Another joyful romp in Jones’s Chrestomanci universe. Marianne’s summer’s been ruined. Her horrible grandmother, Gammer Pinhoe, has lost her mind and Marianne has to spend her holidays training to be the next Gammer. It’s a terrible fate: Gammer’s job is to govern the family and hide them from Chrestomanci, the civil servant in charge of magic. Dreadful days of looking after Gammer’s cat Nutcase, stewing herbs for her family’s illegal spells and visiting Gammer are finally disrupted when she meets the young enchanter Cat Chant. Cat lives up at the Big House and is training to be the next Chrestomanci, so Marianne should be avoiding him like the plague—but she quite likes him. Though it seems likely that Cat will cause nothing but trouble for the Pinhoes and their criminal spellcasting, she has so much fun when she’s plotting with Cat and his friend, the griffin Klartch. This chaotic adventure, full of familiar characters, will delight old and new fans alike. (Fantasy. 10-13)
