Customer Reviews

The Unholy Grail: A Tale of Groosham Grange

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I work at various branches of Gold Coast City Council Libraries and many people request titles of books not realising they've read them before. Before Harry went to Hogwarts, David went to Groosham Grange! With the resurgence of this genre through J.K Rowling's Harry Potter series many people have been trying to obtain and reread the sensational Groosham Grange novels which they read as a kid. Many people are ecstatic when they see what they believe to be a new third title in the series called Return to Groosham Grange and immediately want to order it. The problem is a lot also are ordering it at the same time they are ordering The Unholy Grail and being disappointed when they find out this and that book are exactly the same story. The Unholy Grail was the original title of this sequel to Groosham Grange and for some reason publishers have relaunched it with the title Return to Groosham Grange. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt that they're doing this to try to attract the attention of buyers who have only read the first novel and did not know there was a sequel and not to simply mislead consumers.

Anyway if you haven't already done so make sure you purchase the original and read it before opening the first page of this one. This book does give away what happened in the first, the first is a lot more enjoyable when you don't know who's still going to be at Groosham for the sequel. So if you haven't read that it would probably be a good idea not to continue reading this review as although I obviously wouldn't give away anything major from the plot of this book just outlining what this novel is about does give away the ending of the original adventure. For those readers I will just say buy the Groosham Grange books, they're sensational!

In The Unholy Grail/Return to Groosham Grange David has settled into Groosham Grange and has become the school's number one student. However a new boy named Vincent has come to the school and he's quickly stealing David's thunder, and Jill's admiration. David had the school's top prize The Unholy Grail all wrapped up until Vincent enrolled. Now the grail is up for grabs by either boy. David's dislike for Vincent is costing him dearly, Vincent seems to know what buttons to push to get David in trouble and punished through resulting in the loss of ranking points. Soon David is framed in The Heads Office for a crime he believes Vincent committed. David is also learning it is very important that he wins The Unholy Grail, as if he does not Groosham Grange will cease to exist all together. This adventure will also take David to the British Museum and the reader will get to meet Adolf Hitler and a heap of other wax dummys along the way.

So that they sell more copies publishers often change titles. Others novels include P.J Tracy's Want to Play, which is the same book as Monkeerench. Bill Fitzhugh's McJesus, which is the same novel as both Cross Dressing or Cross + Dress. Bush Falls is exactly the same novel as Jonathan Tropper's The Book of Joe.

Buy the Unholy Grail/Return to Groosham Grange under either title, I'd get the one that's cheapest!

I work at various branches of Gold Coast City Council Libraries and many people request titles of books not realising they've read them before. Before Harry went to Hogwarts, David went to Groosham Grange! Many people have been trying to obtain and reread the sensational Groosham Grange novels which they read as a kid. Many are ecstatic to discover what they believe to be a new third novel in this series called Return to Groosham Grange and immediately want to order it. The problem is it is the exact same titile as The Unholy Grail. The Unholy Grail was the original title of this sequel to Groosham Grange and for some reason publishers have relaunched it with the title Return to Groosham Grange. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt that they're doing this to try to attract the attention of buyers who have only read the first novel and did not know there was a sequel and not to simply mislead consumers.

Anyway if you haven't already done so make sure you purchase the original and read it before opening the first page of this one. This book does give away what happened in the first, the first is a lot more enjoyable when you don't know who's still going to be at Groosham for the sequel. So if you haven't read that it would probably be a good idea not to continue reading this review as although I obviously wouldn't give away anything major from the plot of this book just outlining what this novel is about does give away the ending of the original adventure. For those readers I will just say buy the Groosham Grange books, they're sensational!

In The Unholy Grail/Return to Groosham Grange David has settled into Groosham Grange and has become the school's number one student. However a new boy named Vincent has come to the school and he's quickly stealing David's thunder, and Jill's admiration. David had the school's top prize The Unholy Grail all wrapped up until Vincent enrolled. Now the grail is up for grabs by either boy. David's dislike for Vincent is costing him dearly, Vincent seems to know what buttons to push to get David in trouble and punished through resulting in the loss of ranking points. Soon David is framed in The Heads Office for a crime he believes Vincent committed. David is also learning it is very important that he wins The Unholy Grail, as if he does not Groosham Grange will cease to exist all together. This adventure will also take David to the British Museum and the reader will get to meet Adolf Hitler and a heap of other wax dummys along the way.

So that they sell more copies publishers often change titles. Others novels include P.J Tracy's Want to Play, which is the same book as Monkeerench. Bill Fitzhugh's McJesus, which is the same novel as both Cross Dressing or Cross + Dress. Bush Falls is exactly the same novel as Jonathan Tropper's The Book of Joe.

Buy the Unholy Grail/Return to Groosham Grange under either title, I'd get the one that's cheapest!

Anthony Horowitz is an accomplished and versatile writer who writes perfect books for older children and the young adult age group.

Return to Groosham Grange is typical of his work, if a little bit more off beat than usual. This hilarious adventure is the sequel to Groosham Grange, and follows David - now enjoying his life as a student at the extremely unorthodox school, and battling to win the school's highest (and only) honour, presented to the most outstanding student - the Unholy Grail.

But all is not well, as the school has been infiltrated by someone who wants to destroy it.

Children aged about 8 or 9+ will love this story. At times it is so wacky that it might be a bit too much for teenage readers, but it is still good fun, with a fast and enjoyable plot.

My one reservation - and the reason I will not be lending it out - is that it basically inverts ideas of good and evil. Witches and vampires and werewolves are not exactly evil, but the Christians certainly intend it.

That is not to say I think children should not read this book. In some senses it is a perfect book to challenge our ideas of what is good and what evil means. But I think it is a book that perhaps requires a bit of discussion to round it off, as it is aimed at an age that is used to more didactic learning, and it would be a shame if the actual message that sinks home is that Witches are good and Christians are evil.

I have to admit, when i first saw this, i wasn't impressed. BUT ... I pickd up audio versions of both "Groosham Grange", AND "The Unholy Grail". Anthony Horowitz wrote both, and I have since picked up both in book form as well. My boys really seem to enjoy the set!!!! Excellent!!!