Product Description
From award-winning writer Diana Wynne Jones, Erg and Emily have four grannies - strict, worrier, stingy, and a saint. Their parents have to go away and arrange for one of them to look after them. But all four turn up and things get out of hand - especially when Erg tries to "magic" them away. ... Read more

Product Description
Time City exists outside time and space. Two of its young inhabitants begin a desperate bid to discover a villain who is destabilizing the city and threatening to destroy their world. A science-fiction tale by the author of "Fire and Hemlock" and "The Lives of Christopher Chant". ... Read more

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Once upon a time there was a handsome miller's son who owned a very clever cat. ... Read more

Product Description

Someone at Stallery Mansion is changing the world. At first, only small details, but the changes get bigger and bigger. It's up to Conrad, a twelve-year-old with terrible karma who's just joined the mansion's staff, to find out who is behind it.

Customer Reviews (17)

Pulling the possibilities!
Meet Conrad - a boy with a black karma - or so his uncle claims.He must make ammends for something he did not do in a former life, or suffer devastating consequences.And so Conrad is sent to the local castle to work, where he will be close to the people who can help him sort out his fate.

On his first day, he meets Christopher Chant, a new employee who also happens to be a nine-lifed enchanter.Christoper took the job at the castle under false pretences.Far from wanting a career at the castle, he is there to located his friend Millie, who has disappeared.As a nine-life enchanter, Christoper informs Conrad that he has no bad karma to fix.But Conrad has been brainwashed all his life to believe otherwise, and continues trying to figure out how to avoid his own fate, while strange events unfold at the castle.

For there is something evil at the castle, and it is not Conrad!Someone on the staff -- or perhaps it is the one of the owners -- is pulling the possibilities; that is, they are tweaking the fatelines so that they can make money on the stock market.Whenever they do so, events all over the world change.Sometimes the effects of such interference are simple, like the color of the staff uniforms changes.Sometimes, they are huge, such as when the whole castle garden is re-landscaped in an instant.And who knows what is changing in the rest of the world!

Conrad and Christopher must find out who is pulling the possibilities, and save Millie.And maybe, in the process, they might also save Conrad from his own dark fate, which has nothing whatsoever to do with Karma.

A great read!Highly recommended.

Conrad's Fate
Diana Wynne Jones has been a favorite of mine for some years now.I especially love her Chrestomanci series. "Conrad's Fate" is one of them.

Don't start with this book if you are new to the Chrestomanci series.It's best if you read them in order.

Pears, hippopotamuses, and other intriguing creatures
Conrad's Fate is one of two of my favorite Diana Wynne Jones books, the other of which being The Lives of Christopher Chant. This book is full of the fun and wit that I have come to expect of Diana Wynne Jones.Here entertaining and varied characters keep this story rolling.She has managed to skillfully spin together a story full of twists and turns that I was not expecting, especially at the end.Diana Wynne Jones' use of description and dialogue are extraordinarily funny, yet not in such a way that they don't allow for the book to be taken as a serious novel.

I have come upon plenty of books written from the perspective of the rich who live in extravagant mansions, but rarely do I find one written from the perspective of a servant in such a house.It was fascinating to read a book that spoke from the servants' point of view.

The only criticism that I can come up with is that if one has not read some of the other Chrestomanci books first, this book may be a bit confusing and some of the characters that are in it can not be properly appreciated if one does not know them from the other books.However, putting that aside, I found this book to be a wonderful read that I would recommend it to anyone wishing for a refreshing and original fantasy book.

Does Jones ever not deliver great fantasy?
According to his uncle, Conrad's karma hangs over him like a black cloud until he fulfills his fate to kill someone at Stallery mansion, a powerful mansion where things keep changing all the time. Conrad meets Christopher, a boy from another world who ran away from his training as the next Chrestomanci in order to find a missing enchantress. Full of Jones' characteristic magical elements and clever plot turns, this book is a parlor room romance from the perspective of the servants. Funny, beautiful, wonderful. Grade: A

A review for adults who still like kids' lit
Finally, a Chrestomanci story that deals with young Christopher, rather than dealing with Cat (when Christopher is the grown-up Chrestomanci).I have been quite intrigued with Christopher and Millie since reading "The Lives of Christopher Chant" about, oh, 10 years ago, and was delighted to read this book and find it was about their teenage years.Of course it is mostly about Conrad, a new character in one of the Related Worlds, but it's got plenty of Christopher to satisfy me.The story was brisk and enjoyable.

