Scribble Witch: Magical Muddles; Inky Willis

My favourite ‘paper witch who lives in a pen pot’ is back to cause more chaos in the classroom.

Molly is having a tough time. Her best friend Chloe has moved to a new school and to make matters worse Chloe seems to be having the best time at Lady Juniper’s School for Girls. Whilst Molly may have lost one best friend, her other best friend - paper witch Notes - is still firmly by her side - or to be more precise, hiding in the pen pot. In an effort to keep the two friends close, the loveable Notes flies messages between them but this only makes things worse as Molly learns that Chloe is making lots of new friends. And Chloe has only gone and entered the Inter-School Spelling Championships even though she hates spelling. Filled with jealousy, Molly enters the competition too. Slight problem here though…Molly hates spelling and finds it quite a challenge. Still, at least she’ll be able to get back at Chloe.

Things are looking bleak…a friendship seemingly ruined, a spelling competition in front of the parents and Notes getting mixed up in all kinds of magical muddles. Will anything go right for Molly…

Oh, what an enjoyable read this is. Just like the first book, this too had me smiling and laughing all the way through. The school life and challenges that Molly experiences are perfectly relatable to any child of primary school age - spelling tests, school pressures, a grumpy teacher and friendship issues. The book is heavily illustrated throughout and children will love the zany page layouts that feature black and white illustrations, notes, scribbles, doodles and the use of different fonts.

The story is incredibly sweet and explores friendship issues and the feelings and emotions that Molly experiences after her best friend moves away. Molly ultimately learning that it is OK to share her best friend with other children and that whilst her and Chloe are at different schools it does not mean that their friendship is over.

Paper witch Notes is brilliant and is the real star of the book. She is unique, crazy and will do anything to help Molly, no-matter what the unforeseen consequences of her actions may be. Readers will be laughing-out-loud at Notes’ own special language and her hilarious antics that always seem to do more harm than good. It is fair to say that Notes doesn’t quite know when to stop and is the kind of paper witch that will do absolutely anything for you.

Filled with magic and mayhem, mishaps, muddles and misunderstandings, this is a hilarious and very enjoyable read for children who are growing in confidence and beginning to read chapter books. This is the second book in the series and I cannot wait for the third Scribble Witch adventure.

Recommended for 6+.