The School for Wicked Witches

by Will Taylor Narrated by Mia Hutchinson-Shaw

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Oz tends to churn out misunderstood witches, and Ava is the latest, banished to a reformatory school for a spell gone wrong. Can she change how the world sees her in time to become the witch she wants to be?

Ava isn't ready to leave her home in Oz -- especially not to become a witch. Then the worst thing that could possibly happen occurs -- Ava's magic does very wrong and she is banished to a school for wicked witches. Perfect for fans of WICKED, WITCHLINGS, and THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL!

In Oz, most girls and boys with magical powers are sent from the north, south, east, and west to renowned witch academies, where they are elevated and taught all the finer ways to be a responsible witch. But if you misbehave? Or are thought to harbor darker magic? You're sent to the equivalent of witch reform school -- The School for Wicked Witches. ONLY! Once you get there, you find that the witches running it are so powerful that they've managed to trick the rest of the outside world. Yes, it looks to outside like they are taming the wickedness out of the witches... but in truth, the school is run by wicked witches (who, incidentally, don't see themselves as wicked at all... although some of them really are.)

Ava Heartstraw has never even considered being wicked. But when she goes to take her entrance test for a witch academy, she doesn't get the reaction she's expecting -- and is the first kid in memory from the west to be sent to the School for Wicked Witches.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Praise for The Language of Seabirds:

* "Jeremy's entry into adolescence is warm and triumphant without offering pat solutions or platitudes. A wonderful, tender story about changing relationships." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "Via a leisurely third-person narration that effectively conjures the agony of first texts and the emotional awkwardness of adolescence, Taylor (Maggie & Abby’s Neverending Pillow Fort) writes with vulnerability the conflict of being in-between." — Publishers Weekly, starred review

"An atmospheric LGBTQIA+ romance perfect for all middle grade and young adult collections." — School Library Journal

"A warm-hearted story that affirms and celebrates a tender relationship between two boys." — The Horn Book

Kirkus Reviews

2024-07-04
A clever young witch yearns to belong in a world of good and evil.

Ten-year-old witch Ava Heartstraw plans to use her magic to help her family of poor brick-moss farmers living at the edge of the Impassable Desert. In order to become a full-fledged witch, Ava, who has “sand-colored skin and wavy brown hair,” will need to study at West Oz Witch Academy with other magical youths. But when Ava fails the magic demonstration to confirm her enrollment at WOW Academy, she’s deemed wicked and sent to the School for Wicked Witches instead. In reality, this school turns out not to be as terrifying as Ava expected. Nevertheless, she wants to do what it takes to escape, rectify this error, and reclaim her rightful place at WOW Academy. In the process, Ava navigates evolving friendships, bullies, and her newfound, powerful water witch magic. In this series opener inspired by L. Frank Baum’s Oz series, Ava embarks on an odyssey not unlike that of Dorothy. A colorful cast of quirky characters appear, often at unexpected times, leaving many loose ends that may be addressed in future installments. The pacing feels unbalanced, and the story concludes rather abruptly with a cliffhanger ending. The characters are fantasy-world diverse and have a variety of skin tones and hair colors.

Charming characters help compensate for a choppy plotline.(Fantasy. 8-12)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940192436615
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	09/17/2024
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

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