Charmed Life (novel) facts for kids
First edition
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| Author | Diana Wynne Jones |
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| Cover artist | Ionicus |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | Chrestomanci |
| Genre | Children's fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Macmillan |
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Publication date
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1977 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 208 pp (first edition) |
| ISBN | 0333214269 |
| OCLC | 670524621 |
| LC Class | PZ7.J684 Ch 1977 |
| Followed by | The Magicians of Caprona |
Charmed Life is an exciting fantasy novel for children. It was written by the British author Diana Wynne Jones and came out in 1977. This book was the very first in the popular Chrestomanci series. Many people still think it's a great way to start reading the series.
The Chrestomanci books are named after a very powerful enchanter. This enchanter works for the British government in a world much like ours. In this world, magic is a normal part of everyday life. The Chrestomanci is a special government job. Their main duty is to make sure magical laws are followed. Only the strongest enchanter can do this job. Charmed Life takes place when Christopher Chant is the Chrestomanci. He is often called by his title in the books.
Contents
What Happens in the Story
The story begins when two children, Gwendolen and Eric (who is called “Cat”), lose their parents. Their parents die in a boating accident. Gwendolen, who thinks she is a powerful witch, asks the Chrestomanci if they can live at Chrestomanci Castle. She wants to improve her magic skills there.
However, the Chrestomanci doesn't seem impressed by Gwendolen's magic. This makes Gwendolen, who is quite spoiled, very angry. She starts playing mean tricks. Because of her bad behavior, the Chrestomanci takes away her magic. The next morning, Gwendolen has vanished! In her place is a confused girl named Janet, who looks just like Gwendolen.
Cat and Janet try to hide Gwendolen's disappearance. They have to deal with many problems Gwendolen left behind. Cat also starts to realize that his sister was not always kind. Janet quickly sees how cruel Gwendolen was. She finds a special book of nine matches. Five of these matches are already burned.
One day, Cat foolishly strikes a match. Suddenly, he is surrounded by flames! This confirms Janet's suspicions. Cat always believed he had no magic at all. But it turns out he is actually a powerful enchanter with nine lives! This means he is meant to become the Chrestomanci one day. Gwendolen had been secretly using Cat's magic and wasting his lives to make her own magic stronger.
Later, Gwendolen returns with a group of other magical people. They want to destroy the Chrestomanci. Cat must then face his sister. He needs to get his powers back to save himself and his friends.
Main Characters
The character of Christopher Chant, who is the Chrestomanci in this book, appears as a young boy in The Lives of Christopher Chant. He is also a teenager in Conrad's Fate.
Eric Emelius "Cat" Chant
Cat is the main character of the book. He is a young boy who goes to live at Chrestomanci Castle. This happens after his parents drown in a steamboat accident. At first, Cat believes he has no magic. But as the story goes on, we learn that Cat is actually a very powerful enchanter. He has nine lives!
Cat doesn't know that his sister Gwendolen has been using his magic. She has also been wasting his lives. By the time the story starts, he only has three lives left. He lost his first life when he was born. The second was lost when Gwendolen put his lives into a book of matches. He lost his third life when he drowned in the boating accident. The fourth was used by Gwendolen to turn his fiddle into a cat, which he named Fiddle. The fifth life was used by Gwendolen to travel to another world. The sixth was lost when he burned a match from his 'life book' to prove he didn't have nine lives. This matchbox is his biggest weakness.
Gwendolen Chant
Gwendolen is the main bad guy in the story. Like Cat, she survived the boating accident. Cat thought Gwendolen couldn't drown because she was a witch. He believed he survived by holding onto her. He didn't know he had actually drowned too.
Gwendolen seems like a very talented witch. But she uses her magic for selfish and dark reasons. It is later revealed that she didn't have strong magic of her own. Instead, she borrowed a lot of magic from Cat. In the past, she was like a mother to Cat. But as the story continues, she becomes meaner and bossier. Gwendolen is very ambitious. She has big plans to be a queen or rule the world. She really dislikes the current Chrestomanci. This is because he didn't recognize her powers and wouldn't teach her more magic.
Janet Chant
Janet is Gwendolen's lookalike from another world. Before she was pulled into Cat's world, she lived in a nice, normal home. Her world was similar to ours. While Gwendolen was bossy and bold, Janet was quite shy and cheerful. No one was supposed to know that Gwendolen had gone to another world. So, Cat and Janet had to pretend Janet was Gwendolen. Later, it turns out that the Chrestomanci knew about it all along. Janet decides to stay in Cat's world and becomes a special ward of the Chrestomanci.
Chrestomanci – Christopher Chant
The Chrestomanci is very unpredictable. He is an enchanter with nine lives, just like Cat. But he only has two lives left. He lost the others in accidents when he was younger. The Chrestomanci has very strong magic. He must appear whenever someone summons him. He works for the government. His job is to control magic and keep powerful witches and wizards in line.
Julia Chant
Julia is one of the Chrestomanci's two children. She is usually nice, but she can be vengeful when Gwendolen makes her angry. Julia's magic seems to involve a handkerchief. However, her magic is not as strong as Cat's. Her attempts at revenge are often stopped by him.
Roger Chant
Roger is Julia's brother and the other child of the Chrestomanci. He is usually relaxed and not as quick-tempered as his sister. Roger is more likely to work with Cat and entertain him. He usually ignores Gwendolen, unless things get too out of control.
Awards for the Book
Diana Wynne Jones and Charmed Life won the annual Guardian Children's Fiction Prize. This is a special award for children's books, judged by British children's writers. The novel was also a highly praised runner-up for the Carnegie Medal. This award from the Library Association recognizes the best children's book by a British author each year. It also won the German Preis der Leseratten award.
Other Languages
Charmed Life has been translated into many languages. Dutch and Finnish versions came out in 1980, followed by German. Danish, Italian, and French editions were published in the 1990s. Later, Polish, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Serbian versions were also released.
(ISFDB). Retrieved 2012-04-28.
* Select a title to see its linked publication history and general information. Select a particular edition (title) for more data at that level, such as a front cover image or linked contents.
- —immediately, first US edition
See also
In Spanish: Una vida mágica para niños
