Good - Rated 
Jill Murphy wrote this book at the age of 18 and five publishers (adults of course) rejected it saying it was boring. So, she put it away for six whole years! Now children love it and it is very popular, so, she was right and they were wrong! This is now called a modern classic and I love her books about the worst witch - Mildred Hubble! Jill Murphy did not only write it but she illustrated it as well! She started making books, writing stories and doing drawings to match, at the age of six, (she did actually staple it)! Here is a bit about the story: Mildred Hubble is a new pupil at Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches and she was not getting on very well - especially because she had Ethel, the teacher's pet, miss perfect and little miss goody-two-shoes as her worst enemy. Will the help of her best friend, Maud, and her tabby cat, not a sleek black cat like all the rest but a meek little tabby kitten, lend a hand to her so she can do better at school? I would rate this book 9.5/ 10 and would recommend it to anyone in the mood for some magic and humour!
Fantastic Witches series - Rated
I read the first Worst Witch novel as a child and I found it a pure joy. I would thoroughly recommend these books to children as an interesting alternative and precursor to Harry Potter mania. Having never read any of the Potter books ( am I the only person in the country?) I cannot compare the two in terms of quality or story lines, but what I can say is that 'The Worst Witch' probably possesses a similar likeable and exciting cast of characters that children and adults alike can fall in love with. Having read this book many, many years ago, I cannot comment on the current edition, but my doggeared copy did contain illustrations of Mildred and co, that I always loved very much. Oh the joy, I am now thinking back to many nights spent reading this with a torch when I was supposed to be asleep! If you or your kids like these books, hunt out 'The Worst Witch' movie. My sister and I absolutely adored it as children and would spend hours reinacting scenes from the film. An excellent series of novels and film that I think capture every child's fascination with witches, magic, and boarding school. A wonderful alternative to the now at times cyncial culture that wants to encourage children to grow up too fast.
good, a nice intro to the series - Rated 
A nice intro to the series. Personally, though, this book is fairly disappointing, with enjoyable pictures but not enough text to the story. Very short, but fairly enjoyable. Sorry, Jill, but things only get exciting in the other books. Nice, though.
On Behalf of Becca - Rated 
I am writing this reveiw on behalf of my best friends sister ,Becca. I,personly hate this book,having read it when i was 8. Here's what Becca's got to say about it: 'it's rubbish. I do not like it. What Was jill murphy thinking when she wrote this thing?'
still as good as when I was a child - Rated 
I really enjoyed the worst witch books when I was a child and I am amazed to find out now it was originally published three years before I was born. The story is still enjoyable and the drawings throughout the book are wonderful and really add to the text. Of course a similarity if always going to be drawn to this and Harry Potter (broomstick and potions classes) but at just over 100 pages and with larger print it is aimed at a younger audience than the Harry Potter books but should be enjoyable to most readers, even older ones!
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