i went to the local salvos shop on my birthday; surprisingly, i only brought home 3 books! this was one of them... here's a little from the back cover blurb:

"in the multiple parallel universes of the twelve related worlds, only an enchanter with nine lives is powerful enough to control the rampant misuse of magic - and to hold the title chrestomanci...

there is a world in which the peaceful city-state of caprona is threatened by the malevolent machinations of a mysterious enchanter... and another in which magic is outlawed and witches are still burned at the stake.

in two worlds where the practice of magic has gone dangerously awry, there is only one solution - call upon the chrestomanci."

i'm amazed and astounded that it's taken me so long to "discover" diana wynne jones - she's such an imaginative and original author, and she brings great humour and heart to her books. i'm having such fun spending time in her worlds, so thanks must go to grooble for pointing me in this direction!! this volume contains two chrestomanci stories - "the magicians of caprona" and "witch week".

the magicians of caprona - another outstanding "chrestomanci" novel, this time set in an italy divided into states and dukedoms. the magic in caprona is failing, and the two major spell-houses each suspect the other of sabotage for their own ends (sounds very "romeo and juliet", doesn't it?!) a very imaginative story, with some truly memorable villains - a great way to spend a hot summer afternoon!

witch week - another extremely enjoyable chrestomanci book! part of what makes this series so entertaining is that each novel stands alone, while being part of a larger tapestry - you don't have to remember anything from book to book, as each starts with an author's note that explains that there are many worlds, and that the chrestomanci exists to prevent abuses of magic. "witch week", like the rest of the series, is dominated by intelligent children who have to problem-solve for themselves. these young characters are well-written and relatable (even though there's a great age gap between them and me!), and the story gives them plenty of room to move and grow. even though i know the next book will be completely different to this one, i'm keen to find out what'll happen in the chrestomanci universe next!

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

mom took a huge pile of books to top up billy baxter's bookcase this afternoon - this was one of them. hope the next reader enjoys it (and hopefully journals it, too!)

Picked this up from the cafe. First time back for quite a while, I noticed books that I had put there years ago! Will find somewhere appropriate for this :)