There isn’t anything worse than witches, at least not in this story.  Rupert, an 11-year-old, fifth grader, has a real witch for a teacher.  No….a REAL witch.  When students tell their parents about all the awful things their teacher, Mrs. Frabbleknacker, makes them do, they just laugh and say that the kids have great imaginations and are prone to exaggeration.  But witch or not, Mrs. Frabbleknacker scares the kids into doing as she says, and it’s not pretty.  Rupert answers an ad for a witch’s apprentice and he helps her practice spells and potions so that she will pass her witch exams.  They also become best of friends.  The more he learns about spells and potions, the more he realizes that his teacher really is a witch.  Together, Rupert and Sandy (his witchling friend) learn how to stand up to the witches.  This is a very funny and quick paced story –totally farcical, but great fun.