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Miss Blaine's Prefect #3
Miss Blaine’s Prefect and the Weird Sisters
Fifty-something librarian Shona is a proud former pupil of the Marcia Blaine School for Girls, but has a deep loathing for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, which she thinks gives her alma mater a bad name. Impeccably educated and an accomplished martial artist, linguist and musician, Shona is selected by Marcia Blaine herself to travel back in time for a crucial mission involving Macbeth, the Weird Sisters and a black cat.
Unsure which version of history she’s in, Shona tries to figure out who she’s here to save. But between playing the Fool and being turned into a mouse, things don’t always go her way. Shona’s expertise in martial arts is out to the test as family tensions rise and fingers are pointed to Murder. Can Shona unravel the mystery in time to complete her mission?
… Never underestimate a librarian!
Unsure which version of history she’s in, Shona tries to figure out who she’s here to save. But between playing the Fool and being turned into a mouse, things don’t always go her way. Shona’s expertise in martial arts is out to the test as family tensions rise and fingers are pointed to Murder. Can Shona unravel the mystery in time to complete her mission?
… Never underestimate a librarian!
218 pages, Paperback
First published March 17, 2022
About the author
Olga Wojtas
17 books37 followersOlga Wojtas was born and brought up in Edinburgh where she attended James Gillespie s High School the model for Marcia Blaine School for Girls, which appears in Muriel Spark s The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. She was encouraged to write by an inspirational English teacher there, Iona M. Cameron. Olga won a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award in 2015 and has had more than 30 short stories published in magazines and anthologies.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
March 8, 2022
Thank you to kelly @lovebookstours
and @sarabandbooks for the opportunity to be part of this book tour
I LOVED THIS BOOK
It was well written, with a compelling storyline and well developed characters that were well developed, engaging and funny.
The storyline focuses on a prefect librarian who is sent through time travel to scotland during the time of Macbeth to try and stop the murder of King Duncan. The characters that are in the book most from the well known play but some that are contemporaries of his time as well as our protagonist really jumped out of the page for me and I became really invested in them.
The book was really funny and bits made me laugh out loud especially the references to Mr T. I also loved the references to Shakespeare which were not all complimentary and i loved the reference to whether he wrote his own plays or not -the jury is out on that one but i like the example given in this book
It was just a really fun book from start to finish and I read it really quickly. It was so good that I even annotated it to use in an essay for uni.
I would highly recommend this book and if I could give it 10 stars I would. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
#AD #gifted #Lovesbookstours #Booktour #bookstagramuk #bookreviewersofinstagram #Bookrecommendations #bookreviews #book #booknerd #bibliophile #readersunite #readersofinstagram #olgawojtas
#sarabandbooks #missblainesprefectandtheweirdsisters #missblainesprefect
#shakespeare
#macbeth #witches
#ladymacbeth #blackcat
and @sarabandbooks for the opportunity to be part of this book tour
I LOVED THIS BOOK
It was well written, with a compelling storyline and well developed characters that were well developed, engaging and funny.
The storyline focuses on a prefect librarian who is sent through time travel to scotland during the time of Macbeth to try and stop the murder of King Duncan. The characters that are in the book most from the well known play but some that are contemporaries of his time as well as our protagonist really jumped out of the page for me and I became really invested in them.
The book was really funny and bits made me laugh out loud especially the references to Mr T. I also loved the references to Shakespeare which were not all complimentary and i loved the reference to whether he wrote his own plays or not -the jury is out on that one but i like the example given in this book
It was just a really fun book from start to finish and I read it really quickly. It was so good that I even annotated it to use in an essay for uni.
I would highly recommend this book and if I could give it 10 stars I would. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
#AD #gifted #Lovesbookstours #Booktour #bookstagramuk #bookreviewersofinstagram #Bookrecommendations #bookreviews #book #booknerd #bibliophile #readersunite #readersofinstagram #olgawojtas
#sarabandbooks #missblainesprefectandtheweirdsisters #missblainesprefect
#shakespeare
#macbeth #witches
#ladymacbeth #blackcat
October 21, 2025
3.5
A bit convoluted, funny but I thought I would enjoy it more! Found the main character slightly pretentious.
