The Worst Witch Strikes Again
Read The Worst Witch Strikes Again Online
Authors: Jill Murphy
YOUNG PUFFIN MODERN CLASSICS
The Worst Witch Strikes Again
Jill Murphy began drawing and writing stories at a very early age, and was already putting books together (literally with a stapler) by the time she was six. She was only eighteen when she wrote
The Worst Witch
. Since then, her books about the lovable but disaster-prone Mildred Hubble have become much-loved classics. Jill Murphy has also written and illustrated several award-winning picture books for younger children.
Other books by Jill Murphy
(Titles in reading 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’S SPELLING BOOK
(
with Rose Griffiths
)
Jill Murphy
Worst Witch
STRIKES AGAIN
PUFFIN
PUFFIN BOOKS
Published by the Penguin Group
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, England
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First published by Allison & Busby 1980
Published in Puffin Books 1981
Published in this edition 2007
1
Text and illustrations copyright © Jill Murphy, 1980
Introduction copyright © Julia Eccleshare, 2007
All rights reserved
The moral right of the author has been asserted
Except in the United States of America, this book is sold subject to the condition
that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out, or otherwise
circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other
than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition
being imposed on the subsequent purchaser
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
B
Y
J
ULIA
E
CCLESHARE
, S
ERIES
E
DITOR
Imagine being the Worst Witch in your school. Poor Mildred Hubble, it’s not a title she
ever
meant to gain and she hates it. After all, she never means to be bad. In fact, she always tries her hardest to do well and this term she’s promised everyone at home that she really will try not to get into any scrapes. But, somehow, everything seems to go wrong for her. She isn’t helped by her cat and, this time, she isn’t helped by her friends either.
It’s now the Summer Term at Miss Cackle’s Academy for Witches – the poor witches do wear the very worst summer uniform – and Mildred is looking forward to some fun with her best friend Maud while also taking care to improve her reputation, especially with Miss Hardbroom. But Mildred’s plans soon go badly wrong. So wrong that even her friendship with Maud is in tatters while her days in the Academy look very much as if they are numbered.
A school touched by a bit of magic is a very attractive place. A little bit of flying for some light relief and unexpected adventure is good fun; the cats or – in the case of the new girl, Enid Nightshade – monkey
that are the girls’ familiars add a bit of zest to the school corridors and bedrooms.
Whether you love or loathe school, Jill Murphy’s Mildred, Maud and Enid, and their skirmishes with their teachers, will immediately strike a chord. They are great girls, ready to support each other and to get the best – or worst – out of school and especially out of their teachers. Luckily, most schools don’t have the possibility of magic! The results can be disastrous!
UMMER
had arrived at Miss Cackle’s Academy for Witches. Not that it made much difference to the grim-looking school which was perched on a mountain amid swirling mist and pine trees.
On the first morning of term the members of Form One sat in class looking a dismal sight in their new summer uniform which was even more dreary than the winter one. It consisted of a black-and-
grey-checked short-sleeved dress, brightened a little by the sash around the waist, and grey ankle socks with black lace-up shoes. Everyone’s knees were startlingly white after spending the winter swathed in itchy black wool stockings.
Despite this picture of gloom, the room buzzed with laughing voices and the pupils all sounded very excited to be back — except for Mildred. Worried would be a better word to describe how Mildred felt as she sat on her desk listening to Maud’s tales of what had happened during the holidays.
In fact, she wasn’t really listening to Maud at all because she was busy imagining all the dreadful things that were just bound to happen during the coming term. Why, it hadn’t even
started yet
. There were weeks and weeks to get through! After the appalling report she’d had at the end of last term, she had promised everyone at home that she
really would try
this term.
Even though Miss Cackle had kindly mentioned the day when she had saved the school from disaster, it hardly made up for all the days when everything she touched fell to bits or broke or, worse, when she couldn’t resist doing something wicked to liven things up a bit. It was the worst report she’d ever taken home.
‘Mildred!’ Maud broke into her thoughts. ‘You haven’t been listening to a word, have you?’
‘Yes, I have,’ said Mildred.
‘Well, what did I say then?’ asked Maud.
‘Er — you got a pet bat for your birthday?’ replied Mildred, hopefully.
‘I told you you weren’t listening!’ cried Maud triumphantly. ‘That was about ten minutes ago.’
The door crashed open and Miss Hard-broom, their terrifying form-mistress, swept in like an icy blast, bringing with her a girl whom no one had ever seen
