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.
This is recommended for fans of The Worst Witch and Diana Wynne Jones’s Chrestomanci series. ~ Andrea Reece
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!’
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