Horn Book (Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2015)

Mildred, scapegrace student at Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches, finally comes up with an amazing summer project--a spell to make animals talk--but her rival, perfect Ethel, steals her spell and endangers Einstein, Mildred's bespelled turtle. This well-conducted school story with convincing middle-grade characters features an earnestly likable protagonist in a setting that humorously juxtaposes the ordinary with the fantastical.

School Library Journal (Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 2014)

Gr 3-5 The sixth installment of the "Worst Witch" series has student witch Ethel Hallow unusually anxious. Instead of the usual spell practice, the school assignment over break from strict Miss Hardbroom was to simply come back with something "unusual and interesting." Ethel has found herself in the hard spot of trying to invent something on the way back to school, when she runs into Mildred Hubble. Mildred was in a tree rescuing her cat Tabs. When Ethel asks Mildred how she did on her holiday project, she is surprised to find that Mildred has discovered something exciting. Ethel is not used to being the one in the shadows, and in fact their roles seem to be reversed. True to her personality, Ethel finds a way to leave Mildred in the dust and take on her project as her own. Before the end of the story, Ethel does get her comeuppance and Mildred is allowed to shine. Heavily illustrated, with plenty of white space, these books do appear to be for younger children, but the vocabulary is high and contains Britishisms, which may need some explanation. Quite a nice facelift to a fantasy series for those not quite ready for Harry Potter. Stacy Dillon, LREI, New York City

ALA Booklist

Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches is back in session, and student Mildred Hubble's excited to share her school project: a spell enabling animals to talk. But before she can, mean-girl classmate Ethel pilfers and presents Mildred's work as her own. Unfortunately, Mildred's evidence talking tortoise named Einstein s disappeared, and Mildred must use courage and ingenuity to find and save pal Einstein d also prove to everyone, including strict headmistress Miss Hardbroom, it's her spell. Featuring a lively, likable protagonist, humorous touches, and intricate black-and-white illustrations, this sixth Worst Witch title is another entertaining read in the enjoyable series.