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Ms Wiz #1

Ms Wiz Spells Trouble

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The day Ms Wiz walked into school, some strange things were bound to happen. She carried a rat up her sleeve, an owl in her handbag, and screeched around town on a vacuum cleaner. Class Three were spellbound. This is the first title in the Ms Wiz series.

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

7 people are currently reading
128 people want to read

About the author

Terence Blacker

119 books43 followers
Terence Blacker wanted to be a jockey when he grew and up. In fact, he could ride before he could walk, and his childhood hero was the great steeplechaser Mill House (a horse). He lives in Norfolk, England.

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5 stars
50 (23%)
4 stars
57 (27%)
3 stars
83 (39%)
2 stars
18 (8%)
1 star
3 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
Profile Image for alice.
16 reviews
July 23, 2025
les seuls livres à disposition sont ceux qu'on donne aux enfants alors ça fait de la lecture pendant le temps calme
Profile Image for Ellen.
878 reviews
February 20, 2014
The original Ms. Wiz, this was the book that reminded me the most of Miss Nelson is Missing since she shakes up the status-quo in a third grade class. As with much of the series, it doesn't feel very original, but that can often be a comfort to young readers and help them connect their previous reading experiences to new stories.

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I picked up several of this Ms. Wiz series to share with my students on the class Kindle and enjoyed them for the most part. They all remind me a little bit of a British cross between Miss Frizzle and just a touch of Miss Nelson (of the "Miss Nelson is Missing" fame). Like Miss Friz, Ms. Wiz shows up and turns the world of her favorite kids upside down with magical mystery, but without the educational, science-y bit.

This series is very British and includes many British-English spellings and turns of phrase that may not be immediately accessible to American children, but the nice thing about reading on the Kindle is the instant dictionary look-up feature. I learned a thing or two about British spelling along the way, myself. Who knows? Diving into this series might actually breed some budding Anglophiles.
Profile Image for Tracie.
1,957 reviews
June 24, 2015
The children in Class Three are the terrors of the school, but that changes when their new teacher, Ms. Wiz, a witch, er Paranormal Operator shows up. Quirky and fun.
Profile Image for Sarah Reza.
230 reviews2 followers
September 5, 2022
My first English book when I was in elementary school. I love Ms Wiz and her mouse in the class. I also love the kids. A short story that could be enjoyed by kids. I think this book can help kids to try to love reading a book.
Profile Image for Anna Butler-Whittaker.
493 reviews2 followers
June 9, 2024
A very sweet (and very short!) trip down memory lane to growing up in the eighties. I loved this book as an eight year old, and enjoyed reliving it as an adult, but it is very, very short!!
Profile Image for Gaby.
649 reviews22 followers
March 10, 2014
I ordered Ms. Wiz Spells Trouble because I do enjoy fun middle school books and because I'm always looking out for a good book for my 5 year old niece Sofie.

The books comes in large, easy to read font and with fun illustrations every few pages. It's the sort of book that's fun to read to a child and that I imagine Sofie would be able to read on her own. The voice is fun, reads well, and is easy to understand. I can see how the book became a best-seller in the UK.

"Most teachers are strange and the teachers at St. Barnabas School were no exception.
Yet it's almost certain that none of them - not Mr. Gilbert, the head teacher who liked to pick his nose during Assembly, not Mrs. Hicks who talked to her teddies in class, not Miss Gomez who smoked cigarettes in the lavatory -- none of them was quite as odd as Class Three's new teacher. "
Tall with long black hair and bright green eyes, a purple shirt and jeans, black nail polish and large rings, Ms. Wiz looked like she was heading to a disco not about to teach at a school. She faced Class Three, known throughout the school for their disruptive element and with a history of making teachers cry.

Ms. Wiz has magical powers and friends that reminded me of P.L. Travers' Mary Poppins and of Betty MacDonald's Miss Piggle-Wiggle. Strange soccer plays, a magical cat called Hecate and a mathematical owl named Archimedes turn things around for the difficult Class Three. I'm excited about Ms. Wiz Spells Trouble and Terence Blacker's new series. Looking forward to reading the next books in the series. Am certain that Sofie will enjoy them!

Age Range: 6 - 8 years
Grade Level: 1st - 3rd
Series: Ms. Wiz (Book 1)
ISBN-10: 0761455485 Hardcover $12.99
Publisher: Two Lions (September 1, 2008), 60 pages.
Review copy courtesy of the publisher and the Amazon Vine Reviewers Program.
Profile Image for Miss Ryoko.
2,686 reviews172 followers
May 15, 2011
This was a really cute little book. I was initially attracted to it because the illustrations reminded me of Quentin Blake's (though this illustrator is Tony Ross).

The book was a really quick easy read and despite it's shortness, it was a fun story that had a beginning, middle, and end and didn't seem rushed. I am going to have to see if the library has more of the Ms. Wiz series books!
1,182 reviews
January 23, 2017
This book reminds me of the Wayside school stories and Roald Dahl books, both of which I like. Good pictures and a fun story.
Profile Image for Joanne S.
9 reviews1 follower
September 28, 2012
Oh hoho this book was very good. i loved the potatoes on the sticks :D :D
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews

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