(2) 4-6 Completed by Ursula Jones. Diana Wynne Jones's humor, insight, and brisk, inventive style shine in this posthumously published novel. Aileen is embarrassed when she fails her Wise Woman initiation. She discovers her own powers on a quest with her Wise Aunt Beck, a prince, and his attendant through the islands of Chaldea. Jones's imaginative vigor is unabated in this last, picaresque novel.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2014

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky. Bossy Earwig is not your typical orphan in distress. She's adopted by an unpleasant witch and a nine-foot-tall fire-demon but takes advantage of the situation and learns magic to outwit the witch. This early chapter book features a nonstop plot, memorable characters, an accessible design, and plentiful line illustrations. A worthy introduction to the delights of a master fantasy writer.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2012

(2) 4-6 A boy named Aidan, recently orphaned and fleeing stalkers, pleads for refuge at professor Andrew Hope's inherited estate. Aidan's presence--and the weredog and giant he befriends--draw the ire of the sinister and mysterious Mr. O. Brown. Jones's story is characteristically buoyant and witty; the magic is always brainteasingly clever and comically down-to-earth. An intelligent, refreshing hoot.

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

(2) 4-6 In High Norland, adjacent to Ingary (Howl's Moving Castle), Charmain Baker becomes guardian of her great-uncle's house. She and his apprentice are challenged by angry kobolds and a malicious lubbock, but Charmain uses her library assistant experience to face the threats. Jones's comic pacing and wit are amply evident. Enchantress Sophie and Wizard Howl make a short appearance.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2008

(4) YA Orphan Hayley goes to stay with her excitable relatives. She and her cousins play a forbidden game exploring the mythosphere: an alternate world peopled by mythological archetypes. Though the shifts between Hayley's reality and the dreamlike mythosphere are disjointed, and readers unversed in mythology and astronomy may be lost, the author's lyrical presentation of the hero's journey is innovative.

Reviewer: Thom Barthelmess

(2) 4-6 In this new Chrestomanci novel, a sequel to The Lives of Christopher Chant, Jones once more turns her attention to a confused adolescent discovering his talents--this time twelve-year-old Conrad Tesdinic. Jones has a genius for inventiveness, humor, and flair: as usual, everyone in the cast has an essential part to play in a tricky, satisfying plot.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2005

(3) YA This collection of fifteen short stories and one novella ("Everard's Ride"), all previously published, showcases Jones's remarkable range as a fantasy writer. Futuristic sci-fi follows sweeping romantic fantasy; light, humorous stories mingle with darker, stranger tales. Through each shines Jones's original mind and mastery of plot and prose. There's not a clunker in the lot.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Mark Zug. The well-loved author brings her usual comedic flair to three short fantasy stories, linked by the theme of unwelcome guests. This edition features new illustrations.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(4) 1-3 When Heather accidentally calls forth a mischievous seventeenth-century young man with magical powers, he proceeds to wreak havoc throughout the stately English home run by Heather's parents, with comic results. Although the book is quite entertaining as far as it goes, the younger-reader format doesn't suit the author's talents: the book feels more like an opening chapter than a complete novel.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(2) YA Three children with psychic powers are the protagonists in this novel--another welcome reissue of an intricate fantasy by the acclaimed author.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc. | Horn Book Magazine Issue: February, 1978

(2) YA Though shorter than many of Diana Wynne Jones's novels, this reissue is not necessarily simpler. The plot is complex and rather puzzling, but there are some truly comic scenes and sharp character assessments, and the author writes with her customary grace and intelligence.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc. | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 1988

(2) YA Another welcome reissue of a complex, thoroughly original fantasy novel from Diana Wynne Jones. Archer's Goon was a 1984 Boston Globe-Horn Book honor book.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc. | Horn Book Magazine Issue: April, 1984

(2) YA The story is narrated in alternating chapters by Roddy (a girl) and Nick. Roddy and a friend summon Nick, an unknown helper, when they discover that the Merlin (in charge of magic) has been murdered. Writing on an epic scale, the author deftly creates a fully realized fantasy universe with a series of worlds that resemble one another and our own but with distinct differences. This is a vastly absorbing story of good battling evil.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2003

(3) 4-6 Chris and Mig discover that their annoying invalid great-aunt is actually a powerful and malevolent witch, with the seaside town of Cranbury entirely under her control. Though Jones's own considerable powers of invention and storytelling are evident, this is not one of her strongest books: events happen rather pell-mell, and Aunt Maria is but a pale imitation of the devastating Laurel in Fire and Hemlock.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(2) YA Readers who can get past this edition's unattractive new jacket art will find an inventive and skillfully orchestrated novel. Set in the present but rooted in two romantic British ballads--"Thomas the Rhymer" and "Tam Lin"--the novel examines the nature of heroism and love and is rich in literary allusion.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc. | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 1985

(2) YA Jamie describes his discovery of mysterious hooded figures playing a game. After being told he is "now a discard," Jamie is catapulted out of his world and compelled to wander through a series of other worlds. In this welcome reissue, the author combines elements of science fiction, folklore, and mythology to create a fantasy with overtones of allegory.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc. | Horn Book Magazine Issue: October, 1981

(3) 4-6 When siblings Frank and Jess decide to open a business with the posted promise "Revenge Arranged. Price According to Task. All Difficult Tasks Undertaken. Treasure Hunted, Etc.," they are hired by Buster Knell, bully extraordinaire, and run afoul of the local witch. There's nothing sugarcoated about this fantasy, but it sparkles with humor as it races along to a bang-up finale.

Reviewer: Terri Schmitz

(2) YA Sally Melford cannot understand what has happened to her--she seems to be lacking a body. Gradually she realizes she is a ghost observing her own family, seven years in the past, and must alter the past in order to save her life. The complex plot is absorbing, but equally interesting and frequently amusing are the family dynamics and the character sketches of four fascinatingly eccentric sisters.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc. | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 1996

(3) YA Jones's complex, twisting plot plays tricks with time, as a group of humans from Earth and the outer reaches of space inadvertently become players in an elaborate role-playing game controlled by a powerful computer. Sophisticated fantasy and science-fiction fans will be intrigued by the multifaceted characterization and the smooth integration of technological and legendary elements into the story line.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(2) YA This reissue, loosely linked to Jones's novel Howl's Moving Castle, involves young carpet maker Abdullah and his efforts to win the hand of the despotic Sultan of Zanzib's daughter. Magic carpets, irritable genies, and fierce desert bandits all play a part in this Arabian Nights-flavored tale.

Reviewer: Terri Schmitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 1991