11-year-old Ava Heartstraw is nervous but excited to leave her desert home in the West and begin training to become a powerful witch. But when the snooty teachers at West Oz Witch Academy misunderstand her magic, she suddenly finds herself a permanent prisoner of the grim School for Wicked Witches. Determined to prove herself good—no matter how many rules she has to break along the way—Ava and her new friends soon learn that their school is hiding some pretty big secrets of its own, and a daring escape from the School for Wicked Witches might be their only option ... if their fledgling magic and nerves are up to the task.