The Magicians of Caprona

Description from book:
There are two great spell-houses in Caprona, the Montanas and the Petrocchis, and they are deadly rivals. Every soul in both houses is a powerful magician - except Tonino Montana. The only magical thing he can do is understand cats. Understanding cats is a valuable gift, but cats or no cats, the spells of the Montanas are beginning to fail. Something - or someone - is definitely sapping their strength, and unless it is stopped, there will be war. But is it the Petrocchis? Or is there an evil enchanter at work?

Either way, unless something is done quickly, there will be war and the city will be destroyed. Even Chrestomanci, the cleverest enchanter in the world, seems unable to help. Can anyone save Caprona?

Author's Note from book
The world of Chrestomanci is not the same as this one. It is a world parallel to ours, where magic is as normal as mathematics, and things are generally more old-fashioned. In Chrestomanci's world, Italy is still divided into numbers of small States, each with its Duke and capital city. In our world, Italy became one united country long ago.

Witch Week

REVIEW by Jessie Powell
Witch Week is a great place to start, if you've never read Diana Wynne Jones books before.  It's good for experienced readers as well.  It is a perfect example of her upside down style of prose, and a  favourite Diana Wynne Jones  character - Crestomanci - turns up near the end. 

The book opens in the classroom of a private British school.  The teacher has just received a note which reads "Someone in 5B is a witch". Charles Morgan has a knack for the evil eye and suspects that he may be that "someone".  Terrified of his own power and of being burned for witchcraft, he grows desperate. Another student, Nan Pilgrim, cannot climb rope in gym, says ghastly things at dinners and is being harassed by an unusually persistent broomstick.  Nan knows she is a witch, and is every bit as frantic as Charles. 

Diana Wynne Jones turns a tale like nobody's business. She holds you tight with an unending stream of memorable characters and events. From an entire flock of birds (a parrot among them), to a rain of twelve hundred shoes, to several black marks, to a visit from Crestomanci, you don't want to skip a page of Witch Week.

REVIEW by 10-year old Cheyenne:
Witch Week is about a class called 6B and, of course, witches. You can follow the book easily. Witchcraft is illegal in the world in which this book takes place. If you do witchcraft, you would be burnt at the stake. But when a kidnapping takes place, an inquisitor - someone who finds witches - comes to the school, Larwood House, and tries to find the witch. Was the witch Brian Wentworth, a quiet boy, or Nan Pilgrim who hides a secret? This book would be fun for the whole family! It is a Chrestomanci book, so you can find it in The Worlds of Chrestomanci, vol. 2.

Mixed Magics

A new collection bringing together the Chrestomanci short stories in one volume. Contains:

• Warlock at the Wheel
• Stealer of Souls. Set after both Charmed Life and The Magicians of Caprona, this story features Tonino and Cat when Tonino visits England for Chrestomanci to examine his talents. The two boys have to face a dangerous magical adversary as well as learn to be friends.
• Carol Oneir's Hundredth Dream. Pampered Carol can create dreams which other people can buy and enjoy. But something is blocking her all-important 100th dream. Only Chrestomanci can sort out the dream characters for Carol.
• The Sage of Theare

Stealer of Souls

Special issue for World Book Day - March 14, 2002 - of just this one short story. The short book costs just £1.

CHRESTOMANCI SERIES, Part 1

TOP | FULL BOOK LIST

Home | News | Autobiography | Picture Gallery | Charmed Lives fanzine | A-Z of Related Worlds | Articles/Talks | Interview | Book Swap | Leave a Message | Other DWJ sites