"This lovely new foray into the thoroughly engaging and well realised world of Mildred and her struggles to learn witchcraft is bound to win new fans for the series."
It’s over forty years since publication of Jill Murphy’s first Worst Witch story but you’d never know it from reading the books; certainly this new story is as fresh and sparky as anything around and magical reading for youngsters. Neatly observed friendships and classroom rivalries plus Mildred’s accidental mishaps are the basis of the stories, all cleverly mixed up of course with magic. Mildred’s broomstick handling improved considerably when she found little dog Star, with him perched behind her she’s much better at flying and when his real owners arrive to claim him, she is heartbroken. But, as headmistress Miss Cackle points out, Mildred has an extraordinary knack for sorting things out – can she find a way to keep Star, and frustrate arch enemy Ethel in the process? The plot zooms along as smoothly as a broomstick at top speed, realism, fantasy and humour in perfect balance. It’s an absolute treat for young readers, spellbinding early reading.
Penguin presents the CD edition of First Prize for the Worst Witch by Jill Murphy, read by Gemma Arterton. Accident-prone Mildred Hubble is the Worst Witch at Miss Cackle's Academy. She's always getting her spells wrong and landing herself in trouble. But Mildred is in the last term of Fourth Year and determined to prove that she's not as useless as everyone thinks - could it be First Prize for the worst witch after all? The Worst Witch is back - and it's as subtly feminist as ever - New Statesman
