Witch Week

Diana Wynne Jones (author)

HarperCollins, UK: 2000; 210pp

ISBN: 9780006755173

Genres: adventure, fantasy

Issues: friendship, identity

Larwood House is a school for difficult children - especially witch-orphans. And someone in 2Y is a witch, according to the note Mr Crossley finds between two Geography books.

Being a witch is, of course, punishable by death - a grisly, bone-fire death. But strange things do certainly seem to be happening - Charles' shoes have disappeared; a flock of very unusual birds cause chaos in a music lesson; and for some reason everything the goody-good Simon Silverson says comes true.

Something must be done - but can everything be calmed down before the Inquisitor arrives? Or are Nan, Charles, Nirupam and Estelle going to have to take things into their own hands? Simpler in plot than most of her writing, this novel is a great introduction to Diana Wynne Jones for the younger reader, whetting the appetite for others in the Related Worlds series.

Same series: Charmed Life, The Lives of Christopher Chant, The Magicians of Caprona; Conrad's Fate

Same author: The Game; The Merlin Conspiracy;