Rating: 
Summary: A Classic! I wish every child had a copy on their bookshelf
Review: I read Charmed Life when I was in fourth or fifth grade, and immediately bought a copy of my own to read again and again. I loved all Diana Jones's books, but this one was my first and my favorite. Fifteen years later I still feel fond of Cat and resentful of his hellion sister Gwendolyn, and I still wince at the hilarious atrocities she perpetrted at Chrestomanci castle. A children's book that doesn't patronize children, but instead indulges their sophisticated sense of humor and appreciation of the travails of a bildungsroman hero is a rare treat indeed. I still keep my old copy so that some day my children can learn to love Jones's wonderful books too.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best
Review: I read this book 12 years ago, when I was a teenager. I average a book every two days. This book has always been one of my favorite. Charmed life is about a young boy finding out who he is and what he is. It's a journey of discovery, adventure, and friendships.
Rating: 
Summary: Fantasy, wonderful fantasy.
Review: I remember when I was 20 years old and discovered The Chronicles of Narnia for the first time. Now, 23 years later, I can look back at hours and hours of great fun. First reading the books myself, then reading them over and over for my four kids. A little later I discovered The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, but for about 20 years those were to only fantasy books I had read.Then, three years ago the Harry Potter era started in our family. And now we live in a Harry Potter world here. But, in spite of all the pages a Harry Potter book doesn't last forever. It was with great pleasure that we some time ago opened my daughter's birthday gift and found the series The Worlds of Chrestomanci. They are perfect while waiting for the next Harry Potter to come, and perfect when you want something to read :-) The first book in the series is Charmed life. It tells the story of Eric Chant, known as Cat, and his older sister Gwendolen. Cat and Gwendolen's parents dies in a boat accident, and all Cat have is his older sister. She is a witch, and Cat adores her. They first live with an old woman in the town, but it soon shows that Gwendolen has a very special talent for witchcraft, and to their joy they are asked for to come and live with the great Chrestomanci in his castle. Their life in his castle is not like the two kids expected, and Gwendolen, the witch, takes the easy way out and runs off to another world, Cat has to stay and fight his way through the days. The novel is filled with fantasy and unexpected events. And it never let you get bored. The book is meant for young readers, and any booklover between 9-12 will love it. I even think any book lover between 9 and 99 will. Try the book, and you will be so charmed by it you just need the others in the series as well.
Is it magic? Who knows...... Britt Arnhild Lindland
Rating:
Summary: You'll be glued to this one!
Review: I tend to read a lot, but this is an exception. I simply love this book! When I first read it, it was a little confusing, but I read it again and loved it. This story has a good plot, it's hilarious, and really cool for you fantasy-loving people. I recommend it to all ages, races, genders, etc.
Rating:
Summary: This is one of those remarkable books that I can't put down!
Review: I'm known to read a lot, but this book is incredible! It's humorous, has a good plot, and it makes you want to learn more. At times it's a little confusing, but if you read back, you'll get it. Just read this book carefully, and you'll never put it down!
Rating:
Summary: The audio cassete was wonderful
Review: I've always been a fan of Diana Wynne Jones, and I was thrilled when I came upon an audio cassette version of one of my favorite books "Charmed Life" It's read by Tony Robinson, who has a wonderful voice and I can honestly say that it does justice to the original
Rating:
Summary: Before there was Harry Potter, there was Christopher Chant
Review: If I were Diana Wynne Jones's publisher, I'd long ago have reissued the Christopher Chant books with that tease on the cover. While I'm usually suspicious of hyped books and movies, thinking that the hype was necessary because they're not really very good, in the case of Harry Potter I think they really are as good as everyone says they are. And yet, from the hype one would imagine that they were unique, that Rawling had done something that hadn't been done before. My own reaction when reading the HP books was that I was immediately reminded of the Chant books, and was using those as the standard against which I judged the HP books. And in my opinion the HP books come out quite well against that standard - they're very nearly as good... So if you know anyone who has read and liked HP, and isn't familiar with CC, buy this for them...
Rating:
Summary: This is one heck of a book!
Review: If your waiting for the 5th Harry Potter book or if you just want to read a book about magic and fantasy then try Charmed Life. It has many suprises in it, and it has a very happy ending. I told my mom to try it and she did. She loved it too. It has some very close risks plus some very funny parts in it. I voted this book 5 stars because it never had any bad parts in it. I got a little scared about a very close risk that Cat, one of the main characters took. I was a little sad when Gwendolen his sister turned bad, and she didn't have as much love for him as he did for her. This book is making me so eager to get the 2nd one.I am still waiting for it. I am into fantasy and action a lot and I love to read! Sometimes reading can be better then movies because authors can make them longer and more discriptive. I am making my own book called The Magical Path. If I publish this book I hope you will read it! I think Ms.Jones is a supercalafragilistic writer!
Rating:
Summary: Charmed Life
Review: In Charmed Life Eric -nicknamed Cat- is always being pushed aside by his much more magically able sister Gwendolen who is the only remaining member of his family. After their parents died Gwendolen and Cat go to live with a witch named Mrs. Sharp who takes a keen interest in Gwendolen's magical abilities. Since Cat can't do magic to save his life she is far less interested in him. After a few years of Gwendolen taking magic lessons Chrestomanci, who is the most powerful enchanter in the world, takes an interest in the siblings and sends for them to come and live with him at his castle. But there is something strange about this castle and it inhabitants. Gwendolen claims that this castle is ruining her witchcraft abilities. Is it smart to take revenge on the most powerful enchanter in the world? I thought this was a wonderful book and it was almost impossible to know what was going to happen next.
Rating:
Summary: Perfectly charming
Review: In my opinion, Diana Wynne Jones is simply one of the best YA fantasy writers out there. She ranks right up there with Lloyd Alexander and Philip Pullman. The intelligence and creativity of her work is consistently remarkable, and Charmed Life is a wonderful example of the scope of her imagination and plots. Charmed Life, an entry in the Chrestomanci series (which can be read in any order without any knowledge of the others--others include Witch Week, The Lives of Christopher Chant, The Magicians of Caprona), is a charming British YA fantasy that far predates the Harry Potter mania. Fans of Harry Potter might like this; it has a similar enough plot--young orphaned boy with awful relatives is taken to a place where his talents can begin to expand. Young Eric, familiarly known as Cat, even slides around on magic mirrors (as opposed to magic broomsticks). However, Charmed Life is in every way superior to the Harry Potter books. For instance, the world's concept is much more profound and interesting. The world Cat inhabits is one in which magic abounds and technology is a bit backward-- not this world as we have known it at any point in time. Rather, it's a version of our world had key events been changed. (For example, a possible alternate world would be if Napoleon had succeeded in his campaigns. We would probably live in a world with a primary language of French.) Secondly, again unlike the HP books, there are no completely evil characters. Diana Wynne Jones has a talent for creating idiosyncratic, realistic people, and even those who are...less than wonderful, have their moments of niceness. And even the 'nice' people have their faults. Good doesn't always automatically win, and Cat is hardly a faultless protagonist. Diana Wynne Jones takes common themes and imbues them with so much life and color and humor that the result-- Charmed Life (among many others) is compulsively likable. Who else could successfully mix enchanters, shrieking furniture, violin-turned-cats, maid-turned-frogs, silverware, family mysteries, alternate worlds, adventure and wit save a master magician such as Diana Wynne Jones? If you haven't read anything by her but like your fantasies good and British with dizzyingly intricate plots, do try her work. I particularly recommend Howl's Moving Castle, Hexwood, and, of course, Charmed Life. These are books that deserve to be read...and reread...and reread... Ailanna
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