As usual, one tiny niggle...sometimes in Ms. Jones' books, when she is building up to the climax, a bunch of people come into the story (as with the King's Summoners, police, Gabriel de Witt, etc. near the end of this book) and a lot of things are explained very quickly.I don't consider myself "slow" but I have often felt that Ms. Jones rushes through these explanation scenes a bit too quickly.This book is no exception.The officials all show up, it is quickly announced that some of the people we've been learning about are not what they seem, and then things wind up pretty quickly (people getting taken away, etc.).I always have to go back and carefully reread the parts like that, because they are always a bit sketchy and they seem a bit hastily done.However, that's not going to detract from my 5-star rating, because it only takes a little while to go back and reread that.

"Year of the Griffin" used to be my favorite DWJ book because I laughed so much while reading it, but "Conrad's Fate" now has that honor.I laughed a lot with this one, too, plus...it has Christopher Chant...:-) ... Read more

Product Description
Dianne Wynne Jones is the secret master of fantasy books about young people. This book is a rollicking ride filled with puzzles and prophecies and contains the book Howl's Moving Castle, and the book Castle In the Air. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Wizard!
Diana Wynne-Jones has become one of the best known fantasy writers still around today. Wizards, witches, monsters and a good dose of comic relief characterize her books, including the solid duology "Howl's Moving Castle" and "Castle in the Air."

In "Howl's Moving Castle," timid Sophie was the eldest of three daughters, meaning that she had nil chance of destiny finding a great place for her. She vents her frustrations on an old woman who comes into her hat shop... only to find out that the old woman is the Witch of the Wastes, who ages her into a crone. Deeply annoying, Sophie tramps off to the castle of the magician Howl, who reportedly drains the souls of young maidens... and who turns out to be a lot more of a handful than Sophie predicted.

In "Castle in the Air," the not-so-prosperous Abdullah is a carpet merchant, but spends more time lost in his own thoughts. Things take an unexpected twist when a man sells him a magical carpet. It whisks him off to the garden of a lovely princess, who is fated to marry whatever man she sees first. That's fine with Abdullah. They try to elope, only to have the princess kidnapped by a hideous djinn. Now he's on the run with a mercenary, a malicious genie, and and a pair of cats.

You can tell a book is good if Hayao Miyazaki has made an animated movie about it (although if he does the sequel, he'll need to change the title). And while undoubtedly Miyazaki has brought his own brand of creative magic to the film, Jones's variety is intact and present in these two books.

Don't think that the wrong two books have been meshed together when "Castle in the Air" starts -- Howl and Co. are in the book, they just take awhile to show up. Jones takes the opportunity to poke a little fun at Arabian-Nights settings, as well as fairy-tale conventions (why do older sisters get all the tough luck, huh?).

Her writing is brisk and highly entertaining, especially when the unfortunate Sophie struggles to deal with the rather immature, erratic Howl, or when Abdullah has to carefully phrase his wishes to the malicious genie -- or risk getting his wishes twisted. And her characters are, in the end, likable people -- they have individual quirks and personalities that make them fun to read about. And colorful ones -- enslaved fire demons, embittered genies, dreamy carpet merchants, and a damsel turned into an old lady.

Before Hayao Miyazaki's film comes to the United States, brush up on Diana Wynn-Jones' original fantasy duology. Fun, weird and a little bit twisted. ... Read more

Product Description
Cart and Cwidder is the first in the best-selling Dalemark Quartet of books and tells the story of Moril and his brother and sister who are travelling musicians journeying through Dalemark, until one day they pick up a mysterious passenger.Somehow Moril's family and the stranger are becoming bound together in terror, flight, and music. BLDiana Wynne Jones is recognized as being one of the most outstanding writers of fantasy in recent times. BLThe Dalemark Quartet books are for good readers who have enjoyed the Christopher Chant books by the same author.The books contain the same ability to immerse the reader with real child characters having magical adventures in an imaginary world. BLThis genre of fantasy writing is currently very popular due to the success of the recent 'Lord of the Rings' film. BLDiana Wynne Jones has won the Guardian Award for fiction and has written over twenty novels in less than twenty years. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

"I Move in More than One World..."
Diana Wynne Jones is best known for her quirky books that combine magic with realistic, everyday people dealing with the problems that magic creates. Though some take place in parallel worlds, the general atmosphere of these books are contemporary and firmly grounded in reality. However, "Cart and Cwidder" is the first book in the Dalemark quartet that follows the more generic pattern of fantasy (war in a created world) - making it unique in Wynne Jones's canon of books, but a typical inclusion to the range of fantasy novels.

