Thomas Ward learns to tame boggarts and witches while apprenticing as a Spook in The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney. Kidzworld has the book review.
The Seventh Son
As the seventh son of the seventh son, 13-year-old Thomas Ward is sent off with Old Gregory, the county's Spook, whose job is to ensure that the land is free of vile creatures. As an apprentice, Thomas must learn everything there is to know about witches, boggarts and spirits of the dead. But it's not easy work. A career as a Spook means a lifetime of loneliness, as most people fear them too much to seek friendship. And now that Old Gregory is preparing to retire, Thomas will eventually do this work entirely alone, that is, if he survives the training. Twenty-nine apprentices before him couldn't hack it, and ten lost their lives. As the thirtieth, Thomas is the very last apprentice, and the last hope for their county.
The Witches
During his training, Thomas encounters a girl named Alice. The Spook's warning to avoid girls, especially those with pointy shoes, rings through his mind, but he pushes it aside. The girl helped him escape a gang of angry town boys, and in return she asks a favor: he must feed three cupcakes to the evil witch trapped in a barred grave on the Spook's property. Thomas thinks this a harmless task. After all, no one should be starved. But Thomas realizes too late that the cupcakes contain a baby's blood, and they're making her stronger. With the Spook away on a job, Thomas must figure out how to tame three generations of witches or wind up dead like the Spook's past apprentices.
The Bottom Line
The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch is first installment in a 13 book series by Joseph Delaney. With the success of this middle grade series, it comes as no surprise that the film industry would get their hands on it. The Last Apprentice movie entitled Seventh Son will be released in theatres in October, 2013. But before you see the film, we recommend that you read the book. Just make sure it's in the daytime. After all, a Spook's work is rather...spooky.
The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch Rating: 
Have Your Say
Will you read The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch? Tell us in our comment section below!
