 The Worlds of Chrestomanci Diana Wynne Jones HarperCollins, London 2001 0007128959 1. Charmed Life 2.The Lives of Christopher Chant 3. The Magicians of Cuprona 4. Witch Week Author's Note
| CHARMED LIFE Gwendolen and her brother, Cat are on a train going across a bridge when it collapses. Nearly everyone drowns except for Gwendolen because she is a witch and witchs cant drown. The only reason Cat doesnt die is because he grabs on to Gwendolen. Now they are orphans because their Mother and Father died in the train accident. They go to live with Mrs Sharp in a town called Wolfercoat. There, Cat goes to school and Mr Nosterum teaches witchcraft to Gwendolen. When Chestomanci comes to see them he adopts them and takes them to live in his castle. Gwendolen doesnt like it, she hates the maids coming in and waking her, she hates the food and she hates Julia and Rodger. Cat doesnt really like it either. Gwendolen starts to do bad things when they wont let her do witchcraft. I think that the characters are credible. You can investigate them and know their personality. I think that the dialogue is realistic and natural. You can also hear them talking and sometimes you feel like an eavesdropper on their conversations. The language is rich original and interesting. The words build up to create images and atmosphere in your mind. I was hooked from the very beginning you can hear, smell and feel the background. I could feel the atmosphere the author was creating. I think that there is a satisfying ending. It is hard to put the book down. I think that is a read alone book for children aged 10 & 11. |
| The Lives of Christopher Chant There is unreal ending to this wonderful book. The Wraith tries to get in every way, but with a ferocious cat, which guards the magical entrance, and with spells and traps all around the fence of the grounds the Wraith has no chance of getting in. All the different people in the story made it hard to focus on them. Until you read until the half way mark, you would only really know Christopher. I was stunned from the very beginning! Its one of the best books Ive ever read! All the pictures at the start of the chapters blended in beautifully. I can feel the atmosphere in the story, especially when Christopher gets in trouble then I could really feel what he would be feeling. I would love to receive this book as a personal gift. I would recommend this book to all people in grade 6 and up. I have changed the way I feel when reading a book in Silent Reading. I used to hate reading in class but now Ive got my head in a book constantly reading. I am glad that I read it because it was a big book and it filled in my time at school and home. | |
| The Magicians of Cuprona The two towns of Caprona Casa Montana and Casa Petrocchi are two similar towns and are very mystical and magical. This story takes place a long time ago in Casa Montana when everything goes wrong and spells start to waste and stop right in the middle, everyone believes there'll be war. But Tonio and Paolo are determined to help and do as much as they can. I could tell you more but then you wouldnt have to read the book for yourself. My favourite character is Benvenuto, the cat. He can talk to Tonio and is the leader of the town cats. Hes very magical and some spells will only work when hes there. The characters were interesting and magical with good dialogue. Roxanne, 12, Ballarat, Vic | |
| WITCH WEEK Witch Week is a good book. It is about a class in an English boarding school. One morning the classroom teacher finds a note saying, Someone in this class is a witch. Some of the students begin to wonder who the witch could be. Peculiar things begin to happen like birds flying into the hall and people getting brooms and witch- like presents. People begin to act strangely - like the students who are usually good at work begin to fail and the people that are well behaved become disruptive. There are three main characters in this story, Nan, Charles and Nirupam. Nirupam is the first witch and he turns Nan and Charles into witches. He turns them into witches by giving them spells and brooms but Nirupam, Nan and Charles are not the only witches. There is another evil witch but you dont know who he or she is. In the book Witch Week the World of Crestomanci, I was hooked from the very beginning. I also thought that I was there in the story as I felt that I was one of the Characters. I imagined in my head the atmosphere that the author was trying to make. It was easy to follow and it could be imagined but I dont think any one could experience it as it wasnt believable. It was very hard to put down and at night I got in trouble because I would read it in bed. The one thing bad about the book was the ending but there is another book and I think I will like that book. The characters are very credible and there are quite a few in the book, the whole class of 2Y and a few teachers. They do a lot of things to show their personality. The language that the characters use suits them very well and it feels like I am hiding in the bushes listening to their conversation. The book was very entertaining and I liked the theme of witches. I didnt think the author was trying to send out a message but the story does leave me with questions and wanting more. The main issues in the story were when a boy in their class was kidnapped and when people in the class act strangely. I thought it was a great book and I will read the next one too. |
