Mildred is always interested in her studies but often gets her spells wrong, does not know how to balance on her broomstick and has to deal with constant bullying from the teachers and fellow witch trainees. Miss Cackle is the benevolent headmistress who most of the time is understanding even if Miss Hardbroom is harsh on Mildred. She is a well meaning student but is often impulsive and this often gets her in trouble. The lead in the “Worst Witch” series of novels is Mildred Hubble who happens to be a student at the Miss Cackle’s Academy for Witches. The series has also been made into a series on the ITV network. The “Worst Witch” series of novels are now some of the most successful children’s paperback series with more than 3 million copies in print. Once she saw that she could write a great novel, she decided to become a full time author.

By the time she was twenty four, she had published her debut and it was very well received. She continued writing when she came back to the UK and took a job working part time as a nanny. She then moved to Togo and picked up writing while living in a West African village. A few years later, she graduated and writing took a back seat while she attended the Croydon and Chelsea Art Schools. The lead character Mildred Hubble is pretty much who she was when she was at Ursuline.

She was only fifteen years old when she began writing the manuscript for the series. At the school, she loved reading and observing people and this provided much of the inspiration for The Worst Witch Academy’s “Miss Cackle Academy” setting and characters. Jill Murphy grew up in London and went to the Wimbledon based Ursuline Convent where she attended the boarding school.

Reviewers have called Murphy one of the most charming illustrators and children’s authors of modern times. She is best known for writing the “Large Family” picture books and “The Worst Witch” series. The “Worst Witch” series is a set of novels by London born children’s author Jill Murphy.

The worst witch book cover