A bit convoluted, funny but I thought I would enjoy it more! Found the main character slightly pretentious.
March 18, 2022
Received this as part of a book tour.
Really enjoyed this one! Bit ridiculous and over the top at times but funny and lighthearted and exactly what I needed right now!
I skipped straight to this one in the series as was too afraid I wouldn't finish all 3 of the series in time for the tour but I think I'll definitely be going back to read the other two :)
Really enjoyed this one! Bit ridiculous and over the top at times but funny and lighthearted and exactly what I needed right now!
I skipped straight to this one in the series as was too afraid I wouldn't finish all 3 of the series in time for the tour but I think I'll definitely be going back to read the other two :)
April 22, 2022
I was delighted by Miss Blaine's Prefect and the Weird Sisters, narrated by writer Olga Wojtas. Having read the first of Shona's time-travel adventured as a paperback and the second on Kindle, the audio version was a treat, with all the various characters and accents, including chants and rhymes.
I love Shona's confidence as she makes her way in the most absurd circumstances, knowing she'll come out on top thanks to her superb education and physical prowess. It's so uncommon to have a female protagonist like her, especially one that is not a young super-hero type.
The literary references area lot of fun, as well as the quirky characters who turn out to be mostly kind people.
Looking forward to the next installment.
I love Shona's confidence as she makes her way in the most absurd circumstances, knowing she'll come out on top thanks to her superb education and physical prowess. It's so uncommon to have a female protagonist like her, especially one that is not a young super-hero type.
The literary references area lot of fun, as well as the quirky characters who turn out to be mostly kind people.
Looking forward to the next installment.
March 23, 2022
Well, I think this may be my favourite of Shona’s outings so far. Right from the first page I was smiling at Olga Wojtas’s droll and playful writing as Shona finds herself suddenly transformed into a mouse trying to explain to a swooping owl why it really shouldn’t eat her since she’s actually a librarian.
Shona, as always, finds herself somewhat unsure of the mission that Miss Blaine has sent her on but is quite delighted to find herself in the Scotland of Macbeth’s era. This is something she knows a lot about (is there anything she doesn’t know a lot about?) and one thing she knows for sure is that Shakespeare’s version of Macbeth is far from the truth. I couldn’t wait to find out what kind of tricky and dangerous situations Shona would get herself into this time.
The three witches, or wise women as Shona prefers to call them, are great characters. I was particularly impressed with the way that whenever they appeared, the older sisters Ina and Mina spoke in rhyme. Their younger sister, Mo, can’t rhyme too well but knows her way around a spell. Oh dear – I seem to have been influenced by the book!
There are many characters you will be familiar with whether from actual history or Shakespeare’s version. There’s Macbeth and his wife of course but also his lesser known brother. And just who was Frank the cat in real life I wondered? I enjoyed spotting the Shakespeare and historical references and despite being in 11th century Scotland, Shona still manages to make her distaste for those from the west very clear.
It was fun following Shona’s exploits and I wondered what effect Shona’s well intentioned meddling would have. Would she accidentally change the course of history? Well, at one point it wasn’t looking good. “This was getting worse than I feared. Not only had Scottish history turned into a Shakespeare play, it had turned into an inaccurate Shakespeare play.”
Miss Blaine’s Prefect and The Weird Sisters is a light-hearted, comical and highly entertaining read. If you read the book, you will find out what I mean when I say I was as happy as a shoe reading this one!
Shona, as always, finds herself somewhat unsure of the mission that Miss Blaine has sent her on but is quite delighted to find herself in the Scotland of Macbeth’s era. This is something she knows a lot about (is there anything she doesn’t know a lot about?) and one thing she knows for sure is that Shakespeare’s version of Macbeth is far from the truth. I couldn’t wait to find out what kind of tricky and dangerous situations Shona would get herself into this time.
