The Worst Witch

Originally published in 1974, this story of a young girl away at a witch's academy has, together with its sequels, spawned both a television film and a television series, and is also often cited (much to Jill Murphy's chagrin, apparently) as an influence on the subsequent Harry Potter series. Mildred Hubble is the eponymous "worst witch," a first-year student at Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches, who is always getting into trouble of one kind or another. Clumsy in her flying lessons, forgetful in her potions classes, her never-ending mistakes and crises make her instructors wonder whether she will even pass the Witch's Higher Certificate, when the time comes. Ethel Hallow, by contrast, is the sort of student who gets everything right - show more top in all of her classes, an accomplished flyer, and teacher's pet - and when Mildred alienates her, the real trouble begins...

I enjoyed reading The Worst Witch, which (sorry Ms. Murphy, but the comparison is simply unavoidable) put me strongly in mind of J.K. Rowling's similar work. It wasn't just the broad strokes of the story - a young person attending a magical academy - that felt familiar, but some of specific elements as well, from the irascible dark-haired potions instructor (Miss Hardbroom here, Snape in Harry Potter) with whom the protagonist is in conflict, to the episode in which Mildred's broom is enchanted during the Hallowe'en display, which was so reminiscent of the episode in the first Harry Potter novel, in which Harry's broom is hexed during a Quidditch match. This similarity of theme and incident was really quite interesting, as it allows the reader to place the celebrated Harry Potter in an existing tradition of fantastic school stories, while also presenting its own take on the theme. Leaving these issues aside, this was an engaging, albeit slight tale - at 107 pages, I would describe it as sitting somewhere between a beginner's chapter-book and a proper middle-grade novel - with an entertaining story, an appealing heroine, and charming artwork (done by Murphy herself). Despite my recommendation line - I do think this would make an excellent selection for the young reader not yet prepared for the Harry Potter books - I believe that this classic deserves to be read for its own sake. show less

Leitura rapidíssima, The Worst Witch de Jill Murphy (que faleceu recentemente agora no último agosto) é um clássico da literatura infantil inglesa que originou uma série de 8 livros e várias adaptações audiovisuais, mas que fora do mundo anglofono não é tão conhecido ou talvez seja conhecido mais como sendo a grande influência para Harry Potter, cujas similaridades são inegáveis.
Surgido da experiência em estudar em internato para meninas é um ótimo meio de identificação coming-of-age para garotas cuja autoestima não seja das melhores, como é tão comum na adolescência, além de apresentar um mundo ético a ser seguido com verossimilhança na fantasia em que está inserido.
Agora deixa eu ir lá assistir a show more adaptação com Tim Curry, Fairuza Balk e Dianne Rigg que está completando 35 anos de lançamento hoje. show less

I listened to the audiobook read by Gemma Arterton. This is a very quick read, managed to listen to the entire book between leaving my home and arriving at work one morning. It is about a school that teaches girls to become witches and focuses on the unlucky Mildred Hubble, for whom things always seem to go wrong. It is fairly lightweight and simple, not exploring the motivations behind why characters act the way they do, but nonetheless enjoyable for children, particularly those who struggle at school. Since it is the start of a series, hopefully characters get expanded a bit more later on.

An easy read set in a fantasy school world. My children both read it quickly but the story stayed with them for future jokes and quotes (always a good sign in my view) The appeal of the setting and memorable characters make it a book to both engage early chapter readers or family read aloud time.

I actually only read a chapter or two of this to Colleen (age 7), AFTER she’d already devoured it in one sitting the night before. She literally didn’t speak a word to me after I surprised her with it on the bus ride home, read it while walking from the bus to our apartment, and continued reading it while she took off her shoes and continued into her room. We’ve requested the rest of the series from the library.

Definitely an uncomplicated children’s story.

I don't normally log books I read to Matthew, however I only read the first chapter aloud, and then read the rest to myself before it had to back to the library. I think he would have enjoyed it (I did) but he was being stubborn about it. Even easier reading than I was expecting, lovely characters and beautifully illustrated.

Pleasant but unspectacular (the few illustrations were charming, I thought, and hit the right note). But there was nothing particularly clever or compelling about the setting, characterization, or plot. It was fine. Don't know if the series grows in complexity or interest, so I'll read a few reviews before tackling a second one.

(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). I feel a lot of readers automatically render any book they enjoy 5, but I grade on a curve!