Due to the conflict between north and south countries in the land of Dalemark, very few travellers move between them, with the exception of licensed musicians in their horse-drawn carts, entertaining the crowds wherever they stop. Dagner, Moril and Brid are the children of the singer Clennen and Lenina who are perfectly content to travel the lands, singing and passing on news across the lands. But then Moril's parents take on a new passenger named Kialan whom immediately rubs Moril up the wrong way. Between constant bickering, the three siblings, their parents and Kialan make their way northwards, but soon tragedy strikes and the four children are thrown into a series of chaotic and dangerous events. Inheriting the largest, oldest cwidder in the cart, Moril soon learns that it contains immense power, and with hostile forces closing in around them and Kialan's hidden identity revealed, Moril must learn to use this power in order to save him and the north.

No book by Diana Wynne Jones could ever be truly bad, but "Cart and Cwidder" is certainly not the top of her game. Though it contains the same thoughtful commentary on human behaviour and clever twists, but it lacks the sparkle and wit of her many other books. The characters are not quite as vivid and interesting as the likes of Chrestomanci and Howl, and the story not quite as intriguing as those found in "The Power of Three" and "Black Maria".

Yet for all of this, "Cart and Cwidder" is a worthwhile read if you have the next three volumes on hand, for the way in which Wynne Jones has created this series is immensely interesting (each one has a different situation and set of characters, yet are intricately connected).

One of the finest Children's Series
The Dalemark Quartet is an absolute classic - what I like most about it is that the first three books seem to be totally unlinked except for being set in the same 'world' of Dalemark. They completely turn the standard sequential trilogy/quartet model on its head. The characters are different from book to book. They don't coexist in time. Each is a compelling and brilliantly written stand-alone novel, but....
When I came to the final novel in the quartet I was awe-struck by Wynne Jones's deft handling of the ideas across the books. The links the parallels and the cunning interconnectedness of all four books slowly and magically unfold before you. I would give anything to write so well, so surely and so winningly. Every child's bookshelves should hold this series

One of DWJ's Best
Like most Diana Wynne Jones books, this is published for children and probably most appreciated by adults. Having read it as both, I see a lot more in it now. The theme of finding your own voice, shown through the main character's struggle to control a powerful magic cwidder (which seems to be something of a cross between a dulcimer and a kettle drum), resonates like a mountain-moving spell through every scene in the book.

Music seems to be a metaphor for writing, or for expression and discovery, as it is in many of Jones's books.

A great book
I loved this book.Between Brid and Moril, I think that Jones, the author, did a great job.The family seams to be happy, but there is more to that.The mother Leneia (sp?)is still in love with Ganner, the earl she was engaged to before she ran off with Clennen.Clennen, the father, is a wonderful singer and preformer, but holds a dark secret that puts the family in a few sticky situations.Then Kilian (sp?) comes along to join the family on there journey up to the north.He is unlike the rest of them, selfish (kind of), stuck up, and mean to Moril.When you think of him, you think BAD GUY!!!The Clennen gets murdered before Morils, Dagners (oldest son), and Brid.Oncwe he is gone Leneia goes to Ganner.At his house they see the man that killed Clennen.Then Brid, Moril, Kilian, and Dagner, head up noth to bring Kilian to Harnett.As they pass through towns, Dagner, trys to be a spy and hand oput information like his father, Clennen did.Not smart.He gets caught and is on the brink of ebing hanged.Brid and Moril now have to get Kilian, the son of the Earl of Harnett, up to the north before the weasal of a person, Tholion, gets he hands on him.

This is by far the best book in the quartet.I loved the characters and how tey interacted with eachother.I wanted more Brid and Kilian in the other books.

READ THIS BOOK

A Nice Fantasy for Children and Young Adults
Cart and Cwidder tells the story of a family of singers: Clennen, the larger-than-life lead singer and father, Lenina, the cool, calm highborn mother, Dagner, the talented but shy eldest son, Brid, the impetuous, talkative daughter and Moril, the dreamy youngest son.The family is happy enough, traveling around the country between North and South boundaries, performing for various towns and villages along the way.But when they take on a traveler, Kialan, to take him to the North, their happy life starts to unravel.Clennen is suddenly murdered in the woods.Lenina marries the nobleman she was engaged to before she ran off with Clennen.Dagner tries to continue his father's spy work and ends up in jail.Brid thinks that she is more clever than she is and leads the evil Tholian to Kialan, who is really the duke's son.It is left to Moril to try and muddle his way through, half awake, half dreaming, and learn how to play the magicial cwidder that his father left him.

