Home › Find a book › Charmed Life
Charmed LifeDiana Wynne Jones
Charmed Life
by Diana Wynne Jones
Orphaned Cat and his sister are taken into an enchanter's household, where Gwendolen's ambitions begin to endanger everyone.
A story about children and witches and wizards, adventurous and wry in tone. We would put it with children of 10–13, and at a reading age of about 11 for reading alone.
Worth knowing before you buy
- Mild peril
- A death or grief
None of this makes it a bad book — often the opposite. It is here so you can decide whether it is right for your child now or in a year or two.
Our take on this book
Orphaned Cat Chant and his clever, ambitious sister Gwendolen are taken into the grand household of the enchanter Chrestomanci, where Gwendolen's hunger for magical power grows increasingly dangerous, and mild, overlooked Cat slowly discovers that he is not the ordinary one in the family after all. Diana Wynne Jones is a writer's writer of fantasy, and this opener to the Chrestomanci series is ingenious: the magic has real rules, the plot turns on them cleverly, and the wit is dry and grown-up without ever leaving a child behind. There is mild peril, bereavement in Cat's past, and a genuine streak of menace in Gwendolen's schemes, giving it more edge than its comic surface suggests. For a bright reader of ten to thirteen who likes their fantasy inventive and their plots properly constructed, it is a hugely rewarding book — one that repays close attention and opens the door to a wonderful, interlinked series.
If they like this, try these
Chosen by matching age, reading age, tone and subject — not by what is selling.
Artemis FowlEoin Colfer
Artemis Fowl: The Arctic IncidentEoin Colfer
Howl's Moving CastleDiana Wynne Jones
Skulduggery PleasantDerek Landy
A Pinch of MagicMichelle Harrison
Point BlancAnthony Horowitz
Or let them write their own.
Nothing gets a child reading like a story they invented themselves. Your child plans the characters and the plot, and we write, illustrate and print it as a real book with their name on the cover as the author.
Find another book
Tell us the age, the reading age and what they like, and we will suggest a handful.