The three witches, or wise women as Shona prefers to call them, are great characters. I was particularly impressed with the way that whenever they appeared, the older sisters Ina and Mina spoke in rhyme. Their younger sister, Mo, can’t rhyme too well but knows her way around a spell. Oh dear – I seem to have been influenced by the book!
There are many characters you will be familiar with whether from actual history or Shakespeare’s version. There’s Macbeth and his wife of course but also his lesser known brother. And just who was Frank the cat in real life I wondered? I enjoyed spotting the Shakespeare and historical references and despite being in 11th century Scotland, Shona still manages to make her distaste for those from the west very clear.
It was fun following Shona’s exploits and I wondered what effect Shona’s well intentioned meddling would have. Would she accidentally change the course of history? Well, at one point it wasn’t looking good. “This was getting worse than I feared. Not only had Scottish history turned into a Shakespeare play, it had turned into an inaccurate Shakespeare play.”
Miss Blaine’s Prefect and The Weird Sisters is a light-hearted, comical and highly entertaining read. If you read the book, you will find out what I mean when I say I was as happy as a shoe reading this one!
June 20, 2022
Miss Blaine's Prefect, the Olga Wojtas creation who time travels hither and yon, is at it again. Our Morningside Librarian extraordinaire is once more sent back into history to solve a mystery by Miss Marcia Blaine, Founder of the Marcia Blaine School for Girls. Olga Wojtas's two previous Shona McMonagle books were bonkers, but this third adventure takes bonkerdom to a whole new level.
This time, Shona is sent back to sort out historical issues around the Shakespeare play Macbeth. Sent back to the 11th Century, she immediately lands in hot water (not a joke from the book although it might as well be) with the three witches, one of whom almost instantly turns her into a mouse by accident. There's a cat, more than one Thane, assorted other characters... but above all there's intensely Edinburgh humour coursing through the veins of this book. Expect nothing credible to happen, though.
To be honest, this Miss Blaine thing is a winning formula, a mother-lode seam of rich plots for the future. Brace yourself for an annual helping of laugh-a-page stuff like this. Olga's books don't take long to read. Incidentally, I've had a listen to an excerpt from the audiobook – she reads her material really well, too.
This book is great fun, and a great credit to Olga Wojtas, who herself seems to have (almost) recovered from being forced to attend the "real-life" Marcia Blaine School for Girls in Edinburgh. A good school takes centuries to develop its persona, so we have to allow at least another 500-600 years for it to mature fully.
This time, Shona is sent back to sort out historical issues around the Shakespeare play Macbeth. Sent back to the 11th Century, she immediately lands in hot water (not a joke from the book although it might as well be) with the three witches, one of whom almost instantly turns her into a mouse by accident. There's a cat, more than one Thane, assorted other characters... but above all there's intensely Edinburgh humour coursing through the veins of this book. Expect nothing credible to happen, though.
To be honest, this Miss Blaine thing is a winning formula, a mother-lode seam of rich plots for the future. Brace yourself for an annual helping of laugh-a-page stuff like this. Olga's books don't take long to read. Incidentally, I've had a listen to an excerpt from the audiobook – she reads her material really well, too.
This book is great fun, and a great credit to Olga Wojtas, who herself seems to have (almost) recovered from being forced to attend the "real-life" Marcia Blaine School for Girls in Edinburgh. A good school takes centuries to develop its persona, so we have to allow at least another 500-600 years for it to mature fully.
March 24, 2022
One of the problems about this marvellous series is that, when you finish one, you want to move straight on to the next, but when you’ve read all three (so far) you want the author to stop whatever else she’s doing and write the next.
