July 2016 Debut of the Month| In 3: magic – underdogs – proving your worth Young readers who’ve ever felt second best will identify strongly with apprentice witch Arianwyn. After she fails her witch assessment, horribly publicly, she is sent to the little town of Lull to be their not-quite-qualified witch. It’s not long however before she starts to prove her real abilities. Kind and generous, and a much better witch than anyone realises, Arianwyn soon makes friends not just with the townspeople but some of the magical creatures that live nearby too. Even the arrival of the school’s arch bully doesn’t seem so terrible, though it turns out to have dangerous consequences for Arianwyn and everyone in Lull. Full of spells, cheery characters and a real sense of magic this is an exciting story and Arianwyn will win lots of friends.
A Piece of Passion from Barry Cunningham, Publisher ‘We’re all a bit hopeless sometimes, aren’t we? But Arianwyn has worse luck than most! After she flunks her witch’s assessment, she’s declared a lowly apprentice and posted to an out-of-the-way town. Now, Arianwyn must rely on her talent and personality to pull her through. But what if it’s not just about the odd spell going wrong – what happens if there’s a really bad dark magic threat on its way? Arianwyn’s got some great new friends – despite the arrival of an old rival – and there’s this nice boy from the Civil Witchcraft Authority to help. It’s going to be all right … isn’t it? James Nicol, please write another brilliant story – NOW!’
"Will at once open a new and imaginative world and feel like a book you have loved forever." -- Jennifer Nielsen, New York Times bestselling author of The False Prince
Arianwyn has flunked her witch's assessment: She's doomed. Declared an apprentice and sent to the town of Lull in disgrace, she may never become a real witch -- much to the glee of her arch-rival, Gimma.But remote Lull is not as boring as it seems. Strange things are sighted in the woods, a dangerous infestation of hex creeps throughout the town, and a mysterious magical visitor arrives with his eye on her. With every spirit banished, creature helped, and spell cast, Arianwyn starts to get the hang of being a witch -- even if she's only an apprentice. But the worst still lies ahead. For a sinister darkness has begun to haunt her spells, and there may be much more at stake than just her pride... for Arianwyn and the entire land.
James Nicol has loved books and stories his whole life. As a child he spent hours absorbed in novels, watching epic 1980s cartoons or adventuring in the wood at the bottom of the garden. He lives on the edge of the Cambridgeshire Fens with his partner and a black and white cockapoo called Bonnie.
