Delaney, Joseph – THE SPOOK'S APPRENTICE

[LJ Roberts]

THE SPOOK'S APPRENTICE (Fantasy-England-1600s) – VG Delaney, Joseph –
1^st of series
The Bodley Head, 2004 – UK Hardcover

Thomas Ward is the seventh son of the seventh son. His mother knew he had special talents and his father has apprenticed him to the local Spook. Thomas will learn to contain witches and bind boggerts, but he has already forgotten his first lesson; don't trust girls in pointy toed shoes. With Spook of helping another village, it is up to Thomas to undo the damage he has done.

For all of us 11 and older who love fantasy, this is a delightful book. Delaney has created great characters from Spook and Thomas, to Thomas' family and other characters, good and bad. I want to know how one gets a house boggart. The back of the book states "Warning: Not to be Read After Dark." It's not quite that bad for adults but may make children cautious of mirrors. I very much enjoyed this book and look forward to the 2^nd and 3^rd books coming out this year.`