Synopses & Reviews
Capturing witches
Binding boggarts
Driving away ghosts
For years, Old Gregory has been the Spook for the county, ridding the local villages of evil. Now his time is coming to an end. But who will take over for him? Twenty-nine apprentices have tried some floundered, some fled, some failed to stay alive.
Only Thomas Ward is left. He's the last hope the last apprentice.
Can Thomas succeed? Will he learn the difference between a benign witch and a malevolent one? Does the Spook's warning against girls with pointy shoes include Alice? And what will happen if Thomas accidentally frees Mother Malkin, the most evil witch in the county..?
Review
"Delaney grabs readers by the throat and gives them a good shake in a smartly crafted story....[T]he twisted horror is amply buffered by an exquisitely normal young hero, matter-of-fact prose, and a workaday normalcy." Booklist (Starred Review)
Review
"While not extraordinary, the writing is competent, and the plotline has enough twists to keep the reader in suspense....Middle schoolers will probably like the edginess of the bound boggarts and hanging ghastlies." KLIATT
About the Author
Joseph Delaney lives in Lancashire, England, right in the middle of boggart territory. His village has a boggart, called a hall knocker, which was laid to rest under the steps of a house near the church. Most of the places in The Last Apprentice series are based on real locations in Lancashire, and the inspiration behind the stories often comes from local ghost stories and legends.