This time it’s about Macbeth and all the other contributors to Shakespeare’s (usually thought to be pretty good) play. But Ms Wojtas is also very familiar with the story of the real, historical Macbeth, Duncan and the others (as well as acknowledging her characters' opinions about other famous Scots such as Miss Jean Brodie). So as well as giving us a very funny mix of rounded, beautifully-sketched characters, a spectrum of jokes which trigger responses from deep admiration for their complexity to appreciative groans for their blatancy, she manages also to blend everything together into a puzzle that requires actual and mythical to be reconciled with one another and satisfy not only the reader but also her ‘Controller’, the Miss Blaine of the title. The ease with which Ms Wojtas handles her material almost seems to make light of the mystery at the book’s centre, i.e. why exactly has Shona McMonagle, her heroine, been sent back to 11th century Scotland in the first place? And was she really supposed to right the factual wrongs of that ‘great big sook’ Shakespeare? This read is a great antidote to the current horrors and restores faith in all sorts of things. And I hope number 4 in the series is well under way.
This time it’s about Macbeth and all the other contributors to Shakespeare’s (usually thought to be pretty good) play. But Ms Wojtas is also very familiar with the story of the real, historical Macbeth, Duncan and the others (as well as acknowledging her characters' opinions about other famous Scots such as Miss Jean Brodie). So as well as giving us a very funny mix of rounded, beautifully-sketched characters, a spectrum of jokes which trigger responses from deep admiration for their complexity to appreciative groans for their blatancy, she manages also to blend everything together into a puzzle that requires actual and mythical to be reconciled with one another and satisfy not only the reader but also her ‘Controller’, the Miss Blaine of the title. The ease with which Ms Wojtas handles her material almost seems to make light of the mystery at the book’s centre, i.e. why exactly has Shona McMonagle, her heroine, been sent back to 11th century Scotland in the first place? And was she really supposed to right the factual wrongs of that ‘great big sook’ Shakespeare? This read is a great antidote to the current horrors and restores faith in all sorts of things. And I hope number 4 in the series is well under way.
March 16, 2022
Received this book in exchange for an open and honest review as part of lovebookstours book tour.
The synopsis of the book sounded very intriguing and just the kind of book I would enjoy, travel back in time to a mission involving Macbeth, the Weird Sisters and a black cat!
This is the third book in the Miss Blaine's Prefect series but can be read as a standalone, which I did not knowing that there were other books in the series, I don't think it distracted too much not knowing the back story for the time-travelling element.
I liked the idea of the story and it was a light hearted read of the well known story/history of Macbeth but with the twist of Ms McMonagel trying to intervene in plots and twists. Gruoch (Lady Macbeth) was a great character and King Duncan was a likeable character, in fact most the characters were likeable. For me I felt there was not huge character development and possibly because it was involving characters that it assumes the reader is already familiar with, I personally was only aware of who the characters were but having never read/seen Macbeth a bit more background would have been good.
I felt the ending was a little confusing and happened suddenly and not too sure on Miss Blanie, perhaps if read the other books that would have helped to understand her character better. Otherwise a good easy read.
The synopsis of the book sounded very intriguing and just the kind of book I would enjoy, travel back in time to a mission involving Macbeth, the Weird Sisters and a black cat!
This is the third book in the Miss Blaine's Prefect series but can be read as a standalone, which I did not knowing that there were other books in the series, I don't think it distracted too much not knowing the back story for the time-travelling element.
I liked the idea of the story and it was a light hearted read of the well known story/history of Macbeth but with the twist of Ms McMonagel trying to intervene in plots and twists. Gruoch (Lady Macbeth) was a great character and King Duncan was a likeable character, in fact most the characters were likeable. For me I felt there was not huge character development and possibly because it was involving characters that it assumes the reader is already familiar with, I personally was only aware of who the characters were but having never read/seen Macbeth a bit more background would have been good.
I felt the ending was a little confusing and happened suddenly and not too sure on Miss Blanie, perhaps if read the other books that would have helped to understand her character better. Otherwise a good easy read.
March 23, 2022
Well isn't this a hoot of a book?! I didn't know too much about this series going and I thoroughly enjoyed it and found it hilarious! A time-travelling librarian that goes back to the times of Macbeth and has a mystery to solve, but doesn't know what it is - how could I not love it? Plus, she hates the ‘The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie’ but I admit I have never been fond of that book either! So all in all it was a match made in biblio heaven!
