The Worst Witch is a series of children's novels written and illustrated by Jill Murphy and published by Puffin Books. The first book was published (by Allison & Busby) in 1974. They have become some of the most outstandingly successful titles on the Young Puffin paperback list and have sold more than 4 million copies. In 1986, the first book in the series was made into a The Worst Witch (TV movie) . A TV series based on the books aired from 1998 to 2001, and has inspired two spin-offs, Weirdsister College (2001) and The New Worst Witch (2005).