School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-Witch Week (Greenwillow, 1982) is the third book in Diana Wynne Jones's Chrestomanci Chronicles series. An anonymous note to the teacher of class 6B announces, "Someone in this class is a witch." With those words the tale is off and flying. Set at Larwood House, a cliquish boarding school in England, the students in 6B are very nervous, since witches are hunted and burned. Plump Nan Pilgrim quickly becomes the chief suspect because, not only is her name the same as the Archwitch Dulcinea Wilkes, no one likes her anyway. But Charles Morgan is also a possibility due to his evil-eyed double-barreled glare. No one likes him, either. In this story that's all about the way people see each other and themselves, Nan and Charles, along with several others, discover that they are much more than they appear to be. Gerald Doyle's excellent narration infuses each person with a distinctive voice, from Nirupam's slight Indian accent to the clipped tones of Mr. Wentworth, making it easy to distinguish who is speaking despite the large cast of characters. Although part of a series, this title can stand alone. The boarding school setting and straightforward storytelling style is similar to that of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter books. Fans of those titles should also enjoy this audiobook which would be a wonderful addition to school and public library collections.-Charli Osborne, Oxford Public Library, MI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
In this adroitly told story, Mr. Crossley finds a note claiming that ``someone in this class is a witch,'' only the beginning of events that have 6B and the rest of the school in turmoil. Ages 8-12. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
These four welcome reissues are loosely linked by the character Chrestomanci, a magician with nine lives, whose charge is to maintain the balance of magic among parallel universes. From HORN BOOK Fall 2001, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
This latest entry in Jones' Chrestomanci series posits the surfacing of young witches in the closed, confined world of a traditional (though co-ed) boarding school, in a time after witchcraft has been stamped out but inquisitors are still afoot. A witch's gifts commonly show themselves around age eleven, which is just what happens here--to the terror and discomfort of Charles, who holds his finger to the candle flame to remind himself that ""burning hurts""; the temporary joy of fat pariah Nan, who's delighted with her change in status; and the likely enjoyment of readers treated to the boarding-school intrigues and spellbound indiscretions. With the coming out of Nan and Charles, relationships shift, all hell breaks loose, more witches (one of them a teacher) reveal themselves, and when things get too hot the arch-enchanter Chrestomanci shows up, summoned by spell from a parallel world. This dapper gentleman settles in at the school, posing as divisional inquisitor and occasioning more shakeups, some of them quite unwelcome to the witches. There is also much exposition about the many parallel worlds of the series: The one in the story, where witchcraft is common but illegal, seems to be a redundant twin of another (ours?) . . . to which it is joined in the explosive classroom finale. And so the whole business is negated in a pouf of Guy Fawkes smoke--but it's larkish fun while the sparks fly. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
