Witch Week

By Diana Wynne Jones,

Book cover of Witch Week

Book description

Glorious new rejacket of a Diana Wynne Jones favourite, featuring Chrestomanci - now a book with extra bits!

SOMEONE IN THIS CLASS IS A WITCH

When the note, written in ordinary ballpoint, turns up in the homework books Mr Crossley is marking, he is very upset. For this is Larwood…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

2 authors picked Witch Week as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

By chance, I stumbled upon the Chrestomanci series after exhausting all the books that were available on the Library Van.

Initially, I had been deterred by the covers of the novels. Victorian dresses on the cover didn’t appeal to me at the time, but the story became the gateway to Witch Week. This is set in an English boarding school, but unlike Malory Towers, it has magic in it.

It starts off in the ‘real’ world but gets going in the end. In this dimension witches get burned and when someone sends a note to say someone is a…

Diana Wynne Jones was the author who made me want to be a writer, and I can't recommend her highly enough. Witch Week might seem an unconventional choice for a list about dystopian fiction—it’s a children’s fantasy novel set in a boarding school—but if you’re expecting early Harry Potter, you’ll be chillingly surprised. Set in an alternate 80s Britain where suspected witches are still burnt at the stake, this story is dystopic to its bones. What I love about it is how unflinchingly dark it gets. It doesn’t shy away from the raw, existential terror of living in a society…

From Louise's list on uniquely British dystopias.

Want books like Witch Week?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Witch Week.

Browse books like Witch Week

Book cover of 1984
Book cover of A Wizard of Earthsea
Book cover of V for Vendetta

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,187

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in dystopian, witchcraft, and boarding schools?

Dystopian 618 books
Witchcraft 339 books
Boarding Schools 89 books