"You can't make alliances with witches and suchlike and hope to avoid being drawn toward the dark." As the Spook's apprentice, Thomas Ward's first duty is to protect the County from ghosts, boggarts, and other dangerous creatures. But now his mother has come back from her homeland to seek his help. One of the most dangerous of the old witches, Ordeen, is about to return to earth, bringing with her suffering and devastation. Tom's mother has mustered a powerful army—including Tom's friend Alice, the Pendle witches, and the assassin Grimalkin—to confront Ordeen. If Tom joins them, the Spook will refuse to take Tom back as his apprentice. What sacrifices will be made in the battle against the dark? The Last Apprentice series continues to be one of the best written of the last several years. Here, in the sixth entry, Tom, the Spook’s apprentice, must face up to several things he’d rather not: his friend Alice being the daughter of the Devil, his mother returning to her feral roots, and the notion that sometimes you must form alliances with enemies. As in previous books, the writing is direct, and the plotting and characters, most not of the human variety, are smart and believable. Naturally, fans of the series are the best audience, but this is accessible even to those just jumping in. Grades 6-9. --Ilene Cooper “A gleefully chilling, eerily familiar tale that will leave readers whistling nervously in the graveyard while eagerly awaiting the next installment.” - Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review) “The Last Apprentice series continues to be one of the best written of the last several years.” - ALA Booklist Praise for The Last Apprentice series: “This is the stuff of skin-prickling campfire stories.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Anything but tame.” - Horn Book (starred review) "You can't make alliances with witches and suchlike and hope to avoid being drawn toward the dark." As the Spook's apprentice, Thomas Ward's first duty is to protect the County from ghosts, boggarts, and other dangerous creatures. But now his mother has come back from her homeland to seek his help. One of the most dangerous of the old witches, Ordeen, is about to return to earth, bringing with her suffering and devastation. Tom's mother has mustered a powerful army—including Tom's friend Alice, the Pendle witches, and the assassin Grimalkin—to confront Ordeen. If Tom joins them, the Spook will refuse to take Tom back as his apprentice. What sacrifices will be made in the battle against the dark? Joseph DELANEY is the author of the internationally best-selling The Last Apprentice series, which is now a major motion picture, Seventh Son . He is a former English teacher who lives in the heart of boggart territory in Lancashire, England. His village has a boggart called the Hall Knocker, which was laid to rest under the step of a house near the church.