the classroom, but similar the cats, it's another piece of tradition. At the terminate of the fifth and final year, students sit the exams for the Westward.H.C. (Witches' Higher Certificate), and most pupils were awarded with the document.

The first book says that the schoolhouse wintertime uniform is composed of "black gymslips, black stockings, blackness hob-nailed boots, grey shirts and black-and-grey ties". The kickoff book as well postulates that "the only touches of colour [on the uniforms] were the sashes round their gymslips – a different colour for each house, although the houses are not named – and the school badge, which was a black cat sitting on a yellow moon". In the summer term, originally the girls wore greyness-and-blackness checked dresses, but this was changed from Worst Witch All At Body of water onwards to a elementary black dress as Ms Hardbroom felt that the original design was besides frivolous.

Characters [edit]

Adaptations [edit]

Television motion-picture show [edit]

In 1986, the first book in the series was converted to a fabricated-for-television film on ITV starring Fairuza Balk, Tim Curry, Diana Rigg, and Charlotte Rae. Though a British film, information technology also aired in the USA on HBO. The movie followed the plot of the outset book of the series, portraying the incidents of Mildred turning herself invisible and turning Ethel into a sus scrofa, Miss Cackle's evil twin sister Agatha plotting to take over the school, and the Grand Wizard viewing the Halloween Broomstick germination (sabotaged by Ethel's faulty broom she lent to Mildred). It was shot at St. Michael's College in Tenbury Wells. This holiday special later aired on the Disney Channel every year for Halloween until the late 1990s. Its opening vocal, "Growing Up Isn't Easy", was sung by Bonnie Langford; its music was composed past Charles Strouse and its lyrics were written by Don Black. Their other musical number was "Annihilation Can Happen on Halloween", sung by Tim Back-scratch. Denis King composed its incidental music score. He also wrote the song "My Little School".

Television set series (1998–2001) [edit]

The Worst Witch, a Tv set series based on the books, starring Georgina Sherrington and Felicity Jones as Mildred Hubble and Ethel Hallow respectively, was broadcast from 1998 to 2001. It was shot in Montreal, London and Cardiff. The series is generally shot in studio in London, with some episodes filmed in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The exteriors of Cackle's Academy used Castell Coch, a castle located near Cardiff. The courtyard was filmed at Loseley Park, near Guildford. Within the school (Great Hall, classrooms etc.) was filmed at Twickenham Studios.

Spin-offs [edit]

When information technology was no longer realistic that Mildred would still be at schoolhouse, the series relocated her to a magical university in Cambridge and was retitled Weirdsister Higher: The Further Adventures of the Worst Witch and saw the return of Felicity Jones as a reinvented Ethel Hallow.

In 2004, a new serial based on the 1998 serial was made, entitled The New Worst Witch. It centred on the adventures of Mildred's equally bungling cousin, Henrietta "Hettie" Hubble, played past Alice Connor, also set at Cackle'due south Academy.

Boob tube serial (2017–2020) [edit]

A new version of The Worst Witch TV series began in 2017 airing on CBBC and concluded on April 20, 2020, this one starring Bella Ramsey as Mildred Hubble (replaced by Lydia Page in the fourth season then that Ramsey could focus on personal issues), Claire Higgins every bit Miss Cackle, and Raquel Cassidy as Miss Hardbroom.

Stage adaptation (2018–2019) [edit]

A musical stage product called The Worst Witch Live, adjusted by Emma Reeves from Murphy's original books,^[12] was shown at the Royal & Derngate Theatre in Northampton from 27 November to 30 December 2018. In Feb 2019, the evidence began to tour the Great britain across sixteen unlike venues. The Worst Witch Live by Kenny Wax Family Entertainment was shown at the Vaudeville Theatre in the Westward End from 24 July to 8 September 2019.^[thirteen] This version is presented as a publicity play written by Mildred and acted out by the students and staff playing themselves, initially recreating Mildred's first yr at school, although the second half takes on a metafictional angle as Agatha Cackle "infiltrates" the play and attempts to stage a coup of the magical authorities. The phase product received a 2020 Olivier Award for best family show.^[14]

Run across too [edit]

• Boarding schools in fiction
• School story
• Lilliputian Witch Academia

References [edit]

1. ^ "Worst Witch novel captivates a new generation of fans", Western Morning News, 19 October 2013.
2. ^ "The Worst Witch: Get on your broomstick and fly down to the Purple & Derngate Theatre in Northampton". Northamptonshire Telegraph. 4 December 2018. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
3. ^ "Jill Murphy: Biography". Images of Please: Original artwork from children's volume illustrators. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 17 April 2008.
4. ^ Steinberg, Brian (31 August 2016). "Netflix Sets Tween Series 'Worst Witch,' 'Horse Mystery Project' For 2017". Variety . Retrieved 9 July 2018.
5. ^ Deeley, L. (27 October 2007). "Dorsum on peak after a bad spell". The Times . Retrieved 17 April 2008.
6. ^ ^{a b c} Vincent, Alice (31 Oct 2014). "An oral history of The Worst Witch....The Worst Witch was just published because of a political party". The Telegraph.
7. ^ "Interview with Jill Irish potato". The Young Writer . Retrieved 28 February 2022.
8. ^ ^{a b} "'Getting Published takes Perseverence and Luck' says Worst Witch Author Illustrator Jill Murphy". TeachWire. 17 June 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
9. ^ ^{a b c} Inundation, Alison (25 Jan 2017). "Jill Irish potato: 'I but wanted to accept a volume on the shelf'". The Guardian.
10. ^ ^{a b} Carey, Joanna (September 2002). "Authorgraph No.136: Jill Potato | Jill Murphy interviewed by Joanna Carey" (PDF). Books For Keeps. No. 136. pp. 8–9. Retrieved xx Baronial 2021.
11. ^ "The Worst Witch and the Wishing Star by Jill Murphy: For ages 7 to nine". Scholastic Shop. Scholastic UK, 2013. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
12. ^ Wild, Stephi (three April 2019). "THE WORST WITCH Flies Into The West Cease For A Strictly Limited Flavour". Broadway World . Retrieved 22 August 2021.
13. ^ "The Worst Witch Alive Transfers to the West End". David Higham. 2019.
14. ^ Orme, Steve (26 Oct 2020). "Worst Witch wins Olivier for Northampton theatre". Retrieved 28 Feb 2022.

External links [edit]

• Works past or about Mildred Hubble in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
• April Snellings, "nine Facts About The Worst Witch", Mental Floss, xiii July 2021.

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Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Worst_Witch

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