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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!
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Summary: Fabulous book blending magic with mundanity
Review: I am now 26 and read this book for the first time when I was 11 or 12--and then kept rereading it. I have always remembered it as one of my favorite books. Wynne Jones (who has never, to my knowledge, written a bad book) expertly blends magic into the more everyday concerns of losing parents, sibling rivalry, and apparent talentlessness. Her "message" comes through with a light touch and her deadpan treatment of the domestic use of magic (like objects that shout for help when they're stolen) is terrific. I just wish Wynne Jones would get the kind of attention accorded to the Harry Potter series, because children are losing out. I am looking forward to rereading this with my future children someday.
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Summary: Fun story of wizardry and childhood.
Review: I got hold of this book to do a side-by-side reading comparison with the faddish Harry Potter books, and found this to be by far the more compelling story. Although not without a few frustrations, the story of magicless Cat and his ruthless, self-aggrandizing older sister is a wonderful tale on many levels. The frustrating part is why poor Cat should be so loyal to his rotten sibling!The characters are delightful, the humor is lighthearted and down-to-earth, the magic is entertaining, and the story itself is the perfect fantasy: the day to day battles of an ordinary kid set in a world that is thoroughly extraordinary. We can all identify with poor Cat, and struggle with him as the more he tries to get out of hot water, the hotter it gets. Plus, you have to feel bad for a poor gingerbread man whose maker's magic was too weak to enable him to do anything more than feebly wave his arms. What good is eating a gingerbread man without a good chase first?
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Summary: More magical delights from Diana Wynne Jones
Review: Diana Wynne Jones has been turning out first rate children's fantasy for years, and this is one of her best. I'm still amazed that more Harry Potter starved fans aren't demanding instant reprints of her works. Here too a boy discovers that he appears to have more talent than he thought. He also discovers that his sister's talents are quite what they seem either, as both of them are taken to live with Chrestomanci (a top public official) to learn more about the world of high magic. This is a quirky, well-written, very entertaining book with more than one surprise before the end. Now that adult readers are discovering how much fun children's books can be, they should be beating a path to Diana Wynne Jones' door, begging for more.
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Summary: My favorite book
Review: This is my all-time favorite childrens book. I first read it in fifth or sixth grade, and ended up going through two copies of it because I reread it so much. Now I'm in my third year of college and I just found a copy of it and reread it last night, and it's still as good the second time around.
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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
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Summary: One of my all time favorites!
Review: I first read Charmed Life many years ago (I was probably about 8). I have no idea where I got it, but I got this and "A Tale of Time City" at around the same time, and devoured them both. Since then I have read many of her books, finding them when I can, rereading them, lending them and borrowing them. Though I've loved them all (some of my favorites being "The Power of Three", "A Tale of Time City" and "The Lives of Christopher Chant") the only one I still have in my hands now, 8 years later, is this one (guess I never trusted anyone enough to lend it to them). I love it more and more each time I read it, and I love Cat more and more as well. I've read novels with more complicated plots, and larger words, but nothing pulled off as well as her books are... If only she had more (and all of my copies hadn't dissapeared!) Oh well - guess I have to read "Charmed Life" again... Shucks :)
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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.
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Summary: I Love This Book!
Review: When I was a kid Diana Wynne Jones was my favorite author, and "Charmed Life" and "The Lives of Christopher Chant" were my favorite books of hers. They are just so inventive, exciting ... a great read. Nowadays I recommend them to all fans of Harry Potter, from my youngest brother on up.
Rating: 
Summary: OKay
Review: I guess I should be more "lenient" with this book. It is a kids' book afterall. But having read her newer book, dark lord of derkholm, this book was a major disappointment. Dark lord was the first diana w. jones book i've ever read and i liked it so much i went to the library to pick out more of her books. How old were cat and gwen anyway? was it ever mentioned or did i miss it? and I didn't like the fact that diana let the evil Gwen get away so easily. Do evil and get away with it. She became a queen too, in her own world! I borrowed two other DWJ books, let's hope they are much better than this one.
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