A magical boarding-school rivalry where pranks and secret classes push two enemies to find common ground.
Wanda Coven, the author behind the expansive Heidi Heckelbeck collection, launches a new chapter for her lead character in the first book of the ‘Middle School and Other Disasters’ series. Heidi Heckelbeck is a witch-in-training who moves from elementary school to Broomsfield Academy, a boarding school with hidden magic classes. Her excitement quickly fades when she discovers her “broommate” is none other than her old rival, Melanie Maplethorpe. Their competitive prank war eventually forces them to see their similarities rather than just their differences. While this specific series begins with this volume, Coven has a history of creating long-running stories, having written over 130 titles in her previous series.
This book is a fantastic choice for students who are still building their confidence with English or who struggle with dense text. The writing relies on short, direct sentences that maintain a brisk pace. Anna Abramskaya’s illustrations and doodles break up the pages, helping readers visualize the action and understand context clues. Varied font sizes throughout the book emphasize Heidi’s feelings and keep visual learners engaged. Having a series with recurring characters allows students to get comfortable with the cast and the art style, which makes picking up the next book feel much less overwhelming. Teachers can use the themes of empathy to start classroom discussions about overcoming bias or understanding different perspectives.
Total Books in Series: 1 (Part 1) Best Starting Point: Worst Broommate Ever!
