The Magicians of Caprona (Chrestomanci Books) [Hardcover]

Diana Wynne Jones (Author)

Book Description

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

Tonino is the only person in the famous Montana household who wasn't born with an instinct for creating spells, but he has other gifts.His ability to communicate with cats just might help defend the city of Caprona against a mysterious enchanter -- but only if Tonino can learn to cooperate with a girl from the hated Petrocchi family of spell-makers.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-7 - Caprona, the Italian city of spellmakers, is in trouble in this, the third installment in the Chronicles of Chrestomanci series by Diana Wynne Jones. A mysterious evil enchanter has made the feud between the Montana family and their rivals, the Petrocchi family, worse then ever. Armies are poised to invade Caprona, and the Duke seems incapable of stopping the impending disaster. That leaves it up to Tonino Montana and Angelica Petrocchi, two of the youngest members of their respective families, to try to stop the evil enchanter and save their city. But the enemy they must bring down is powerful and cunning, especially for two children who have trouble making their spells work properly. To overcome the evil enchanter, the children must enlist the help of a special cat and find a way to get their feuding families to work together. The story starts slowly, but once it gets going fantasy fans will enjoy listening to narrator Gerard Doyle make the characters come to life and present Jones's entertaining descriptions of the magical parallel universe in which this story takes place. There are plenty of scary moments, but there are heartwarming ones as well. - David Bilmes, Schaghticoke Middle School, New Milford, CT
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Review

"A gorgeous concoction of humor, suspense, and romance." -- -- The Horn Book

Chalk up another triumph for Jones, who is as gifted at spellbinding as any of her characters." -- -- Publishers Weekly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books (April 10, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060298782
• ISBN-13: 978-0060298784
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,009,954 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

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awsome!, August 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Magicians of Caprona (A Chrestomanci Book) (Mass Market Paperback)

I've read all the Chrestomanci books, their the best. Perfect for someone who loves Harry Potter. I'm just a 13 year old who can't get enough of either. Diana Wynne Jones is a wonderful writer. As soon as i finish one of her books, I just have to pick up another. The Magicians of Caprona is an enchanted romance. In which Tonino Montana and Angelica Petrocchis are able to put their family diffrences aside to save Caprona.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reading that feeds the imagination, August 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Magicians of Caprona (A Chrestomanci Book) (Mass Market Paperback)

I read this book over fifteen years ago and still remember the story very well. It is a Romeo & Juliet style story of friendship despite family feuds and the magic add more than a touch of excitement. It is a wonderful book which really fires the imagination of children and adults alike. I would not hesitate to recommend it to the children of my friends.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An absolutely fantastic book, January 19, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Magicians of Caprona (Chrestomanci Books) (Paperback)

This is another book in the Chrstomanci Universe, but the story is this time set in Italy. In this universe just a little off from our own, magic is commonplace and spellcasters highly respected, and all of the practitioners of magic in the world are overseen by the legendary Chrestomanci, a nine-lived sorcerer and the only one in the world powerful enough to ensure that magic is never misused to the detriment of any normals. In the Italian city-state of Caprona, there are two major spellcasting families in the middle of a generations-long feud. In fact, they've been feuding so long that no one remembers why they are feuding (no, it's not a cheap Romeo-and-Juliet hack), and the favored occupation of the school-aged children is to invent terrible stories of the beginning of the feud to frighten their younger siblings. The story follows a young boy in one of the families, thought to be much slower at spellcasting than anyone in the family and privately a bit of a disappointment, who is chosen as the special pet of the head of the family's cats, Bevenuto, who is possibly the second-most-respected creature in the household. Definately reminiscent of The Lives of Christopher Chant.