A review by lesserjoke
Witch Week by Diana Wynne Jones

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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