Eleven-year-old Tiffany Aching leaves home to train as a witch, unaware that an invisible creature is hunting for a mind like hers
A witch's apprenticeship
Tiffany Aching, the young witch from the Chalk, is old enough to leave home and begin a proper apprenticeship. She goes to live with Miss Level, a kind witch who has the unusual habit of being in two places at once. But witchcraft turns out to be less about magic and more about hard work and caring for people. Meanwhile, a bodiless creature called a hiver is drifting towards Tiffany, and the tiny, rowdy Nac Mac Feegle are coming to the rescue whether she wants them or not.
Who will enjoy it
Readers who loved The Wee Free Men, older children and teens who enjoy funny fantasy, and adults who appreciate Pratchett's wisdom.
What you will get
A funny, wise Discworld novel about a young witch's first apprenticeship, the hard practical work of caring for people and a creature that wants to steal her mind.
A Hat Full of Sky Facts: Pages, Genre and Setting
Genre
Fantasy · Young witch · Discworld · Nac Mac Feegle
Length
407 pages · ≈ 12 h
More about this book
Pratchett's vision of witchcraft is wonderfully down to earth. Tiffany learns that being a witch means tending the sick, settling disputes and doing the jobs nobody else wants, and the book is full of wise observations about responsibility and paying attention to people. Miss Level is a gentle, memorable mentor, and the other trainee witches, especially the snobbish Annagramma, provide sharp comedy.
The hiver is a genuinely eerie threat, and the scenes in which it begins to influence Tiffany are some of the most powerful in Pratchett's books for younger readers. The Nac Mac Feegle, tiny blue warriors with thick accents and no respect for anything, keep the tension broken with chaotic humour. Granny Weatherwax's appearances are a highlight.
The Feegle dialect can slow readers down, and the middle of the book is quieter than the opening and climax. It is best read after The Wee Free Men, which introduces Tiffany and her world. For readers of almost any age, it is a thoughtful, funny and moving fantasy, and Tiffany remains one of his finest heroines. About 407 pages in the HarperTrophy paperback; the hardcover runs 288.
The Wee Free Men
Wyrd Sisters
Maskerade
Wintersmith
The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents
The Fifth Elephant
Men at Arms
Guards! Guards!
Making Money
Going Postal
The Color of Magic
Mort