Shona is a proud librarian and is saving the population of Edinburgh from ‘The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie’ as she feels it slanders her alma mater the Marcia Blaine School for Girls! Whilst making a cup of tea she is transported back in time to the era of Macbeth! There must be a mystery to solve but she doesn't know what?!
Knock Knock
Who’s There?
The Fool
Come on in!
That joke made me snort! Like so strongly that my husband paused playing his games and asked if I was okay! This book is wickedly funny - I want to quote and rave about all the jokes but I don't want to spoil it for you guys. Plus, I adored the character of Shona - I'm always a sucker for a well educated, martial arts expert librarian.
I flew through this book in an evening and it's a very excellent cosy comedy that I think most people would enjoy! I just loved it!
Shona is a proud librarian and is saving the population of Edinburgh from ‘The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie’ as she feels it slanders her alma mater the Marcia Blaine School for Girls! Whilst making a cup of tea she is transported back in time to the era of Macbeth! There must be a mystery to solve but she doesn't know what?!
Knock Knock
Who’s There?
The Fool
Come on in!
That joke made me snort! Like so strongly that my husband paused playing his games and asked if I was okay! This book is wickedly funny - I want to quote and rave about all the jokes but I don't want to spoil it for you guys. Plus, I adored the character of Shona - I'm always a sucker for a well educated, martial arts expert librarian.
I flew through this book in an evening and it's a very excellent cosy comedy that I think most people would enjoy! I just loved it!
February 29, 2024
A fun lark. Shelved as "mystery," which, sure? (The publisher that prints these, and Copperfield's in Petaluma, where I bought it, both put it there.) There's not a ton of mystery here per se, but there's quite a lot of good-natured, and very bookish (jokes include bits about who wrote Shakespeare, the historical accuracy of his plays, the meter in which witches speak, whether or not 11th-century Scots would enjoy knock-knock jokes, what a rap battle would sound like back then, complaints about the fairness of Muriel Spark's depiction of Miss Jean Brodie, that sort of thing) humor, a bunch of ridiculous anachronisms, a feminist subplot about witches and self-actualization, and what I can only describe as a Pythonesque sensibility all around. (Our doughty heroine teaches Macbeth's wife the art of the proper rugby tackle, for instance.) Silly, goofy, clever, and enjoyable, very much in the advertised Jasper Fforde vein.
March 23, 2022
Felt a bit lost at the start (especially in the library), but soon settled into the story.
This was a very lighthearted read that made me chuckle in places. I liked the little mysteries and how it all came together at the end. Adding a touch of history was a nice effect, thinking about how things could be fabricated for better stories.
This was book 3 and it felt like a series; I would have preferred to read the others first to understand about the school or Miss Blaine - as I disliked her intensely. She seemed rude and unhelpful, but maybe previous books would have explained more. It also seemed a bit odd that there was no official mission either?
Overall, a quick entertaining read, but I would recommend starting at the beginning of the series.
*I received a complimentary copy of the book from LoveBooksTours and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
This was a very lighthearted read that made me chuckle in places. I liked the little mysteries and how it all came together at the end. Adding a touch of history was a nice effect, thinking about how things could be fabricated for better stories.
This was book 3 and it felt like a series; I would have preferred to read the others first to understand about the school or Miss Blaine - as I disliked her intensely. She seemed rude and unhelpful, but maybe previous books would have explained more. It also seemed a bit odd that there was no official mission either?
Overall, a quick entertaining read, but I would recommend starting at the beginning of the series.
*I received a complimentary copy of the book from LoveBooksTours and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
August 18, 2022
The first couple pages had me so intrigued but also so confused. Thankfully once Shona started her story from the beginning things started to make sense and I quickly fell in love.
I was originally interested in the story because the promise of weird witch sisters and a black cat made me think of Sabrina the Teenage Witch. This story has absolutely nothing to do with Sabrina though. This is a modern retelling of Shakespeare's Macbeth with a twist. I quite enjoyed that the story revolved around MacBeth. I didn't remember anything about the original Shakespeare story but you don't need to have read the original to understand this story. The author did a great job of highlighting the main points of the original in her retelling while adding humour, witches and a light-hearted plot.