I loved the characters.As soon as they were introduced, I felt as if I knew them and how they worked together.The author has a nice story to tell and it unfolds rather well, but is kind of abrupt in parts.The beginning of the book is a little slower paced, but once the ball gets rolling, it gets faster and faster and faster and never slows down again.I thought that it would have been nice to have a little more plot development, a little more time to tell the story.However, I do understand that this is a children's/young adult's book and it is a good length for them to read.The main reason I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 is because of the rather detached way that the story is told.Everything is in third person and I sometimes felt that the characters weren't feeling anything.This may be intentional, as Moril is a rather dreamy and detached character and tends to distance himself from circumstances in the real world, but it made the story less than it could have been.It would have been nice to have a more active feel to the story as a whole.Still, I think that most younger readers will enjoy this book.It is also a good introduction to fantasy for teens and children as it takes place in a place that seems normal with touches of magic here and there. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Wizard!
Ever since the publication of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit," people have imagined wizards as tall, elderly men with long gray beards, loose robes and pointed hats. Diana Wynne-Jones shatters the cliched image with Chrestomanci, a dapper Englishman who happens to be the nine-lived magician in charge of all the magic -- in all the parallel worlds.

"Charmed Life" is the story of Cat and Gwendolen, siblings who are orphaned in a tragic steamboat accident. While Cat is shy, Gwendolen is the opposite: She is an unnaturally powerful witch, and intends to rise high enough to rule the world. She thinks that she's got it made when the powerful mage Chrestomanci brings her and her brother to his castle. But Gwendolen has met her match in Chrestomanci -- and a magical war of wills has begun!

"The Lives of Christopher Chant" is the backstory of Chrestomanci. Once he was an ordinary boy, whose ambition was to become a cricket player. But when he is tested by a powerful magician, Christopher Chant is found to be Chrestomanci: An amazingly powerful magician with not one, but NINE lives. The problem is, Christopher doesn't want to be Chrestomanci -- and he's already enmeshed in a wizards' smuggling ring that may spell doom for his new friends...

"Witch Week" takes place in England, at a school called Larwood House that is reminiscent of English boarding schools in such books as Harry Potter -- but suspicion seethes in this one. In this world, witches are burned at the stake. And someone is a witch -- but who is it? Unpopular, chubby Nan, who is descended from a legendary witch? Silent Indian boy Nirupam? The identity of the witch (or witches) may change the world...

"The Magicians of Caprona" takes place in Italy, in the city of Caprona. Casa Montana and Casa Petrocchi are two Italian families of spellmakers, who have been feuding for a long time over an insult that neither family can really remember. Their feud is almost all they think about. But unknown to them, war and an evil enchanter are endangering Caprona. It falls to magically inept Tonini Montana and Angelina Petrocchi to save the day...

Diana Wynne-Jones is at her best here: the books are funny, dramatic, well-characterized, well-written and well-plotted. The parallel worlds are well-thought out, such as Chrestomanci's world, where magic exists rather than science as we know it.

As in many of her books, she shows unusual insights into the thought processes of both young and adolescent children. While readers may sometimes want to smack the lead characters, it's hard not to like the heroes and despise the villains. Young Chrestomanci himself is something of a preteen anti-hero, but is backed (both in childhood and adulthood) by intriguing characters like a bored young deity, lovestruck teachers, duplicitous teens and the occasional girl out to rule the world.

Long before there was Harry Potter, Diana Wynne-Jones was penning the funny, imaginative tales about Chrestomanci. "Magicians of Caprona" and "Witch Week" pretty much break the mold for fantasy wizards, choosing to be humorous and inventive instead of melodramatic and cheesy.

Don't expect fluffy fantasy. Jones's prose is amusing, dramatic, evocative and fast-paced. The intricate magical systems, where a single event can send an entire universe awry, are wonderfully portrayed and dramatically brought to our attention. And despite the Italian setting of "Caprona," the books have a crisply British flavor. At the same time, "Witch Week" captures, without a sense of cozy romance, the trials of being at a school where you're the unpopular kid -- there's a clique of popular students, and a larger number of unhappy, lonely ones.

