The Worst Witch Saves the Day
Encyclopedia
The Worst Witch Saves the Day is the fifth novel in The Worst Witch children's boom series by Jill Murphy
. The book was published in 2005 and features Agatha Cackle (from The Worst Witch
) disguised as new teacher, Miss Granite.
is returning to Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches on the first day of her third year. As a reward for her good behaviour, her mum bought her a new broomstick. After meeting up with her friends, Maud Moonshine and Enid Nightshade, Mildred sees that Maud's hair is curly (she borrowed a hairstyling brush from her aunt) and they also learn that they will have a new teacher as a form-teacher this year other than Miss Hardbroom.
They see in assembly that their new form-teacher will be Miss Granite (who was hired by Miss Cackle after Miss Gribble failed to show discipline and against Miss Hardbroom's advice). Miss Granite is described as being very strange-looking and having a huge cloud of orange curls, which looked extremely frivolous for Miss Cackle's Academy and also wearing enormous purple-tinted glasses and a short cape with a collar turned up so high that you couldn't see much of her face at all. The girls also learn with their very own ears that Miss Granite speaks in a very high-pitched, squeaky voice that shocks everyone including Ethel Hallow.
After settling down, Mildred unravels her pigtails
and gives Maud's styling brush a go. Mildred is gone a while. When Maud and Enid go and check on her, they find Mildred with her hair loose and a chunk of her hair tangled up with the brush in a huge mess right up onto her scalp. Ethel comes in and volunteers to help. However, the "help" Ethel offered was actually taking a pair of scissors and chopping off both the styling brush and the messy hair. Offended at Ethel's bad hairdressing, Ethel chops off all of Mildred's hair.
After some boring and weird lessons with the bizarre and quirky Miss Granite, Ethel offers to help Mildred again in her hair predicament. She formulates a hair-growth potion
which she claims will restore Mildred's hair to its rightful length. Mildred applies the potion that night but nothing happens at first. However, just when Mildred is dropping off to sleep, the potion overdoes the purpose and makes her hair grow longer and longer by the minute, enguling the whole school in her hair. Miss Hardbroom comes to investigate after Miss Granite never came (she saw this as an excellent challenge for her to test her discipline skills) she sees Mildred's out-of-control rapidly growing hair and surprisingly states that Mildred is having "a bad hair day". She manages to stop the hair growing and cuts it to its rightful length and vapourises the swathes of hair that had engulfed the whole school.
In a flying lesson, Ethel steals Tabby (who has been suffering a nervous breakdown
as a result of the hair incident) and hides him on the roof in front of Miss Granite's study's window. When trying to get him back, Mildred's new broom falls onto the floor and breaks and Ethel catches Mildred just as she was falling. Miss Granite appears in the courtyard and confronts Mildred saying that she better not have been spying on her.
That night, when trying to get Tabby back from Miss Granite, Mildred is locked in a cupboard by who seems to be Miss Cackle but is actually Miss Cackle's identical twin sister Agatha Cackle who sneaked into the school disguised as Miss Granite. She is trying to turn all the teachers and pupils into snails (as reminiscent of what happened in the first book). Mildred manages to turn herself into an ant
where she sneaks out of the cupboard and makes her way to Maud's room where she tries unsuccessfully to wake her up but writes a note instead saying, "FORGOT SPEL" (missing an L off "spell") and Maud and Enid turn her back into a human. Mildred tells them what is going on and, just as Agatha is about to turn Miss Cackle into a snail, Mildred turns her into a snail herself. They also bump into Miss Hardbroom who had been away at Miss Pentangle's Academy playing chess
with Miss Pentangle.
Miss Hardbroom suggests that Miss Cackle poses as Agatha and invites Agatha's rebellious coven
in where Mildred and the others will turn them all into snails. What happened is not mentioned, but both Agatha and her coven are turned into snails. As Mildred, Maud, and Enid go back to bed they say they want Miss Hardbroom as a form-teacher again. Miss Hardbroom suddenly appears in front of them and is friendly for a brief moment before strictly telling them to get back to bed with no candles on.
Jill Murphy
Jill Murphy is a London-born English children's author, best known for The Worst Witch series and the Large Family picture books...
. The book was published in 2005 and features Agatha Cackle (from The Worst Witch
The Worst Witch (book)
The Worst Witch is the first novel in The Worst Witch children's book series by Jill Murphy. It features Mildred Hubble in her first year at Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches...
) disguised as new teacher, Miss Granite.