I was originally interested in the story because the promise of weird witch sisters and a black cat made me think of Sabrina the Teenage Witch. This story has absolutely nothing to do with Sabrina though. This is a modern retelling of Shakespeare's Macbeth with a twist. I quite enjoyed that the story revolved around MacBeth. I didn't remember anything about the original Shakespeare story but you don't need to have read the original to understand this story. The author did a great job of highlighting the main points of the original in her retelling while adding humour, witches and a light-hearted plot.
April 12, 2023
WHAT trainwrevk did I just fight to read ? My brain is still bleeding even though I quit 3/4 of the way thru ?! Horribly written and edited. I .Cant believe there FOUR of these out there ?!
Hilarious? I didnt grin once ..nearly sobbed as I tried to fathom what this person was spouting .
inventive? charming?
Perhaps it could of been if written clearly without consistent useless babble AND Grammer checked
Ps I dont drink but here's a drinking game: take a sip everytime she writes "tea" or " creme de la creme "
you'll be nicely buzzed by the halfpoint..that rhe pain of reading this will be dulled .
blacklisted.
Such an annoying obnoxious idiot if a lead who uses like a demented magpie about nothing .
Hilarious? I didnt grin once ..nearly sobbed as I tried to fathom what this person was spouting .
inventive? charming?
Perhaps it could of been if written clearly without consistent useless babble AND Grammer checked
Ps I dont drink but here's a drinking game: take a sip everytime she writes "tea" or " creme de la creme "
you'll be nicely buzzed by the halfpoint..that rhe pain of reading this will be dulled .
blacklisted.
Such an annoying obnoxious idiot if a lead who uses like a demented magpie about nothing .
June 29, 2023
Once again, middle-aged librarian Shona McMonagle goes on a mission, this time to 11th Century Scotland, where she meets MacBeth, his brother MacDeath, his wife Gruoch, the weird sisters--who are, in fact, Gruoch's, and a cat who is really Sir Francis Bacon ("call me Frank") who reached the 11th Century via an alchemical experiment gone wrong. As usual, Shona doesn't really know what her mission is, although the goings-on are far from what she's read in her Scottish histories. Perhaps she's supposed to save King Duncan from murder? Disguising herself as a jester, she makes a huge hit among the carousing thanes, she finds herself in danger from various people and also from the head witch, Hecate.
June 22, 2023
This one was just as enjoyable as the previous one and I now wish I’d signed up for all three book tours! I read this one rather than listened but I could hear the author reading it just as brilliantly as the other book.
We follow Shona back to the time of Macbeth in this book, but all the way through she has no idea what her mission is. Is it to stop a murder, fix a family feud, or save the cat? As before, there are plenty of laughs, plenty of seriousness and there’s added magic in this one too!
I’ve really enjoyed these 2 books and would recommend them to anyone who wants a quick easy read after a heavier book, the perfect “palette cleanser“ to reset you and get you read for your next good read.
We follow Shona back to the time of Macbeth in this book, but all the way through she has no idea what her mission is. Is it to stop a murder, fix a family feud, or save the cat? As before, there are plenty of laughs, plenty of seriousness and there’s added magic in this one too!
I’ve really enjoyed these 2 books and would recommend them to anyone who wants a quick easy read after a heavier book, the perfect “palette cleanser“ to reset you and get you read for your next good read.
January 22, 2024
I love this series of books featuring the time travelling librarian Shona mcgonagle, this time she travels back in time to meet Macbeth. However all is not what it seems a joyful, witty and delightful and thoroughly intelligent series of novels 5* from me
March 28, 2022
Brilliantly entertaining!
June 12, 2023
I thought this was the best of the three.
July 11, 2026
I love this series, and I loved this book. So tongue in cheek! I can understand why some Americans don't see the humour - it's very British, and much of the language is distinctly North of the Border.
April 3, 2023
defiantly something unexpected so far.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews