Ava is certain she’s not wicked... thus begins her story, with tons of magic, references to The Wizard of Oz, and a lot of questioning about what is wicked and what isn’t. Absolutely fabulous and I can’t wait for book 2!
— JamieIn Oz, most girls and boys with magical powers are sent from the north, south, east, and west to renowned witch academies, where they are elevated and taught all the finer ways to be a responsible witch. But if you misbehave? Or are thought to harbor darker magic? You're sent to the equivalent of witch reform school -- The School for Wicked Witches. ONLY! Once you get there, you find that the witches running it are so powerful that they've managed to trick the rest of the outside world. Yes, it looks to outside like they are taming the wickedness out of the witches... but in truth, the school is run by wicked witches (who, incidentally, don't see themselves as wicked at all... although some of them really are.)
Ava Heartstraw has never even considered being wicked. But when she goes to take her entrance test for a witch academy, she doesn't get the reaction she's expecting -- and is the first kid in memory from the west to be sent to the School for Wicked Witches.
Will Taylor is a huge fan of wicked witches. His other books include the award-winning The Language of Seabirds. He lives in Seattle.
Praise for The Language of Seabirds:
* "Jeremy's entry into adolescence is warm and triumphant without offering pat solutions or platitudes. A wonderful, tender story about changing relationships." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review
* "Via a leisurely third-person narration that effectively conjures the agony of first texts and the emotional awkwardness of adolescence, Taylor (Maggie & Abby’s Neverending Pillow Fort) writes with vulnerability the conflict of being in-between." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review
"An atmospheric LGBTQIA+ romance perfect for all middle grade and young adult collections." -- School Library Journal
"A warm-hearted story that affirms and celebrates a tender relationship between two boys." -- The Horn Book