I just keep digging deeper and deeper into the children’s section of my personal library.
Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones
Grade: A-
Charmed Life is a story about two orphaned siblings, a teenage witch and her younger brother, who are invited to live with the mysterious enchanter Chrestomanci and his family. The young witch has a scheme in mind, one which spells danger for everyone at Chrestomanci Castle, but there are things about Chrestomanci that she doesn’t know.
Diana Wynne Jones is a great author who knows how to start a story and keep readers involved. One of the things I most admire about Charmed Life is that it seems to take place in an alternate past where magic is a part of everyday life, but the author never actually explains the setting. She just goes about her business and assumes you’ll follow along.
This was the second reading of Charmed Life for me. I enjoyed it both times as I was reading, but nothing about it stands out strongly in my memory, which is why I gave it an A-. I’m interested to read the other books in the series (The Lives of Christopher Chant, The Magicians of Caprona, and Witch Week).