This was Harry Potter before Harry Potter existed. Many people have noticed the resemblance between the two series, although they aren’t exactly alike. The Worst Witch is much lighter than Harry Potter and aimed more at younger children.

Mildred Hubble is an awkward young girl at a boarding school for witches, Miss Cackle’s Academy, which is in an old castle in Great Britain. Mildred tries hard but is klutzy and often makes mistakes with her spells, which has earned her a reputation for being the worst witch at the school. In spite of that, she does sometimes manage to save the school when it needs her the most.

Miss Amelia Cackle is the headmistress of the school, an older witch who is kind and pleasant. She has an evil twin named Agatha who is a major villain in the series, causing trouble and trying to take over the school because of her rivalry with her twin. Miss Hardbroom is the potions teacher and the one who has the least tolerance for Mildred’s clumsiness. Ethel Hallow is Mildred’s rival at school, a snobbish girl from a long line of witches. Ethel is also Miss Hardbroom’s favorite student. Girls from long-time witch families are favorites at the school (another thing found in Harry Potter), Mildred’s best friends at school are Maud and Enid.

This series by Jill Murphy began over twenty years before the Harry Potter series began. Since then, it has been made into a movie and a tv series. The movie is based on the first book in the series, and the tv series allows follows the books, splitting up incidents in the books into individual episodes. (Actually, three tv series because there were also two spin-off series, Weirdsister College, about the girls at a college for witches and The New Worst Witch, about Mildred’s younger cousin, who also attends Miss Cackle’s Academy. You may be able to see some clips or episodes of these series on YouTube.) Jill Murphy based the series partly on her own school when she was young, just changing subjects to magical ones. She has also written other books for children, including Jeffrey Strangeways.

Books in the Series:

The Worst Witch (1974)

Nothing is going well for Mildred at Miss Cackle’s Academy, and she’s afraid that she’ll never be able to be a witch. However, she is in a unique position to save the school when it’s in danger.

The Worst Witch Strikes Again (1980)

A new girl, Enid, comes to the school, and Mildred is put in charge of her. However, Enid is a troublemaker.

A Bad Spell for the Worst Witch (1982)

Mildred starts her second year at school. Ethel’s little sister starts attending the school, and Mildred accidentally scares her with a story about someone getting turned into a frog. Ethel vows revenge on her sister’s behalf.

The Worst Witch All at Sea (1993)

Mildred gets a new black cat to replace her old Tabby, but even though the black cat is more suitable for witches, she misses Tabby too much and decides to bring him on a school trip with her. When Ethel plays a mean trick, Mildred not only has to save Tabby but Miss Hardbroom, but she also finds a treasure.

The Worst Witch Saves the Day (1999)

Mildred’s third year begins, and a hair disaster starts the year’s chaos. Miss Cackle’s evil sister is also back to cause trouble.

The Worst Witch to the Rescue (2006, 2007 – US)

Ethel steals a project of Mildred’s and submits it as her own. Fortunately, the project is about making animals talk, and one of them has something to say on Mildred’s behalf.

The Worst Witch and the Wishing Star (2013)

Miss Cackle’s Academy is taking part in a competition with other witch schools to win a swimming pool.

First Prize for the Worst Witch (2018)

In Mildred’s final year at Miss Cackle’s Academy, she competes with Ethel to be head girl and saves animals from a circus.