The Chrestomanci books are an inviting, funny and sometimes chilling read for anyone who thought Harry Potter was the ultimate in juvenile wizard fiction. Guess again, and check out this series.

Absolutely Enchanting!
This is the kind of book I'd have fallen in love with as a child, but am just as delighted to discover as an adult! Something more substantial than Edward Eager's tales of children playing with magic, yet delightfully not quite so involved as Rowling's Harry Potter, The Chrestomanci Quartet, while full of magical and mythological cliches, comes across as refreshing and fun. Decent enough for younger readers, clever enough for adults, the four stories contained within were a great delight to explore. My only complaint is that the title character will not show up for me when I chant his name, but perhaps I must concentrate a little harder and steal a pinch of my wife's dragon's blood ink to make the darn thing work. Does it merely sound like I'm trying to be a cheeky writer when I emphatically insist this book is enchanting? Too bad, 'cause it is. Discover the magic yourself in The Chrestomanci Quartet! ... Read more

Product Description
Mitt has fled from the South, but finds that North Dalemark is just as full of spies and tyrants.And now he is trapped by an order to kill Noreth - a young girl who has proclaimed herself the heir to the crown of Dalemark.If he doesn't murder her, he risks the lives of his friends. BLDiana Wynne Jones is recognized as being one of the most outstanding writes of fantasy in recent times. BLThe Dalemark Quartet books are for good readers who have enjoyed the Christopher Chant books by the same author.The books contain the same ability to immerse the reader with real child characters having magical adventures in an imaginary world. BLThis genre of fantasy writing is currently very popular due to the success of the recent 'Lord of the Rings' film. BLDiana Wynne Jones has won the Guardian Award for fiction and has written over twenty novels in less than twenty years. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

Love the Book -- not the ending
I thought that this book was an amazing conclusion to the Dalemark series, but the last chapter was rather disapointing.It gets you all hyped up about some huge battle with kankredin (the mage of mages) but he pretty much gets beaten in a second.Then you get all excited about Maewen and Mitt reuniting, but that never happens either (or does it?? it ends before you find out)It seems that there should be more to the end.Some questions are left unanswered such as:
1)Does Mitt still love Maewen?
2)Does Maewen even find Mitt again?
3)Is Maewen one of the Undying too?
4)Does Cennoreth help Maewen get back together with Mitt???

I just wish that some of these things were answered, and maybe the book had a few more chapters -- or and epelogue would be nice.

The Best One
I thought The Crown of Dalemark was easily the best book in the Dalemark quartet. But dont get me wrong, they are all very good. This book has lots of adventure, and lots of wit. Mitt might be one of my favorite characters ever! If you are thinking about reading this book (which you should) you should definitely read the first three books in the quartet (Cart and Cwidder, Drowned Amment, The Spellcoats) to understand what is going on, but I think you can still understand it without reading the third. Try Diana's other books to, but this one, in my opinion, is the best!

Impressive
In my mind, a good book is one that's hard to forget, one that you think about long after you finish it. If you agree and enjoy fantasy, then this book is definitely one you will want to look into. I read the first three Dalemark books before this one, so by the time I got to it, I was almost in a frenzy to finish it. When I did, I had to sit around for a long time afterward, just thinking about what I'd read. I always say that any book that can be described as "heartbreaking" is not for me, but I really, really liked this book, though that description is still apt. (I cried when I read it, but hey, that's me.)

Another thing I really enjoy about Diana Wynne Jones' books is that they are like giant puzzles, and they don't quite fit until the very end, and everything just locks into place. In this respect you can liken them to the Harry Potter novels, so if you have read them but are unfamiliar with Diana Wynne Jones you may want to try this.

Though the size of the book is formidable, it is one that makes you want to read it more than once, and one that is just as impressive, just as heartbreaking, and just as wonderful every time. Read this quartet. And then read all her other books. You'll be doing yourself a favor.

wow!
this i have to say is one of the best books i have ever read. i read all four books, and i loved them. i was so upset when i finally finished it. i just wanted to keep readng it. it is a wonderful book!

