(4) YA Originally published serially in the 1960s and 70s, the short stories in this posthumous collection introduce readers to a variety of absurd, frequently magical settings and situations, including the "real Wild West" (Wales). Pratchett fans will enjoy the quick wit, nonstop wordplay, and imaginative setups, but the stories lack the underlying spirit that characterized the author's acclaimed later, longer works.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Mark Beech. This collection of fantastical short stories, previously published serially in the 1960s, offers an uneven glimpse at Pratchett's literary evolution. Notable for their cleverness and whimsy but containing less heart and substance than Pratchett's beloved later work, these bite-size tales, accompanied by Quentin Blake–esque spot illustrations, are read-aloud ready. Dated caricatures among the cast may limit the overall appeal to Pratchett enthusiasts.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(2) YA In this last Tiffany Aching adventure, Granny Weatherwax, the "not-head-witch," has her final encounter with Death, leaving her cottage--and status--to Tiffany. Granny's death weakens barriers between earth and fairy worlds, and renegade elves begin to wreak havoc. Elegiac and comforting, funny and serious, the book is not quite polished but is otherwise vintage Pratchett.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2016

(4) 4-6 In this reworking of a story that he first wrote at seventeen, Pratchett tells of the Munrungs, a race of tiny beings who live in the carpet. It's a quest/survival tale with lashings of dotty humor and the author's own energetic line drawings. The novel doesn't entirely hang together, but Pratchett is never dull and this is a fascinating piece of juvenilia.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis

(1) YA In early-Victorian London, street urchin Dodger rescues a young woman who's being beaten up; a complicated plot is set in motion with a cast ranging from Dickens to Queen Victoria. Dodger's original take and deft way with language make him a wonderful guide through a story of espionage, romance, action, and heroism. It's a glittering conjuring act, but there's real heart here, too.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2012

(2) YA Pratchett's characteristic mix of intelligence, comic inventiveness, humor, and incisive moral seriousness suffuses this fourth Tiffany Aching adventure. Tiffany must conquer the "cunning man," a "horrible creature who can take over somebody else completely"--especially someone open to evil. The story, stuffed with concepts that challenge and oxygenate the brain, is funny, thought-provoking, and completely engaging from first to last.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2010

(1) YA A tsunami shipwrecks Ermintrude on a tropical island. There she meets Mau, the only survivor of the island's "nation." The historical era is an alternative nineteenth century. Serious subjects and juicy ethical questions are fully woven into action and character. Add a romance, encounters with ghosts, and lots of gunfire, and it's hard to imagine a reader who won't feel welcomed.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2008

(2) 4-6 Johnny Maxwell Trilogy series. Likable slacker Johnny Maxwell and his friends land face-first in their third adventure when they discover a time machine. Transported back to 1941, they must alter a tragic chapter of history. The humor--a classic Pratchett synergy of irony, wit, and slapstick--is nonstop. With plenty of loopy logic, off-the-cuff philosophy, and hectic action, this trilogy's final volume is pure fun.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2007

(1) YA Pratchett's unique blend of comedy and articulate insight is at its vibrant best in this new novel about Tiffany Aching. Tiffany, having thoughtlessly (and disastrously) joined the annual ritual dance that ushers in winter and sends summer underground, has altered the seasons in a way only she can fix. Wintersmith is as full of rich humor, wisdom, and eventfulness as its outstanding predecessors.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2006

(1) YA In this sequel to The Wee Free Men, Pratchett approaches an even more perfect union of domestic and epic fantasy; the humor races from cerebral to burlesque without dropping a stitch. Tiffany Aching's pursuit by a soul-stealing hiver requires all the boisterous force of the Nac Mac Feegle, as well as all the power of Granny Aching's sheep-dappled landscape to bring Tiffany back to herself.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2004

(2) 4-6 This volume contains all three books originally published in 1990 and 1991. Both thoughtful and hilarious, these books about the four-inch-high nomes are unusual science fiction for young readers. Reviews 3/90, 5/91, 9/91.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(1) YA When the fairy world begins exporting monsters and its queen kidnaps her little brother, Tiffany Aching sets out to bring him back. She is joined by a troupe of tiny, red-beared, blue-tattooed men called the Nac Mac Feegle. Pratchett steers the tale easily between magical adventure and just-as-interesting ordinary life, with comedic interludes, hair-raising danger, and shepherding wisdom mingling in perfect proportions.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2003

(2) 4-6 With Maurice the cat as the brains of the operation, the rats create the plague, then the stupid-looking kid (Keith) pipes them out of town for a fee, to be shared by all conspirators. But the town turns out to have worse problems than a few rats. There's an awful and secret evil lurking, and it falls to three rats, aided by Keith and others, to root it out. This suspenseful adventure is speeded along by the characters' wisecracking patter.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2002