Published by HarperCollins Children's Books, September 2006

This is a triumphant return to Chrestomanci Castle with Diana Wynne Jones on the top of her form.

Set directly after the short story Carol O'Neir's Hundredth Dream, The Pinhoe Egg centres on young Cat from Charmed Life. Chrestomanci himself (Christopher Chant) makes several telling appearances, whether in a beautiful suit or in one of many lovingly described dressing gowns. The one which seems to be made of peacock feathers particularly stands out.

Also appearing are the other occupants of Chrestomanci Castle, and some great new characters, including a griffin, a unicorn, and a young witch, Marianne.

With a small, tightly focussed centre of action, the story takes place entirely within the Castle or its immediate locality. Right under the nose of successive Chrestomancis, the local witches and warlocks, including Marianne's family, are up to all sorts of funny business, and keeping their business secret under the cloak of heavy spells. Part of it is a simple desire not to have interference from outside, but one or two people are definitely up to no good.

When Marianne meets Cat and gives him a strange old egg that has been languishing in the attics for years, the plot really takes off into all the usual twisting, intertwined confusion that DWJ books contain.

Chrestomanci is, of course, supposed to control the use and misuse of magic. Cat describes him as: "He doesn't boss people unless they misuse witchcraft." Perhaps while he and the previous occupants of the post have been concentrating on worldwide or even inter-world issues, they haven't noticed the problems mounting up at home.

It is the children who first realise something is wrong and who, between them, are able to help solve the situation.

For Chrestomanci fans, this is like meeting old friends again and hearing all their latest news. All is well in Chrestomanci Castle. Cat has developed into a really sweet boy. But when he advises Marianne not to let herself be put upon, he inadvertently realises he has hit upon a flaw of his own, which he needs to overcome.

Apart from Cat and Marianne, DWJ has brought a whole bunch of kids to life. It's great to hear more about Janet, Cat's surrogate sister from a parallel world, and about Chrestomanci's children, Julia and Roger. They, and the newcomers, all develop as individuals. The adolescent girls are hilariously funny. One minute they are obsessing about ponies, the next about a man. "But I was planning to marry him in about four years' time." "So was I."

It was also good to hear more about Millie. As Cat reminds himself, she is one of the most powerful enchanters in the country. "People said she used to be a goddess." Although she now seems to be content with being a sort of domestic goddess, running the castle and her extended family in a loving, homely way.

Since DWJ has reminded us of Millie's powers, it reminded me of something I wondered back when I first read Charmed Life. Do Chrestomanci and Millie (who are, along with Cat, the most powerful enchanters in the country) ever wish their own children had more magic than the mediocre powers they have? Do the children themselves care that they are not as magically talented as their awesome parents? All of them seem to have fulfilling lives, but I have wondered.

This is just a side thought but it is an example of the way DWJ can suck readers into her worlds and make her characters into real people.

Running at a typical DWJ breakneck pace, The Pinhoe Egg is packed full of incidents and humour. There's also a new type of natural magic, called 'dwimmer'. The name and the description go so well together it's as if they have always been there as part of the magical landscape, along with kabbalah and wicca, and so on.

I thought Diana had made up the word 'dwimmer', as well as this particular type of magic, until Ursula McKean from Dundee pointed out that Tolkien used it in Lord of the Rings (when Eomer and Aragon first meet, Eomer warns that Saruman is "dwimmer-crafty", and Eowyn calls the chief ringwraith a "foul dwimmerlaik"). Ursula suggested, rightly, that it might have an Anglo-Saxon root.

At times The Pinhoe Egg was DWJ doing slapstick, with some vividly entertaining scenes. Sometimes Jones's books end somewhat abruptly, with all the loose threads pulled together and snapping to a close within a page or two. Here the finale builds slightly more slowly, giving the reader more to appreciate. And there's a sort of "coda" at the end which rounds everything off most satisfactorily.

For fans, this book is a wonderful return to old friends. It is full of resonance and reminders of other Chrestomanci books. At the same time, there is no reason why it should not be a glorious introduction for new readers to the worlds of Chrestomanci or the worlds of DWJ. It is funny, hugely enjoyable, and the necessary background bits are explained simply and unobtrusively. There's even an added bonus of a short introduction by DWJ.

Overall, a great addition to the "canon".

Reviewed by Meredith