Plot
Mildred HubbleMildred Hubble (The Worst Witch)
Mildred Hubble is a major character in The Worst Witch children's book series by Jill Murphy. She is the main protagonist in all the books. She is friends with Maud Moonshine and Enid Nightshade and has a strong rivalry with Ethel Hallow and Drusilla Paddock....
is returning to Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches on the first day of her third year. As a reward for her good behaviour, her mum bought her a new broomstick. After meeting up with her friends, Maud Moonshine and Enid Nightshade, Mildred sees that Maud's hair is curly (she borrowed a hairstyling brush from her aunt) and they also learn that they will have a new teacher as a form-teacher this year other than Miss Hardbroom.
They see in assembly that their new form-teacher will be Miss Granite (who was hired by Miss Cackle after Miss Gribble failed to show discipline and against Miss Hardbroom's advice). Miss Granite is described as being very strange-looking and having a huge cloud of orange curls, which looked extremely frivolous for Miss Cackle's Academy and also wearing enormous purple-tinted glasses and a short cape with a collar turned up so high that you couldn't see much of her face at all. The girls also learn with their very own ears that Miss Granite speaks in a very high-pitched, squeaky voice that shocks everyone including Ethel Hallow.
After settling down, Mildred unravels her pigtails
Pigtails
In the context of hairstyles, the usage of the term pigtail shows considerable variation. According to most dictionaries, a pigtail is a braid of tightly woven hair. The name is based on the short, thin and kinked tail of a pig, referring to the way a short, tight braid may stand out from the...
and gives Maud's styling brush a go. Mildred is gone a while. When Maud and Enid go and check on her, they find Mildred with her hair loose and a chunk of her hair tangled up with the brush in a huge mess right up onto her scalp. Ethel comes in and volunteers to help. However, the "help" Ethel offered was actually taking a pair of scissors and chopping off both the styling brush and the messy hair. Offended at Ethel's bad hairdressing, Ethel chops off all of Mildred's hair.
After some boring and weird lessons with the bizarre and quirky Miss Granite, Ethel offers to help Mildred again in her hair predicament. She formulates a hair-growth potion
Potion
A potion is a consumable medicine or poison.In mythology and literature, a potion is usually made by a magician, sorcerer, dragon, fairy or witch and has magical properties. It might be used to heal, bewitch or poison people...
which she claims will restore Mildred's hair to its rightful length. Mildred applies the potion that night but nothing happens at first. However, just when Mildred is dropping off to sleep, the potion overdoes the purpose and makes her hair grow longer and longer by the minute, enguling the whole school in her hair. Miss Hardbroom comes to investigate after Miss Granite never came (she saw this as an excellent challenge for her to test her discipline skills) she sees Mildred's out-of-control rapidly growing hair and surprisingly states that Mildred is having "a bad hair day". She manages to stop the hair growing and cuts it to its rightful length and vapourises the swathes of hair that had engulfed the whole school.
In a flying lesson, Ethel steals Tabby (who has been suffering a nervous breakdown
Nervous breakdown
Mental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
as a result of the hair incident) and hides him on the roof in front of Miss Granite's study's window. When trying to get him back, Mildred's new broom falls onto the floor and breaks and Ethel catches Mildred just as she was falling. Miss Granite appears in the courtyard and confronts Mildred saying that she better not have been spying on her.
That night, when trying to get Tabby back from Miss Granite, Mildred is locked in a cupboard by who seems to be Miss Cackle but is actually Miss Cackle's identical twin sister Agatha Cackle who sneaked into the school disguised as Miss Granite. She is trying to turn all the teachers and pupils into snails (as reminiscent of what happened in the first book). Mildred manages to turn herself into an ant
Ant
Ants are social insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the mid-Cretaceous period between 110 and 130 million years ago and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than...
where she sneaks out of the cupboard and makes her way to Maud's room where she tries unsuccessfully to wake her up but writes a note instead saying, "FORGOT SPEL" (missing an L off "spell") and Maud and Enid turn her back into a human. Mildred tells them what is going on and, just as Agatha is about to turn Miss Cackle into a snail, Mildred turns her into a snail herself. They also bump into Miss Hardbroom who had been away at Miss Pentangle's Academy playing chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
with Miss Pentangle.
Miss Hardbroom suggests that Miss Cackle poses as Agatha and invites Agatha's rebellious coven
Coven
A coven or covan is a name used to describe a gathering of witches or in some cases vampires. Due to the word's association with witches, a gathering of Wiccans, followers of the witchcraft-based neopagan religion of Wicca, is also described as a coven....
in where Mildred and the others will turn them all into snails. What happened is not mentioned, but both Agatha and her coven are turned into snails. As Mildred, Maud, and Enid go back to bed they say they want Miss Hardbroom as a form-teacher again. Miss Hardbroom suddenly appears in front of them and is friendly for a brief moment before strictly telling them to get back to bed with no candles on.