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ihateprozac's review against another edition
2.0
I know it looks like I took FOREVER to read this book, butI just put the book down for a couple of weeks when I got busy with uni, and then only now just got around to finishing it off XD
This book was super adorable, though I have to admit it was my least favourite of the Chrestomanci books so far. I suppose another factor in my leaving it for so long, was that it tended to drag on in parts - it's funny how such a short book can seem so long >_> I would grow tired everytime I tried to resume reading it, so I guess that's an indication of how much of a page turner it is (not).
The main premise about this book, is that in a world where witchcraft is illegal and they burn witches, someone in a boarding school leaves an anonymous note for their teacher, saying that someone is a witch. Funny things start to happen, and a 288 page book somehow manages to drag on and on as the reader ponders who the witch might possibly be.
Then you find out who the witch is, and the focus of the plot shifts to resolving what's wrong with this particular world. I wont spoil it, but I just thought it was so odd that the whole 'omg who is the witch?' theme was drawn out for so long, and then with the arrival of Chrestomanci, the focus shifts completely to something bigger and better.
Though the focus comes back to the witch's identity at the end, and all the loose ends are tied up quite nicely, I feel like the pacing of this book could be a fair bit better. Maybe it's just exaggerated in my mind because I put it down for so long, but this book could have been awesome if Chrestomanci had shown up a little earlier.
That being said, the character development was quite wonderful, and Diana Wynne Jones really gives you reasons for loving and hating each kid in 6B :P I don't think I'll be re-reading it again, but I'd suggest reading it just to get an insight into how the world-splits can happen, and what can go wrong.
This book was super adorable, though I have to admit it was my least favourite of the Chrestomanci books so far. I suppose another factor in my leaving it for so long, was that it tended to drag on in parts - it's funny how such a short book can seem so long >_> I would grow tired everytime I tried to resume reading it, so I guess that's an indication of how much of a page turner it is (not).
The main premise about this book, is that in a world where witchcraft is illegal and they burn witches, someone in a boarding school leaves an anonymous note for their teacher, saying that someone is a witch. Funny things start to happen, and a 288 page book somehow manages to drag on and on as the reader ponders who the witch might possibly be.
Then you find out who the witch is, and the focus of the plot shifts to resolving what's wrong with this particular world. I wont spoil it, but I just thought it was so odd that the whole 'omg who is the witch?' theme was drawn out for so long, and then with the arrival of Chrestomanci, the focus shifts completely to something bigger and better.
Though the focus comes back to the witch's identity at the end, and all the loose ends are tied up quite nicely, I feel like the pacing of this book could be a fair bit better. Maybe it's just exaggerated in my mind because I put it down for so long, but this book could have been awesome if Chrestomanci had shown up a little earlier.
That being said, the character development was quite wonderful, and Diana Wynne Jones really gives you reasons for loving and hating each kid in 6B :P I don't think I'll be re-reading it again, but I'd suggest reading it just to get an insight into how the world-splits can happen, and what can go wrong.
celiapowell's review against another edition
4.0
Another great young adult fantasy by Diana Wynne Jones - Chrestomanic is somewhat involved in this, but only towards the end. The story is mostly centered on a boarding school in a world where magic is illegal, and is Wynne Jones' usual terribly charming and amusing style.
(re-read on audio book in May 2011)
(re-read on audio book in May 2011)
mschrokosch's review against another edition
4.0
This is another tale of Chrestomanci where I was quite bored with until the end, but i did quite like the ending. The ending get 4 stars.
wilsonkayla's review against another edition
4.0
Witch Week takes place at a British boarding school in a world very similar to our own. Except! witches are common and also illegal. An anonymous note shows up declaring there is a witch in class 6b and school politics conspire to out the witch.
I thought Witch Week was a fun little book. The end was not my favorite, but that’s just my opinion. I am also not exactly the demographic for this particular book. The two main (?) characters were well drawn and it was interesting to peek in their young skulls. This book was a fine diversion for an evening.
I will say this though. I am not a young person. Books for kids used to be a lot different. Witch Week came out in the 80s, so it has fat shaming, serious bullying, mean adults…all of that. That is just sort of what went down in kids books back then, so keep all that in mind if you don’t want to read about any of that.
katlib's review against another edition
4.0
I know for a lot of folks this is a least fave of the chrestomanci series, but I ended up really enjoying this one for 2 big reasons, I think.
1, as a former teacher, I can say this book serves a to remind adults to remember how
secret and deep the inner lives of children can be. The mistake many adults make in the text is to assume that the students of 6B are not fully realized people.
The students too are so wrapped up in their individual suffering to look at the others in their classroom who have their own secret fears and sorrows, or even to see that they may have friends without knowing it.
This book is very much about the empathy necessary to grow up. I really appreciated how this book emphasized the importance of looking around to see who else might be suffering.
2. Doing a queer reading of this text really does make it more interesting. Many of the feelings and experiences students relate to realizing they are witches reminded me of the isolation and anger I felt as a young queer person.
Anyhow, between emphasizing empathy and an accessible queer reading, I really enjoyed this next chrestomanci volume.
1, as a former teacher, I can say this book serves a to remind adults to remember how
secret and deep the inner lives of children can be. The mistake many adults make in the text is to assume that the students of 6B are not fully realized people.
The students too are so wrapped up in their individual suffering to look at the others in their classroom who have their own secret fears and sorrows, or even to see that they may have friends without knowing it.
This book is very much about the empathy necessary to grow up. I really appreciated how this book emphasized the importance of looking around to see who else might be suffering.
2. Doing a queer reading of this text really does make it more interesting. Many of the feelings and experiences students relate to realizing they are witches reminded me of the isolation and anger I felt as a young queer person.
Anyhow, between emphasizing empathy and an accessible queer reading, I really enjoyed this next chrestomanci volume.
jenmkin's review against another edition
3.0
This felt a little more contrived than some of DWJ's other books, but it was enjoyable nonetheless
lesserjoke's review against another edition
5.0
This has always been my favorite Chrestomanci book, even though it's a bit of a spin-off, with the multiverse-hopping enchanter only showing up in the last third or so of the text (and not requiring any prior reader knowledge to understand and appreciate his appearance when he does). It's not just that one could easily read this as a standalone -- every time I pick it up, I find the narrative so immersive and engaging that I half-forget it's connected to those other stories at all. I love this world of snippy students and illegal witchcraft, and how the friendship slowly blossoms among children who each begin the novel feeling lonely and ostracized in their own particular ways.
Given the English boarding school setting, this is also the volume that most resembles Harry Potter, whose publication it predates by a good decade and a half. These characters aren't learning magic, but they're still taking classes as a cohort and dealing with petty rivalries against the backdrop of a more serious plot and some truly inventive displays of sorcery. Although probably not the most logical place to start the series, it would be a great option for anyone still looking to find their next Hogwarts.
[Content warning for fatphobia, capital punishment, and self-harm.]
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Given the English boarding school setting, this is also the volume that most resembles Harry Potter, whose publication it predates by a good decade and a half. These characters aren't learning magic, but they're still taking classes as a cohort and dealing with petty rivalries against the backdrop of a more serious plot and some truly inventive displays of sorcery. Although probably not the most logical place to start the series, it would be a great option for anyone still looking to find their next Hogwarts.
[Content warning for fatphobia, capital punishment, and self-harm.]
Find me on Patreon | Goodreads | Blog | Twitter