Revenge of the Witch - Joseph DeLaney

This is the first in a series of books titled "The Last Apprentice." Book one, "Revenge of the Witch" is about a young boy, Thomas Ward, who is the seventh son of a seventh son. Ever since he was a little boy, his mother seemed a bit odd and always seemed to know so much about ghosts. Living on a farm, Thomas's daily chores consisted of milking cows, feeding hogs, etc, with help from his brother and father. One day, a man called the Spook comes to visit, insisting that Thomas's father had told the Spook that once Thomas turned twelve, he would become the Spook's next apprentice. The Spook rid the local villages of ghosts, ghasts, boggarts, witches, and other various monsters. Daily lessons and dangerous tasks are thrust upon Thomas, who handles them all with ease. The Spook warns Thomas of girls with pointy shoes who are supposedly dangerous. Picking up food from the village one day, Thomas encounters a girl who looks to be about his age. She introduces herself as Alice, and they get to talking. It turns out that her aunt is Bony Lizzie, the town's second worst witch, the former belonging to Mother Malkin, who Thomas must face...and defeat. Filled with mystery, action, horror, and suspense, Revenge of the Witch was a wonderful book that I strongly reccomend to everyone.