Estimated Reading Time 1 Minutes
Rating: 
Genre: Fantasy, YA
First sentence: When the Spook arrived, the light was already beginning to fail.
Favorite Quote From the Book:
If you can’t make a mistake, you can’t make anything.
Publisher:
HarperCollins (September 6, 2005), Hardcover, 368 pages / ISBN 0060766182
Summary from Amazon:
Capturing witches
Binding boggarts
Driving away ghostsFor years, Old Gregory has been the Spook for the county, ridding the local villages of evil. Now his time is coming to an end. But who will take over for him? Twenty-nine apprentices have tried–some floundered, some fled, some failed to stay alive.
Only Thomas Ward is left. He’s the last hope; the last apprentice.
Can Thomas succeed? Will he learn the difference between a benign witch and a malevolent one? Does the Spook’s warning against girls with pointy shoes include Alice? And what will happen if Thomas accidentally frees Mother Malkin, the most evil witch in the county … ?
After Thoughts:
I picked this book up yesterday after work. I was wandering the isles of the bookstore just enjoying the atmosphere and the cover caught my eye. Needless to say, it was worth the money I paid for it . It’s an easy read only taking a couple hours if you are a fast reader.
Thomas, the protagonist, is a very likable and down to earth character. He came off a little bit too scared and unprepared for the role he was given, but he’s only twelve so I guess we can give him some slack. And finding his courage is one of the main points of the storyline.
As the seventh son of a seventh son, (watch out Septimus Heap!) he can see things that others can’t. Things that go bump in the night. Due to this talent he is apprenticed to Old Gregory, the county Spook. A spook is a sort of mild ranger that protects the civilians from the unpleasant creatures that roam the countryside.
The adventure is quick paced and exciting. The bad guys are fairly scary and there are some gory descriptions, so I wouldn’t recommend the book to ages under 10. But for ages 10 and up this book is a fantastic way to spend a relaxing afternoon.
