EARWIG AND THE WITCH Diana Wynne Jones 9780007416868

Everyone knows that orphanages are horrible places. But Earwig has a surprising amount of power over everyone else at St Morwald's Home for Children, and loves it there. So the last thing she wants is to be sent to live with the very strange Bella Yaga...

Earwig was left at St Morwald's as a baby. Unlike the other children, she loves it there, mostly because she has the run of the place and seems to be able to persuade people to do as she wants. Then one day Earwig is chosen to live with a very strange couple: Bella Yaga, her new 'mother', is actually a horrible witch. Earwig will need all her ingenuity (and some help from a talking cat) to survive...

With terrific line drawings that perfectly complement Diana's witty, magical story, this is sure to appeal to a new generation of fans.

Diana Wynne Jones (1934-2011) spent her childhood in Essex and began writing fantasy novels for children in the 1970s. With her unique combination of magic, humour and imagination, she enthralled generations of children and adults with her work. She won the Guardian Award in 1977 with Charmed Life, was runner-up for the Children's Book Award in 1981 and was twice runner-up for the Carnegie Medal.

"...a delightful sampler of her originality and imagination, with small unexpected touches." Nicolette Jones, Sunday Times Culture, Children's Book of the Week

"There's a nice helping of magic and some brisk upbeat sentiment in this crisply written story... How the feisty Earwig outwits the pair with her own special skills and the help of Bella Yaga's cat Thomas is deliciously entertaining." Julia Eccleshare, The Guardian

Praise for ENCHANTED GLASS:

'Blissful'
Guardian

'Wynne Jones is superb, mixing the comical with the magical'
The Times