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The Chronicles of Chrestomanci, Volume 1: Charmed Life / The Lives of Christopher Chant
 
 
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The Chronicles of Chrestomanci, Volume 1: Charmed Life / The Lives of Christopher Chant (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Cat Chant admired his elder sister Gwendolen..." (more)
Key Phrases: hidden prettiness, divining spells, witch sight, Miss Rosalie, Gabriel de Witt, Henry Nostrum (more...)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (71 customer reviews)

Price: $7.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
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  School & Library Binding, December 31, 2000 $18.40 $18.40 $28.67
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Frequently Bought Together

The Chronicles of Chrestomanci, Volume 1: Charmed Life / The Lives of Christopher Chant + The Chronicles of Chrestomanci, Volume 2: The Magicians of Caprona / Witch Week + The Chronicles of Chrestomanci, Volume III
Price For All Three: $23.97

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  • This item: The Chronicles of Chrestomanci, Volume 1: Charmed Life / The Lives of Christopher Chant by Diana Wynne Jones

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  • The Chronicles of Chrestomanci, Volume 2: The Magicians of Caprona / Witch Week by Diana Wynne Jones

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  • The Chronicles of Chrestomanci, Volume III by Diana Wynne Jones

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Omnibus paperback editions combine two Chrestomanci novels in each volume: Charmed Life and The Lives of Christopher Chant make up The Chronicles of Chrestomanci: Volume I; Volume II has The Magicians of Caprona and Witch Week.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.



Review

"Mad about Harry? Try Diana." -- -- U.S. News & World Report

Product Details

  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Paperback: 608 pages
  • Publisher: Greenwillow Books; 1st THUS edition (April 10, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 006447268X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0064472685
  • Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.4 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (71 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #80,120 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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    #10 in  Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( W ) > Wynne-Jones, Diana

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Diana Wynne Jones
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Customer Reviews

71 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (71 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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40 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Nine lives, and better every time, August 10, 2002
Ever since the publication of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit," people have imagined wizards as tall, elderly men with long gray beards, loose robes and pointed hats. Diana Wynne-Jones shatters the cliched image with Chrestomanci, a dapper Englishman who happens to be the nine-lived magician in charge of all the magic -- in all the parallel worlds.

"Charmed Life" is the story of Cat and Gwendolen, siblings who are orphaned in a tragic steamboat accident. While Cat is shy, Gwendolen is the opposite: She is an unnaturally powerful witch, and intends to rise high enough to rule the world. She thinks that she's got it made when Chrestomanci brings her and her brother to his castle. But Gwendolen has met her match in Chrestomanci -- and a magical war of wills has begun!

"The Lives of Christopher Chant" is the backstory of Chrestomanci. Once he was an ordinary boy, whose ambition was to become a cricket player. But when he is tested by a powerful magician, Christopher Chant is found to be Chrestomanci: An amazingly powerful magician with not one, but NINE lives. The problem is, Christopher doesn't want to be Chrestomanci -- and he's already enmeshed in a wizards' smuggling ring that may spell doom for his new friends...

Diana Wynne-Jones is at her best here: the books are funny, dramatic, well-characterized, well-written and well-plotted. The parallel worlds are well-thought out, such as Chrestomanci's world, where magic exists rather than science as we know it. As in many of her books, she shows unusual insights into the thought processes of both young and adolescent children. While readers may sometimes want to smack the lead characters, it's hard not to like the heroes and despise the villains.

After reading this two-pack, readers should immediately read the next two books in the series, as well as the new short-story collection. Chrestomanci is too good to be missed.

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34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great story for parent / child reading, September 27, 2002
My husband read both of these books to our 8-year-old daughter (3rd grader) and they were both entralled by the stories. Harry Potter, Chronicles of Narnia, and A Wrinkle in Time fans will most likely enjoy these chronicles.

It's got parallel worlds, enchantment, and humor. We meet and watch Christopher Chant's life unfold among different worlds. He has a big job on his shoulders -- to keep people from abusing their magic abilities.

My husband excitedly told me about the story, something he doesn't do unless he enjoys it. He's a Star Trek, Lord of the Ring, and Star Wars fan. So, fathers or adults who enjoy those will probably get a kick out of these.

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28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Better Than Harry Potter!, July 10, 2002
By Judy Morris (Brick, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
I discovered these wonderful books quite typically...I was a Harry Potter fan, and I was looking for something similar to read while waiting for the fifth book...and I had read 'Dogsbody' by Diana Wynne Jones before. So, I stumbled upon these magnificent books. I totally adore them! If I were hardpressed to pick between the two, I would choose 'Charmed Life', but both stories are great. Chrestomanci is such a wonderful character, and the world that D.W. Jones creates is much more original than that J.K. Rowling creates. Of course, I shall always be a Harry Potter freak, but these books are much better. There is so much intrigue, action, humor, and wonderful characters, that I have read them over and over again.
I highly, highly reccommend these books (and Volume II as well) to *anyone* who enjoys Harry Potter, fantasy, or just a good story.
Read them...you will NOT be disappointed!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fun Story
I had a good time reading A Charmed Life and the Lives of Christopher Chant. I didn't realize it was two books (it was a gift) until I got pretty far into the first book. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Eric

2.0 out of 5 stars Nothing like the Harry Potter series.
If you love the Harry Potter series, this is NOT the books for you. I was looking for a similar series, when I happened across this series. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Daniel Phan

3.0 out of 5 stars very imaginative, but often annoying
Dianna Wynne Jones is wonderfully imaginative, and knows how to keep her story moving along with an active plot. Read more
Published 8 months ago by westwind

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding fantasy books, fresh approach to magic and well written.
I found this book listed on the internet in a blog about books to read if you were suffering from Harry Potter withdrawals. Read more
Published 13 months ago by P. Breakfield IV

4.0 out of 5 stars My favorite children's book/s
I sell children's books in a bookstore, and these two books are my favorites to recommend, especially for kids who aren't quite ready for the length and detail of the Potter... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Winter Maiden

3.0 out of 5 stars Inventive, if not always interesting.
I read "charmed life" but decided to wait on "lives of christopher chant" because Garth Nix's "Sabriel" seemed more interesting. Read more
Published 20 months ago by diego777

5.0 out of 5 stars Inventive and Fun
I first was introduced to the Chrestomanci chronicles after reading Howl's Moving Castle. I must say though, I instantly liked this series from the beginning. Read more
Published 24 months ago by Shaza

2.0 out of 5 stars Boring, mean, and not very well written
It was such an awful, illogical read that I had to give up half way through this book. And the part where one of the characters makes a face by pulling her eyes "long and... Read more
Published on November 25, 2007 by Juba Lee

3.0 out of 5 stars two-and-a-half stars
Gonna have to go with Flying Book Reader here: I agree, it's mostly a snoozer. A friend told me it picks up in the middle. Read more
Published on September 17, 2007 by Miriam Erez

4.0 out of 5 stars Quite an entertaining read
This will appeal quite a bit to fans of that multi-billion dollar wizard franchise, the hero of which has the initials "HP"
Light-hearted, clever and entertaining.
Published on August 13, 2007 by J. Koch

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