Revenge of the Witch

Book: Revenge of the Witch (Book One of The Last Apprentice)
Author: Joseph Delaney
Audience: Grades 5 to 8
In a Nutshell: an apprentice spook accidentally lets a nasty witch out of her hole

Thomas Ward is the seventh son of a seventh son, which doesn't leave him a lot of career options. With the family land and the more desirable apprenticeships already taken by his brothers, he's left with apprenticing as a feared but needed spook- a man who takes care of witches, ghosts and other unwelcome supernatural problems in the villages. Plus, according to his mam, he is destined to fill this position. The current spook, Gregory, is a strict but fair master, and Thomas has a lot to learn quickly. Things like how to deal with witches. For the worst of the lot, you can't kill them, because they'll just come back in a more dangerous form. You stick them in a hole and keep them alive, but barely. It seems cruel to Thomas, but he soon learns the wisdom of it when he is tricked into feeding nasty old Mother Malkin a special strengthening blood muffin (or something equally disgusting), and she escapes and goes after her favorite delicacy: little children. The "Mother"nickname is ironic. And she's not the only Nasty out there. The life of a spook is a lonely one; the town and even Thomas's own family may not welcome him anymore, but they need him.

Good creepy reading, and the first of a series.