How to Succeed in Witchcraft is a new contemporary fantasy about a talented witch who competes for a prestigious scholarship at her cutthroat high school. But are you prepared to succeed in witchcraft? We asked author Aislinn Brophy to prepare you before entering T.K. Anderson Magical Magnet School, and here’s what she said!

Hi, I’m Aislinn Brophy, author of How to Succeed in Witchcraft! The book follows Shay, an overachieving witch at T. K. Anderson Magical Magnet School, a prestigious and highly competitive school in South Florida. There’s nothing Shay wants more than to win the scholarship to magical university that her school is famous for. But when her aspirations put her in the crosshairs of the predatory drama teacher who controls that scholarship, she must confront her own definition of success and what she’s willing to do to achieve it.

Penguin Teen challenged me to prepare you to go to T. K. Anderson and be powerful witches yourselves. So, as the author of a book all about it, here are my tips for how to succeed in witchcraft!

1.     Follow your passions. Whether you have a love for brewing potions, acting in musicals, or playing magical sports like terraball or flame archery, spend your time doing things you enjoy!

2.     Practice, practice, practice. Improving your ability to manipulate magic is all about how much you work at it. For instance, Shay spends her free time running drills to practice basic magic skills like generating electricity with her mind. (Of course, rich people do have special access to training and ways to get extra power… But since that’s not accessible for all of us, let’s focus on the importance of hard work.)

3.     Stay one step ahead of your competition. Maybe you have a sworn nemesis, like Shay has in Ana Álvarez, or maybe the other people at school are convinced that you must be cheating to have such a high magic level. Show them all who’s really the most powerful witch. After all, they can’t argue with results.

4.     Trust your instincts. Let’s be real, even the most powerful witches run into tough circumstances. If the situation seems shady—like if a drama teacher implies that auditioning for the school musical would be really helpful for getting the scholarship you need—then it probably is.  

5.     Lean on your community. No witch can do it all alone! Shay’s got her best friend Lex and her parents in her corner, supporting her as she goes after her dreams. Even though she sometimes forgets that she can rely on them, they’re always ready to be there for her when she needs it. Make sure that you find your family­—whether that’s the kind you’re born with or the kind you discover along the way— and then rely on them when things get tough.

Grab your copy here!