The Worst Witch (book)

The Worst Witch

The covers from all the seven books, shown in the publication order.
The Worst Witch The Worst Witch Strikes Again A Bad Spell for the Worst Witch The Worst Witch All at Sea The Worst Witch Saves the Day The Worst Witch to the Rescue The Worst Witch and the Wishing Star
Author	Jill Murphy
Illustrator	Jill Murphy
Cover artist	Jill Murphy
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Genre	Fantasy, children's books
Publisher	Allison & Busby (original) Puffin Books (current)
Published	1974 – 2013
No. of books	7

The Worst Witch is a series of children's books written and illustrated by Jill Murphy. The series are primarily boarding school and fantasy stories, with seven books already published. The first one, The Worst Witch, was published in 1974 by Allison & Busby, and the most recent one, The Worst Witch and the Wishing Star, was published in 2013 by Puffin Books, the current publisher of all the series. The books have become some of the most outstandingly successful titles on the Young Puffin paperback list and have sold more than 4 million copies.

In 1986, the first book in the series was made into a television film of the same name. A TV series based on the books aired from 1998 to 2001, and has inspired two spin-offs, Weirdsister College, aired in 2001, and The New Worst Witch, aired in 2005. A new series started airing on CBBC in January 2017.

The books focus on Mildred Hubble, a young witch who attends Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches, a school of magic. Although well-intentioned, Mildred's clumsy personality leads the girl to disastrous situations, and she is thus considered the worst student in the whole school. The benevolent headmistress, Miss Cackle, is generally understanding, whereas Mildred's form teacher Miss Hardbroom thinks she just isn't trying hard enough. Mildred's friends include Maud Spellbody, a rotund, sensible girl who is always trying to avoid confusion, and Enid Nightshade, a practical joker who is more likely than Mildred to get them all into trouble. The three girls have a strong rivalry with Ethel Hallow, a high-born, snobbish and vindictive classmate.