I am so envious of people who are yet to discover the Chrestomanci books - they are far and away the best children's books (aalso appealing to adults) dealing with magic and sorcery I've ever read - it's a travesty that DWJ hasn't received the acclaim of JP Rowling, but in a selfish way I am pleased that they haven't been mass marketed in the same was as the HP books, which seems sacriligious, somehow.

This is one of my all-time favourite books - I first read it when I was about 14 and was obsessed about mythology and magic, and have since re-read it countless times and discovered something new every time. It also struck a chord being the child of divorced parents, and DWJ handles the subject-matter sensitively, but without being obtuse about the loneliness of Polly's childhood.