Enchanted Glass - Hardcover

Diana Wynne Jones

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0007320787 ISBN 13: 9780007320783

Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books, 2010

Synopsis

A brilliant, intricate and magical novel from the Godmother of British fantasy. When Andrew Hope's magician grandfather dies, he leaves his house and field-of-care to his grandson who spent much of his childhood at the house. Andrew has forgotten much of this, but he remembers the very strong-minded staff and the fact that his grandfather used to put the inedibly large vegetables on the roof of the shed, where they'd have vanished in the morning. He also remembers the very colourful stained glass window in the kitchen door, which he knows it is important to protect. Into this mix comes young Aidan Cain, who turns up from the orphanage asking for safety. Exactly who he is and why he's there is unclear, but a strong connection between the two becomes apparent. There is a mystery to be solved, and nothing is as it appears to be. But nobody can solve the mystery, until they find out exactly what it is!

About this title

About the Author

Diana Wynne Jones is recognised internationally as a major writer of fantasy and in 2007 received a LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD at the World Fantasy Convention. She has also won the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award (twice) and the Guardian Award for CHARMED LIFE. Her books have been translated into more than eighteen languages, and her novel HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE was made into an animated film by Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki. Diana lives in Bristol with her husband, a professor of Early English literature.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6–9—Professor Andrew Hope inherits Melstone House, a place he had visited as a child, from his grandfather. When he arrives at the manor, everyone seems to know something that he doesn't. He remembers that the stained glass in the kitchen window has great significance, and he soon learns that he is also steward of a "field-of-care" that magically protects the estate. Things get odd when Aidan Cain, an orphan, arrives at the door looking for Andrew's grandfather, and the professor reluctantly takes the boy in. Andrew discovers that someone or something has been encroaching on his property, and with Aidan sets out to discover what. Jones excels at creating quirky, slightly off-center characters, including the tyrannical housekeeper, Mrs. Stock; and the gardener, Mr. Stock (no relation); along with leprechaunlike Tarquin O'Connor and his daughter, Stashe, who becomes Andrew's secretary and perhaps more. A giant, Groil, eats the extraordinarily large and inedible vegetables that are left on the roof of the shed each night. This book is filled with the author's singular brand of humor, found in and not at the expense of her characters. The plot is slight, and the novel is not Jones's best, but it is still miles above most current fantasy and will be welcome not only where the author's books are popular, but also where there is an appetite for fantasy.—Tim Wadham, St. Louis County Library, MO
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About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0007320787
• ISBN 13: 9780007320783
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 332