Enchanted Glass [Hardcover]

Diana Wynne Jones (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

Aidan Cain has had the worst week of his life. His gran died, he was sent to a foster home, and now malicious beings are stalking him. There is one person Gran told Aidan to go to if he ever got into trouble—a powerful sorcerer who lives at Melstone House.

But when Aidan arrives on the doorstep, he finds that the sorcerer's grandson, Andrew, has inherited the house. The good news is that Aidan can tell immediately that Andrew's brimming with magic, too—and so is everyone else at Melstone. The bad news is that Andrew doesn't remember anything his grandfather taught him. Chaos is swiftly rising, and he has no idea how to control it. A sinister neighbor is stealing power from the land, magic is leaking between realms . . . and it's only a matter of time before the Stalkers find Aidan.

If Aidan and Andrew can harness their own magics, they may be able to help each other. But can they do it before the entire countryside comes apart at the seams?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6–9—Professor Andrew Hope inherits Melstone House, a place he had visited as a child, from his grandfather. When he arrives at the manor, everyone seems to know something that he doesn't. He remembers that the stained glass in the kitchen window has great significance, and he soon learns that he is also steward of a "field-of-care" that magically protects the estate. Things get odd when Aidan Cain, an orphan, arrives at the door looking for Andrew's grandfather, and the professor reluctantly takes the boy in. Andrew discovers that someone or something has been encroaching on his property, and with Aidan sets out to discover what. Jones excels at creating quirky, slightly off-center characters, including the tyrannical housekeeper, Mrs. Stock; and the gardener, Mr. Stock (no relation); along with leprechaunlike Tarquin O'Connor and his daughter, Stashe, who becomes Andrew's secretary and perhaps more. A giant, Groil, eats the extraordinarily large and inedible vegetables that are left on the roof of the shed each night. This book is filled with the author's singular brand of humor, found in and not at the expense of her characters. The plot is slight, and the novel is not Jones's best, but it is still miles above most current fantasy and will be welcome not only where the author's books are popular, but also where there is an appetite for fantasy.—Tim Wadham, St. Louis County Library, MO
(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Fantasy is a field crowded with gifted newcomers. What happens when a veteran strides to the plate and takes another swing? If the veteran is Diana Wynne Jones, get your scorecards ready. She hits this irresistible new book out of the ballpark. Magician Jocelyn Brandon had always intended to pass his strange home, Melton House, and his trade secrets on to his grandson, Andrew. Unfortunately, Brandon died before he could complete his careful instructions, and Andrew, now grown, has forgotten much of what his grandfather tried to teach him as a child. The arrival of 12-year-old Aiden, who is seeking protection from dangerous magical beings, reawakens Andrew’s memories. Surrounded by a fabulous cast of eccentric allies, including a parsnip-loving giant, Andrew finds himself in the middle of a mystery surrounding an enchanted glass. With a gleeful nod to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Jones hits all the bases, combining fluid storytelling, sly humor, and exquisitely drawn characters. The magical chaos culminates in a hilarious summer fete and a delightfully tidy resolution. This enthralling book proves that Jones is still at the top of her game. Grades 6-9. --Lynn Rutan

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books; 1 edition (April 6, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061866849
• ISBN-13: 978-0061866845
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #696,593 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Diana Wynne Jones spent her childhood in Essex and has been writing fantasy novels for children since 1973. With her unique combination of magic, humour and imagination, she has been enthralling children and adults with her work ever since. She won the Guardian Award in 1977 with Charmed Life, was runner-up for the Children's Book Award in 1981, and was twice runner-up for the Carnegie Medal. She is married with three sons, and lives in Bristol with her husband.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful dessert, April 17, 2010

By 

Travis Ann Sherman (St. Petersburg, Fl United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Enchanted Glass (Hardcover)

PLOT: The old magician's grandson, upon inheriting his grandfather's house, settles in comfortably until young Aidan, on the run, comes to him for protection from the Stalkers who are after him since his grandmother died and her protective spells with her. Andrew is rather new at this and has a very faulty memory. He's not at all sure what he is supposed to do next.

WHY I READ THIS BOOK: Diana Wynne Jones new book! Duh!

