|
''The Worst Witch'' is a series of children's books written and illustrated by Jill Murphy. The series are primarily boarding school and fantasy stories, with seven books already published. The first one, ''The Worst Witch'', was published in 1974 by Allison & Busby,〔("Worst Witch novel captivates a new generation of fans" ), ''Western Morning News'', 19 October 2013.〕 and the most recent one, ''The Worst Witch and the Wishing Star'', was published in 2013 by Puffin Books, the current publisher of all the series. The books have become some of the most outstandingly successful titles on the Young Puffin paperback list and have sold more than 4 million copies.〔 In 1986, the first book in the series was made into a television film of the same name. A TV series based on the books aired from 1998 to 2001, and has inspired two spin-offs, ''Weirdsister College'', aired in 2001, and ''The New Worst Witch'', aired in 2005. ==Series overview== The books focuses on Mildred Hubble, a young witch who attends Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches, a school of magic. Although well-intentioned, Mildred's clumsy personality leaves the girl to disastrous situations, making her to be considered the worst student at the whole school. The benevolent headmistress, Miss Cackle, is generally understanding, whereas Mildred's form teacher Miss Hardbroom thinks she just isn't trying hard enough. Mildred's friends include Maud Moonshine, a rotund, sensible girl who is always trying to avoid confusion, and Enid Nightshade, a practical joker who is more likely than Mildred to get them all into trouble. The three girls have a strong rivalry with Ethel Hallow, a high-born, snobbish and vindictive classmate. Each book covers one term at the school. There are two terms for year: the Winter term, from September to January, and the Summer term, from March to July. At ''The Worst Witch and the Wishing Star'', the most recent book, Mildred is in the Winter term of her fourth year. The author Jill Murphy began writing ''The Worst Witch'' at the age of 15, while still at school, and based many points of the stories on her own school experiences at Ursuline Convent in Wimbledon, England, with Singing becoming Chanting, Chemistry becoming Potions and so on. Recalling how she got the idea for the story, she said: "My two friends and I used to come home in our dark uniforms, looking very scruffy at the end of the day - my dark plaits sprouting tufts, with lost hair ribbons. My Mum used to say 'Look at you all. You look like the three witches!' and it gave me the idea for a witch's school - so that it was exactly like my school, but with a subtle touch of magic. All the characters are based on my school friends (and enemies) and teachers." Murphy concluded the first book at the age of 18, but failed to achieve a publishing deal, making her to "put it in a drawer" and deciding to "concentrate on other things instead." After working as a nanny and in a children’s home, Murphy had a phone call from a small publisher interested in the book. ''The Worst Witch'' was finally published in 1974, when Murphy was 24.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.gransnet.com/forums/webchats/a1204459-World-Book-Day-Q-A-with-Jill-Murphy )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Worst Witch」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|