I had every intention of reading the second book in the Chrestomanci series next, but after reading Re-Enchanted, I had the urge to just read Witch Week, which has piqued my interest ever since I read Reflections by Diana Wynne Jones.

In Witch Week, one of the students in Class 6B is accused of being a witch. Given that witches are banned and burned at the stake in this particular world, that is a heavy accusation indeed. As the students start to turn on two of the most unpopular of their own – Nan and Charles, strange, some might even say magical, things begin to happen.

If, like me, you grew up reading boarding school stories, you may be pleased to know this story takes place in a boarding school and the children (some of them orphans as their parents were witches or aided witches) are constantly together. However, this boarding school is closer to what Roald Dahl went through instead of the charming schools that Enid Blyton writes about. That the boarding school is nasty, however, is fitting because many of these children are nasty. I initially had sympathy for Charles, who was clearly disliked by everyone, but he has a very strong hatred for most things that wears one down. Nan, who is bullied because she’s named after a famous witch, can also be judgy even towards the people who helped her. I did find, however, that she grew on me and I quite liked her by the end. Nirupam Singh is another character worth mentioning – I wasn’t sure what his role in the class dynamics was at the start but he turned out to be quite important.

What I liked about this book was the sense of mystery. In the first half, none of the students know who the witch is, especially our two main POV characters (Nan and Charles). However, children are curious and sometimes mean and things eventually come to a head, at which point Chrestomanci appears. But I won’t give away the plot, except to say that things get a lot more amusing when he’s around.

This is another winner by Diana Wynne Jones. I finished the book much more quickly than I anticipated because I found it hard to put down, and I’m currently torn between the second Chrestomanci book and Black Maria the next time I pick up one of her stories.

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