WHY I FINISHED READING THIS BOOK: A) Diana Wynne Jones builds her plots masterfully. Think of this book as a wonderful English trifle, layered with light sponge cake, then the custard, fresh berries and a little sweet wine to make it all work together. ENCHANTED GLASS is such an apparently effortless creation, funny and exciting and full of the best magical traditions. She begins at the level of the light sponge cake, her narration all charming quirkiness. You are quickly sucked into thoroughly enjoying the pleasure of simply reading a book because it is B) filled with characters you love reading about, weredogs that change into five year old boys, grouchy housekeepers that cook everlasting dishes of cheese cauliflower whenever they are irritated, etc. Lots of tasty kinds of fresh fruit. While you are reading along happily you realize C) The story has deepened. She's added custard! Jones has brought her tale and her use of magic to another level. Magic is a force, a real force, a force to be reckoned with. By this time, all her characters are swirling together desperately while spells, old earth magic, illusions, and galactic forces even greater than "those who fear iron" are at work. So she pitches in a little fine brandy and the thing really sets up.

Oh, and plenty of whipped cream at the end.

WHO I WOULD GIVE THIS BOOK TO: Great news! This is a true stand alone Jones book. To those readers 9 - 12 who find the early Christopher Chant a bit overwhelming, ENCHANTED GLASS will be a great way to sucker them in!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great work, June 11, 2010

By 

A Customer (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Enchanted Glass (Hardcover)

Aidan Cain is a boy in need of magical assistance. After the death of his grandmother, he finds himself stalked by sinister creatures. Traveling to the town of Melstone to seek the protection of a powerful sorcerer, Aidan finds the wizard's bumbling grandson Andrew now in charge. Together with a cast of eccentric characters, the two must untangle the mysterious forces that threaten both Aidan and Melstone. The key is a pair of magical colored windows that channel the power of other worlds through their enchanted glass.

Diana Wynne Jones has written approximately 50 books, most of which are fantasy for young people. They frequently focus on the theme of gifted children who have to make a break from abusive or manipulative family members to develop their gifts on their own. Often whimsical, occasionally spooky, and frequently humorous, her novels often deal with a folksy magic with ordinary-seeming people caring for each other and taking responsibility for their world. ENCHANTED GLASS is no exception to this theme.

Neither Aidan nor Andrew has much practice using magic. Aidan has a magic wallet where money appears when he most needs it and a propensity for making friends. Andrew knows he possesses a "field of care," but it is unclear to him how far its boundaries extend or what he must do to maintain it. They are joined by several other characters with dubious magical abilities: a gardener who seems to have a gift for growing enormous and nasty-tasting vegetables, a former jockey with a knack for growing roses, and a passive-aggressive housekeeper who has a habit of bending people to her will. While initially many of these characters and their habits seem irritating or obstructive, ultimately they provide the backbone of Melstone's magical community and are the best weapon against the ancient and formidable foe that seeks to claim Aidan for its own.

As the town prepares for its annual fair, the magical mayhem spreads. Magical doubles, or "counterparts," start appearing. Aidan makes friends with a weredog and a giant called Groil who eats all the gardener's giant-sized vegetables. People compete with handicrafts and homegrown fare, not realizing that these are the very things that define their community and help to protect their homes. What begins with a generations-old boundary dispute ends with Aidan finding a place to call his own.

ENCHANTED GLASS, like many of Diana Wynne Jones's books, accepts the idea of magical heritage while also refusing to believe that the accident of one's parents must determine one's future. In the scene where Aidan first looks through one of the panes of the magical windows, he hears a voice ask, "What is it you need?" Aidan answers that he needs to be safe: "People keep coming after me." The voice tells him that steps have already been taken to ensure his safety. Then the voice asks if there is anything else he needs: "Have you no ambitions?" Aidan suddenly realizes, "I want to be wise, like Gran and Andrew, and have my own field-of-care and write books about all the amazing things I find out and --- and fix things magically that can't be fixed any other way..."

I've always felt that Jones's books reach for that place --- in many children and for some adults --- that can't be fixed in any other way. Her novels have always seemed to contain lessons on how to recover from the destructive and all-too-common violence that often comes --- many times unintentionally --- from the people who are supposed to love and protect us the most. Her characters are able to reach out to that magic, "one of the great forces of the universe that had come into being right at the beginning, along with gravity and the force that held atoms together, strong as or stronger than any force there..." and heal the things that have been broken. It is thus an apt metaphor that the magic in this book is represented both by very ordinary caretaking activities that create a town, a neighborhood, and a home, and by something as delicate and fragile as colored glass.

Diana Wynne Jones has been seriously ill, and many of her fans are worried that ENCHANTED GLASS will be her last book. It's impossible for me to think of this as her last work. It's equally impossible for me to think of it standing separate from all the other novels she has written. While a stand-alone title, it is also part and parcel of a life's work: books that continue to be an enormous gift to readers both young and old.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful read, June 4, 2010

By 

Bennie Wik (Tucson, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Enchanted Glass (Hardcover)

The Enchanted Glass is a wonderful book; very well written and just when you think you know where it's heading, the author throws you a curve! So, very imaginative; I can't wait to read more of her books.