Rating: 
Summary: Family politics, the secret world of kids = chemistry
Review: A newly blended family is having a lot of trouble with the whole "blending" aspect and the stepchildren are arrayed against each other when the dad/stepdad buys a chemistry set for each side of the intrafamily rivalry. This is no ordinary chemistry set. Be prepared for the creation of life, the secret of flight and many other amazing twists as the kids vie with each other and make the rookie mistake of failing to take notes on their experiments. I love everything by DWJ. Her early work is particularly irreverent and truth-telling. This book was screamingly funny and very human. Like so many Jones books, it is hard to find but well worth the search!
Rating: 
Summary: Okay
Review: Although I normally love DWJ, this was not one of my favorites. I found the characters all to be fairly one dimensional: flaky mom, mean step-dad, bullying step-siblings. The protagonists were also a little whiny and self-centered.Despite my personal qualms, I can see how this would be a good suggestion for a child who is not happy about a parent's re-marriage. It has a very good moral: that even if we don't all get along perfectly, we still all have to work together in order to accomplish anything.
Rating:
Summary: Okay
Review: Although I normally love DWJ, this was not one of my favorites. I found the characters all to be fairly one dimensional: flaky mom, mean step-dad, bullying step-siblings. The protagonists were also a little whiny and self-centered. Despite my personal qualms, I can see how this would be a good suggestion for a child who is not happy about a parent's re-marriage. It has a very good moral: that even if we don't all get along perfectly, we still all have to work together in order to accomplish anything.
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Summary: Fantasy addresses blending families
Review: Diana Wynne Jones is one of the finest children's/young adult writers ever. She uses fantasy to explore and resolve the painful emotions of childhood and adolescence that are so hard to address. She usually does so with humor and imagination. ... Blending families is very hard work at the best of times; this novel uses fantasy (the magical chemistry sets) to show the growth the characters have to undertake to live together as a family. While this is about a blended family, it will also appeal to kids in intact families (you don't always like or respect your birth parents!)
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: How did this book ever go out of print? I read it to my nine year old son, and we both loved it. She builds up her scenes so wonderfully - you can feel the emotion. Any child who loves magic and the unexpected will enjoy this book - and, best of all, a parent can enjoy it also.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: How did this book ever go out of print? I read it to my nine year old son, and we both loved it. She builds up her scenes so wonderfully - you can feel the emotion. Any child who loves magic and the unexpected will enjoy this book - and, best of all, a parent can enjoy it also.
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Summary: Ogre Downstairs
Review: I read The Ogre Downstairs. I thought it was a good book because it's an adventure of an ogre in a modern house. It's like you're in the book. I think other people would like this book and I think kids ages 10 or higher could read this.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic book
Review: I remembered this one from my childhood, and was eager to get it for my own kids (and so I could read it again!). I never could find a copy, but finally it was reprinted. As I expected, my 11-year old son loved it. We agree that it has the same kind of charms as the beloved Harry Potter series -- humor, interesting kid characters, emotion, and really fabulous magic. I am not always such a big fan of DWJ, but this one I really, really love.
Rating:
Summary: Better then expected.
Review: I thought it was great. I loved it. It had turns I never expected and a suprising ending. This book is another of Diana's great works, if your a fan, by this book. Don't be fooled by the title or by the cover, this book isn't only for children. This bok is another "can't put it down even for lunch" book. And it is pretty short, and makes for a quick read. It's also full of suspence, I was dying at points of it, because there was so much. So what I'm saying is, buy this book, you'll enjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: A fun read
Review: Plain and simple, this was a fun book to read. From beginning to end, Jones makes you care about the characters which is the most important thing in any book. The magical adventures are exciting, but they wouldn't be if you didn't care about Casper, Gwinny, Johnny, Malcolm and Douglas. If you liked King Fortis the Brave and the Harry Potter books, you will like The Ogre Downstairs as well.
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