Stopping for a Spell
3.5/5
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About this ebook
In three wild and wacky tales, find out what can happen when...
...An old armchair that you've finally decided to get rid of comes to life -- and has a definite attitude. It thinks it can rule the entire household!
...Not one, but four grannies come to take care of you and your stepsister. You manage to work some magic, and are granted three wishes -- but soon fear you may get what you wished for!
...The rudest uninvited house guest comes to visit -- and won't leave! He insults every person who comes his way. But when he starts in on the furniture, that's the last straw. Even the furniture thinks so!
The bestselling illustrator of "Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm" teams up with a Nobel laureate in this buoyant fantasy of a boy who brings home a wave. Stunning oil paintings shimmer with light and laughter in this unexpected, unforgettable tour de force.
Diana Wynne Jones
DIANA WYNNE JONES was born in August 1934 in London, where she had a chaotic and unsettled childhood against the background of World War II. The family moved around a lot, finally settling in rural Essex. As children, Diana and her two sisters were deprived of a good, steady supply of books by a father, ‘who could beat Scrooge in a meanness contest’. So, armed with a vivid imagination and an insatiable quest for good books to read, she decided that she would have to write them herself.
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Reviews for Stopping for a Spell
70 ratings4 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This was frustrating. She's among my top-10 favourite authors, but these stories were so similar to each other that, when read together, they just felt repetitive and irritating. Still three stars, because it's Diana Wynne-Jones and she's a wonderful writer, but this would be my least favourite work of hers so far.
Read if you're a completist, otherwise skip--you can do better.
(Note: 5 stars = rare and amazing, 4 = quite good book, 3 = a decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. There are a lot of 4s and 3s in the world!) - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5It's not often that I come across a Diana Wynne Jones book I haven't read, so I was pleased to see this one (as an audio book) among the three digital titles now available through the library's ebook system (hope they add more!).
It holds three short stories, all aimed at a young audience and all on the theme of unwelcome guests. Not something I'd read/listen to again, but enjoyable enough. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A collection of three previously published stories by Diana Wynne Jones. The first two were published as individual titles in Great Britain and the third was incuded in a British anthology. They were then collected together and published for the first time in North America as this combined edition. The stories all follow a theme of the "uninvited guest" and are aimed at the younger reader, perhaps 10 and under. They are hilarious fantasies told with tongue firmly planted in cheek though and should please readers of any age who like a bit of wicked fun. Diana's fans will find these short stories to be little gems they may not have come across before and they are sure delight Wynne Jones' followers. It will remain a keeper for my shelves.1} Chair Person (1989) - Pue delight! An old chair that's been sat in front of the TV for longer thn anyone can remember is losing its stuffing and the family finally decides to replace. After a spil from a secondhand shop's toy magician's kit brings the chair to life the pretentious chair person moves in, won't leave, embarasses and bosses them, making them desparate to find a way to get rid of him. Hilarious! (5/5)2) The Four Grannies (1980) - This one feels a bit Roald Dahl-ish. Erg and Emily's parents go away for four days and call a granny to come look after them for the duration. Due to divorces, the children have four grannies and each is horrible in their own unique way. None can take on the jobe, but of course, in the end, all of them arrive after the parents leave. Nasty grannies and a magic chopstick-wand make for a wild first day. (4/5)3) Who Got Rid of Angus Flint? (orig. The Fearsome Friend) (1975) - This is the shortest story and quite silly, but neverthe less quite fun and certainly willentertain its intendended young audience of perhaps 7-9. Angus Flint, a friend of Dad Roberts from college days calls upon him out of the blue asking of he can stay for a while since his wife has just left him. Upon his arrival the family is dismayed to find him a beliggerent, self-centred, bossy, ungrateful tyrannt who rules their roost. The parents manage by escaping by day leaving the kids with the brunt of Angus's bullish eccentricities and finding a way to make him leave. Fun but no explanation as to where the magic comes from and the story most geared toward younger children. (3/5)
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is a collection of three delightful, magical tales. I adored each one and found myself laughing all the way through. In the first story, "Chair Person", an old armchair gets turned into a human when liquid from a magic crystal ball is spilt on it. Unfortunately, this armchair has the ego of a sofa and it starts to rudely take over the lives of Simon and Marcia. The secret to getting rid of the chair must be in the conjurer's kit where they found the crystal ball, but can they figure it out in time?The second story, "Four Grannies", was simply hilarious. Emily and Erg have four grannies because each of their parents were married once before they married each other. Now, their parents want to go away for a weekend and they need someone to watch the children. When all four grannies, all with distinct personalities, show up on the doorstop and Emily seems to have been turned into a large, yellow teddy bear, Erg knows he has his work cut out for him."Who Got Rid of Argus Flint?" was probably my favorite story of the bunch. Candida is dismayed when her father's old college friend decides to move in after his wife leaves him. Argus Flint is rude and has a nasty habit of picking up children by their hair. Plus, he insults the furniture. Will Candida, and her furniture, be able to get rid of Argus Flint or will they all be driven insane first?This was a quick, but very fun read! I enjoyed every story in this book and as mentioned early, I found myself laughing out loud quite a bit. A very enjoyable book!