The Pinhoe Egg (Chrestomanci Books) (Hardcover)

~ Diana Wynne Jones (Author)
Key Phrases: old gaffer, performative speech, baby griffin, Uncle Charles, Woods House, Joss Callow (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-8–Fans of Harry Potter will enjoy exploring the magical world of Ulverscote, which is every bit as enchanting as that of Hogwarts, though humbler by far. Part coming-of-age tale, part fantastical mystery, this sixth entry in the series is chock-full of interesting characters. Gammer Pinhoe is a manipulative and mentally unstable matriarch who secretly starts an all-out witch war with the neighboring clan. Her plan is discovered by her granddaughter, Marianne, a young witch beginning to come into her own magical powers. Marianne meets up with Cat, nine-lived enchanter and resident of Chrestomanci Castle, as well as Chrestomanci himself. They find a mysterious egg in Gammer's attic, which the girl cares for until it hatches into a charming baby griffin. Meanwhile, Chrestomanci keeps a watchful eye over all of this as he tries to figure out the mystery of the enchanted woods. In the end, Marianne uses her inner strength to help Cat free the creatures in the woods, and Chrestomanci restores peace among the witch families of Ulverscote. Although some children may be put off by the complicated plot and unfamiliar wording and references, Jones does a good job of entertaining readers with an interesting new world, strong characters, and a satisfying ending.–Nicki Clausen-Grace, Carillon Elementary School, Oviedo, FL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

There's magic afoot, and no wonder, for Jones' latest book extends her Chrestomanci fantasy series, which began with Charmed Life (1977). In the village of Ulverscote, young witch Marianne Pinhoe watches her aging, headstrong grandmother's mental decline, which is unfortunately unaccompanied by a waning of her magical powers. Meanwhile, at the nearby castle, another young enchanter, Cat, prefers riding his new horse, Syracuse, to teleportation, but while riding through the countryside, Cat discovers that something is amiss in the neighboring woodland. In the end, the wizard Chrestomanci separates local history from superstition and brings peace to the area. Magical creatures, spells, castles, and bicycles come together in Jones' alternate world, which offers a refreshing change from the settings of more traditional fantasies. A must for Chrestomanci fans, this solidly entertaining tale is also accessible to readers new to the series. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 528 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books; 1st US Ed edition (October 3, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061131245
• ISBN-13: 978-0061131240
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.9 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #619,724 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This item is part of The Chrestomanci Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hatching magic, December 5, 2006

By	E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Diana Wynne-Jones has been writing for decades, but her most enduring creation is still Chrestomanci, the nine-lifed enchanter who regulates magic all over the worlds.

And she's still in fine form in "The Pinhoe Egg," the sixth entry in the series, which has her strange magic, wacky humor, and an England radically different from the one we know. And Cat -- the timid hero of her first Chrestomanci book -- finally gets to take center stage.

Marianne Pinhoe is there when her grandmother, the manipulative Gammer, goes completely insane. When Gammer's house is put on the market, young Cat Chant accompanies a friend to look at it -- and he and Marianne find a strange egglike thing in the attic. She lets Cat takes it home, and a shadowy creature visits him, asking him to take care of her child.

But strange things are happening around Chrestomanci Castle -- the "Big Man" is kidnapped briefly, and there are plagues of frogs, illness, and general bad luck among the Pinhoes. A silent feud is going on between two secret witch clans -- and Cat finds himself in the middle of a magical conspiracy that goes back centuries.

Diana Wynne Jones has always been great at creating magic conspiracies that never quite go the way you expect. "The Pinhoe Egg" dangles mysteries and hints in front of the reader, about why the witches stay secretive, and what their "sacred trust" is, and you won't guess until the final pages.

Jones spins up this elaborate fantasy with her usual attention to detail, solid dialogue, and insights into what make kids tick -- from adolescent crushes to frustration that nobody will listen. Shealso brings a new kind of magic -- dwimmer -- into the storyline, along with flying machinery and a baby griffin called Klartch, who provides a lot of the humor ("Weep! Weep! Weep!").

Technically Cat was the hero of Jones' first Chrestomanci book, but he really didn't do much. In "The Pinhoe Egg," he gets in on the magical action -- gunfights, spells, horseback riding, rescues and feeding milk to Klartch. Marianne is a solid counterpart, and Chrestomanci is dapper, funny, and far more intelligent than the Pinhoes give him credit for.

"The Pinhoe Egg" is as enchanting as the main characters. Another highly enjoyable novel in a series that came long, long before Harry Potter... and still hasn't got a weak link.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Review for Adults Who Still Like Kids' Lit... I couldn't put it down!, November 14, 2006

By	Delamaine "Reading" (Seattle Eastside) - See all my reviews

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However, a deal of that is probably due to my liking for the characters of Chrestomanci (Christopher) and Cat. The story is entertaining, if a bit gruesome at the end, and the new characters are pretty well fleshed-out (except I kept getting all those Aunts and Great-Aunts jumbled in my mind!). The one thing that puzzled me is that in earlier Chrestomanci stories (The Lives of Christopher Chant and Charmed Life), people are always coming and going from towns near Chrestomanci Castle, with no problems, but in this book [where the background of the story has been going on for many hundreds of years] people have trouble getting to some of the towns without an escort from the Pinhoe family. I'm not familiar with the geopolitical setup of English towns; perhaps there really are this many different small towns within eyeshot of the Castle. Otherwise, a great read, worth staying up late to finish.

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars SPOILER ALERT, October 13, 2006

By	C. Greenwood - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm only writing this to warn you that the review right below mine (if it hasn't been removed) has MAJOR SPOILERS. It reads like a book report and gives away the entire book. I guess that's great if you want to know what your kid is reading, but terrible if you wanted to read the book yourself.

There's another review a bit further down that has one fairly solid spoiler in it as well.

So, be careful, tread lightly, read at your own risk, etc., etc.