A RELUCTANT WITCH'S GUIDE TO MAGIC BY SHIVAUN PLOZZA

12-Year-old Willa just wants a quiet life. Working at the mill spinning yarn is not the best job, but since her parents disappeared in a cloud spell, there’s not much else Willa can do. The city of Bad Faith must live constantly under the shadow of the witches’ war. The Irontongues and the Silverclaws have been battling for years and their spells are constantly impacting on the inhabitants.

 Sometimes Willa has a voice inside her head that tries to persuade her to do naughty things and she fizzes with feelings that need to be bought under control. When she is accused of being a witch, Willa is taken to the castle and put under the charge of witch tutor Gaspard. She has a year to control her magical powers and choose a coven to join. If she can’t decide within twelve months she will explode. The choices aren’t the best and Willa is determined to find a different solution. A truce between the warring covens has been called while Willa is trained and no spells are to be cast. However, strange things keep on happening. Someone is performing magic and its disruptive outcomes are becoming more and more dangerous. Willa must try and discover what exactly is happening and more importantly, how to avoid exploding. With the help of some new friends in the castle, she can hopefully uncover the culprit.

 Shivaun Plozza has created a fantastically colourful world. Bad Faith city and its inhabitants are plagued by purple frogs, creepy witches performing ugly spells, flying cookware and voice stealing bubbles. The characters are beautifully depicted and the pace fast and exciting. The seemingly never-ending obstacles Willa encounters will leave readers barracking for her and booing the evil-doer. She is a girl who has to take control of her destiny and shows great determination when faced with never-ending setbacks. This is a great adventure about defining yourself and facing oppositions and prejudice.

 For Ages: 9 - 12 years

Number of Pages: 288

Published: July 2022 Puffin

Themes: Friendship, prejudice and self-belief