#BookReview: The Apprentice Witch by James Nicol

  A special middle grade debut of magic and courage in a world of witches, written with the charm and enchantment of Circus Mirandus and The Apothecary.

Arianwyn has flunked her witch's assessment: She's doomed. Declared an apprentice and sent to the town of Lull in disgrace, she may never become a real witch-- much to the glee of her arch-rival, Gimma.

But remote Lull is not as boring as it seems. Strange things are sighted in the woods, a dangerous infestation of hex creeps throughout the town, and a mysterious magical visitor arrives with his eye on her. 

With every spirit banished, creature helped, and spell cast, Arianwyn starts to get the hang of being a witch--even if she's only an apprentice. But the worst still lies ahead. For a sinister darkness has begun to haunt her spells, and there may be much more at stake than just her pride . . . for Arianwyn and the entire land.

James Nicol has loved books and stories his whole life. As a child he spent hours absorbed in novels, watching epic 1980s cartoons or adventuring in the wood at the bottom of the garden. He lives on the edge of the Cambridgeshire Fens with his partner and a black and white cockapoo called Bonnie. The Apprentice Witch is his children’s debut. You can visit him at @jamesenicol.

This was a very cute middle-grade novel that just lacked that spark needed to get kids to read.  My youngest (6 years old) and oldest (just now 13) both tried this one and we all thought the same thing. That although we were wondering what would happen to Arianwyn we just didn't really seem to care how she got there.  This one just needed a little more of something.  We were all really hoping this was going to have a Harry Potter feel but unfortunately it lacked that bit of engagement we were looking for. 

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Posted in: 3 Stars, Jessica P., Middle Grade, Review