THIS IS BETTER THAN HARRY POTTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I read this book two months ago, and I am still rereading it over and over. It is the saddest, sweetest, funniest, adventurest book I have ever read. This was the first book that made me cry. I think that it has changed my life and that it will be one of my favorite books of all time and on my list, it's tied with Harry Potter. Please read these books, they will change the way you look at life- Claire Tuley age 12 ... Read more

Product Description

Cat Chant and Marianne Pinhoe have discovered something incredibly exciting, truly precious, and very strange—an egg.

Customer Reviews (29)

My favorite!
Loved the Pinhoe egg.It is one of my very favorite Diana Wynne Jones books, and I've pretty much read them all.Cat, the very first protagonist she ever wrote about in the Chrestomanci series (Charmed life), is back again, and he's hatching up something wonderful from a egg he found hidden in a witch's attic.He's also making friends with a very special girl who doesn't know that she's an enchantress.

Charming story.Highly recommended for all ages.

The Pinhoe Egg!
The Pinhoe Egg does not disappoint.Jones once again brings us into the lives of Crestomanci and Cat.She proves yet again the her story telling talents are intricate and can be slightly dark.Yet she keeps the story light despite talking about dark secrets that manage to hold a family together, religious superstitions, fear...and what it can lead to!But more importantly it's about friendship, not doubting yourself and that curiosity can be a very good thing!

Delightful!
Fans of the Crestomanci series will undoubtedly enjoy this latest installment regarding the magical characters of Ulverscote, a world filled with wizards, dwimmer users and nine-lifers.The story focuses a feud between the Pinhoe's and the Farleigh's that has recently been resurrected through the bed behavior of Pinhoe family matriarch Gammer. The enjoyable plot focuses on the magically gifted children Marianne, Joe and Cat who attempt to fix everything the adults are messing up, which in turn uncovers even more offenses committed by the grownups throughout the years.The book has strange combination of simple but numerous plotlines that are both engaging and confusing.Another frustration is the egg in the title and on the cover, which doesn't make an appearance until a third of the way into the book and then it takes nearly another third to hatch.The book contains a delightful side character named Nutcase who is Gammer's cat; Nutcase is as mischievous and magically talented as his owner.The Pinhoe Egg is best suited for people who have read at least a few of the Crestomanci series.

The Pinhoe Egg
The latest addition to the Chrestomanci series.Another great win for Diana Wynne Jones and another great story.

If you are new to the Chrestomanci series, don't start with this book.Read them in order.

Hatching magic
Diana Wynne-Jones has been writing for decades, but her most enduring creation is still Chrestomanci, the nine-lifed enchanter who regulates magic all over the worlds.

And she's still in fine form in "The Pinhoe Egg," the sixth entry in the series, which has her strange magic, wacky humor, and an England radically different from the one we know. And Cat -- the timid hero of her first Chrestomanci book -- finally gets to take center stage.

Marianne Pinhoe is there when her grandmother, the manipulative Gammer, goes completely insane. When Gammer's house is put on the market, young Cat Chant accompanies a friend to look at it -- and he and Marianne find a strange egglike thing in the attic. She lets Cat takes it home, and a shadowy creature visits him, asking him to take care of her child.

But strange things are happening around Chrestomanci Castle -- the "Big Man" is kidnapped briefly, and there are plagues of frogs, illness, and general bad luck among the Pinhoes. A silent feud is going on between two secret witch clans -- and Cat finds himself in the middle of a magical conspiracy that goes back centuries.

Diana Wynne Jones has always been great at creating magic conspiracies that never quite go the way you expect. "The Pinhoe Egg" dangles mysteries and hints in front of the reader, about why the witches stay secretive, and what their "sacred trust" is, and you won't guess until the final pages.

Jones spins up this elaborate fantasy with her usual attention to detail, solid dialogue, and insights into what make kids tick -- from adolescent crushes to frustration that nobody will listen. Shealso brings a new kind of magic -- dwimmer -- into the storyline, along with flying machinery and a baby griffin called Klartch, who provides a lot of the humor ("Weep! Weep! Weep!").

Technically Cat was the hero of Jones' first Chrestomanci book, but he really didn't do much. In "The Pinhoe Egg," he gets in on the magical action -- gunfights, spells, horseback riding, rescues and feeding milk to Klartch. Marianne is a solid counterpart, and Chrestomanci is dapper, funny, and far more intelligent than the Pinhoes give him credit for.

"The Pinhoe Egg" is as enchanting as the main characters. Another highly enjoyable novel in a series that came long, long before Harry Potter... and still hasn't got a weak link. ... Read more