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.