THE APPRENTICE WITCH, by James Nicol

The story: Arianwyn has FAILED her witch's exam, and gets sent to Lull as as apprentice witch instead of the full-fledged variety. Not to worry, though--there's plenty in Lull to keep her busy, what with the dark magic of the Great Wood threatening to spill over, spirit creatures following her home, and that accidental unleashing of an evil entity from Beyond the Void. All in a day's work...and then some.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse G; Magic & the occult PG-13; GLBT content G; adult themes (dark magic) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: A fun fantasy read for girls. Too bad there's not even one strong male character in here, because the action would appeal to boy readers too--if boys were ever willing to read books with girls as the main character. :P