The Spook's Apprentice
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 Book cover for The Spook's Apprentice |
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| Author | Joseph Delaney |
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| Country | Great Britain |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Wardstone Chronicles |
| Genre(s) | Children's Historical novel |
| Publisher | The Bodley Head |
| Released | 2004 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 325 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-09-945645-1 |
| Followed by | The Spook's Curse |
The Spook's Apprentice, written by Joseph Delaney, is the first story in the series "The Wardstone Chronicles" The plot is centred around a 13 year old farm boy named Tom who lives in the countryside of The County (Although some readers theorise Ireland, as this is where the Author was born, but it is believed that it is around Lancashire, due to the references to Pendle hill) with his large family. He is the seventh son of a seventh son which, in County tradition, allows him to see things others cannot.
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[edit] Plot summary
The beginning of the story is told through the eyes of Tom Ward, and how a cloaked old man carrying a wooden staff in his left hand (as later it is found out from the spook himself that mystical people tend to be left handed) comes to the house. This man is the Spook. Spooks travel the country fighting troublesome creatures such as Boggarts, Ghosts, and Witches, for the money of the people who need these things gone. However the religious world hates them, for they are thought to be meddling in the dark powers themselves, which is against the Christian church.
Tom knows that his parents have agreed to make Tom the apprentice of the Spook. He will have to learn how the Spook fights "The Dark" as it's referred to in the book.
The Spook is actually a very caring person, and seems to look after Tom like a son. He explains that all of his other apprentices have failed, due to them being cowardly, disobedient, or deceased. (Later in the series, we learn that some failed apprentices seek vengeance on the Spook.
After learning what the Spook does, Tom is sent out on an errand to pick up some food for the house, (which inside lives a boggart, in whom the Spook has made a servant of sorts) suddenly some older boys come up and threaten to beat him, unless he gives them some food. Tom refuses and the boys are about to beat him up, when suddenly a girl in pointy shoes shows up and scares them away with an ungodly amount of strength for a girl of her age.
Her name is Alice, and she is relative of one of the most dangerous witches in the world—Mother Malkin—and Bony Lizzie. Bony Lizzie used bone magic, a type of witchcraft involving the bones of dead enemies, she used her power to terrorize and corrupt many different political powers in the country. Mother Malkin was one of the most sinister. She used blood magic, a type of witchcraft that involved draining the blood of anyone she thought could have useful features. She was called Mother Malkin for her strategy of welcoming young runaway women into a care home, and then sucking the blood of every girl there to make her more youthful. Over time she had developed a taste for children.
A long time ago the Spook had bound Mother Malkin to a pit in the ground with 13 iron bars on top, so she could never escape to terrorize anyone again.
Soon Tom is tricked by Alice to give Mother Malkin some cake, cake which (Tom doesn't know) is filled with blood. Mother Malkin becomes stronger and breaks out of her pit prison in two days.
Now it's up to the Spook and Tom to recapture this witch. But the Spook is missing! He has been captured by the witch family. Tom gets the help of Alice, who is found to be unhappy with her family, and their dark ways, to defeat Mother Malkin.
[edit] Sequels
The sequel, The Spook's Curse has also been released, and a third book, The Spook's Secret was released in July 2006. The final book of the series, The Spook's Battle will be released on 5 July, 2007.
[edit] Additional Information
- Paperback: = Published: 30th June 2005 Red Fox ISBN: 0099456451
- Hardback: = Published: 1st July 2004 Bodley Head ISBN: 0370328264
[edit] Trivia
- On the back of each book is a warning that says, "Not to be Read After Dark"
[edit] External link
| The Wardstone Chronicles |
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| Books in the series: The Spook's Apprentice | The Spook's Curse | The Spook's Secret |
